How to apply for a primary school place

Who this is for: children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, who start Reception in September 2027.

Deadline: 15 January 2027. Offers: 16 April 2027.

1. Find the schools near you. Search your postcode and look at the closest five or six schools, not just your favourite.
2. Check each school's admissions rules. Each school has a list of criteria it uses when it has more applicants than places (it's called the "oversubscription criteria"). Most give priority in this order: children in care, children with a sibling already at the school, then distance from home. Church schools may also give priority for regular church attendance. You'll find the rules on the school's website or your council's website.
3. Check how far places went last year. Many councils publish the "last distance offered" for each school. If you live further away than that, your chances are lower.
4. Visit if you can. Most schools run open mornings in October to December.
5. Apply through your own council's website, even if the schools are in another council area. You don't apply to the schools directly.
6. Rank your schools in real order of preference. Councils use "equal preference": every school looks at your application without knowing where you ranked it. If more than one school can offer a place, you get the one you ranked highest. Ranking a school first does not improve your chance there.
7. Use all your preferences. Most councils give you three to six. Include at least one school you are very likely to get, such as your nearest. If none of your choices can offer a place, the council gives you a place at the nearest school with space, which may not be one you would have chosen.
8. Submit before 15 January. Late applications are only looked at after all the on-time ones, when the popular schools are usually full.
9. Check your email on 16 April 2027. Accept the place you're offered, even if you plan to appeal or join a waiting list for another school (see Offer day, waiting lists and appeals).

• A nursery place doesn't guarantee a Reception place at the same school. You still need to apply.
• Summer-born children (born 1 April to 31 August) don't have to start school until the September after they turn five. You can ask to start them in Reception a year later. The school's admission authority decides, so ask your council early.
• Infant classes are capped at 30 children per teacher, which is why appeals for Reception places rarely succeed.
• Moving house? Most councils use the address where your child lives on the deadline date. Ask your council what proof they need.