How School Admissions Work in England: A Complete Guide

Secondary school applications close at the end of October each year for entry the following September. National offer day is 1 March. Primary school applications close in mid-January. National offer day is 16 April. You apply through your local council, not directly to schools. Most councils let you list 3 to 6 preferences in ranked order.

Schools don't see your preference order — each school ranks all applicants against its own admissions criteria independently. Your council then offers you the highest-preference school where you qualified for a place. This is called the Equal Preference scheme.

When a school receives more applications than it has places, it uses oversubscription criteria to decide who gets in. The typical priority order is: 1. Looked-after children (in local authority care) 2. Children with an EHCP naming the school 3. Siblings already at the school 4. Children of staff at the school (some schools) 5. Distance from home to school 6. Faith criteria (for religious schools) 7. Catchment area (where defined) The exact criteria vary by school — always check the school's admissions policy on your local council's website.

There is no universal definition. Some schools have a fixed boundary on a map. Others simply use distance — the closer you live, the higher your priority. The "last distance offered" changes every year based on demand. On PickMySchool, each school's Admissions tab shows capacity vs pupils on roll, so you can see whether a school is likely oversubscribed.

You will be offered a place at the highest-preference school that had space for you. You should accept this offer to secure a place, even if appealing. You are automatically added to waiting lists for any higher-preference schools that rejected you. Waiting lists are ranked by the same admissions criteria, not by when you joined. A family moving closer to the school could jump ahead of you.

• Always use all your preference slots — leaving them empty does not help. • Check admissions data from previous years on PickMySchool. • Visit schools during open days — data matters, but so does the feel. • Apply on time — late applications are processed after all on-time ones. • If your child has an EHCP, the process is different — see our EHCP Guide.

Ready to find the right school?