How school admissions work

In England, you apply for a state school place through your local council, even if the schools you want are in another council area. This guide explains how the process works for the main entry points, Reception and Year 7, and what decides who gets a place when a school has more applicants than places. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are summarised at the end.

Who makes the rules

Every state-funded school has an admission authority. For community and voluntary controlled schools this is the council. For academies, free schools, foundation schools and voluntary aided schools, it is usually the academy trust or the governing body. Each admission authority sets its own admission arrangements, but all of them must follow the School Admissions Code 2021, which is statutory guidance from the Department for Education.

Schools must publish their admission arrangements on their website, setting out how many children they will admit and the order of priority they use if oversubscribed. Councils also publish a yearly guide for parents.

Applying and naming your preferences

You make one application to your home council, online or on paper, naming at least three schools in order of preference. Some councils, mainly in London, allow six. Listing only one school does not improve your chance of getting it.

England uses what is often called an equal preference system. Each school considers every application against its oversubscription criteria, regardless of where you ranked it. The Code bans "first preference first" arrangements, so a school cannot give extra priority because you put it first. If your child qualifies for more than one of your schools, the council offers the one you ranked highest. So list schools in your genuine order of preference.

Your child receives one offer from your home council on national offer day. If none of your preferences can be met, the council must offer a place at another school, usually the nearest one with places left.

When a school is oversubscribed

If a school has enough places for everyone who applies, every applicant is offered a place. If not, it uses its oversubscription criteria to decide the order. These vary by school but must be reasonable, clear, objective and fair.

Education, health and care (EHC) plans: a child whose EHC plan names the school must be admitted. This happens before the oversubscription criteria are applied.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children: these children must be given the highest priority. This includes children adopted, or made subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order, after being in care, and since 2021 children adopted after being in state care outside England.
Siblings: many schools give priority to brothers and sisters of current pupils. Each school must say what it means by a sibling, for example whether step-siblings or children living in the same household count.
Catchment areas: some schools give priority to children living in a defined area. Living in a catchment area improves your chance but does not guarantee a place.
Distance: many schools rank applicants by how far they live from the school. The arrangements must say how distance is measured and how your home address is decided.
Other criteria: these can include named feeder schools, children eligible for the pupil premium or service pupil premium, and children of staff.

Every set of arrangements must include a tie-breaker, such as distance or random allocation, for children with otherwise equal priority.

Faith schools

Schools with a religious character may give priority to children of their faith when oversubscribed. They often ask for a supplementary information form, sent to the school in addition to your council application. Missing the form or its deadline can affect your child's priority. Faith schools must still give the highest priority to looked-after and previously looked-after children, though they may place those of the faith ahead of others.

Grammar schools

Only designated grammar schools may select their whole intake by academic ability, usually through a test often called the eleven-plus. You register for the test separately from your council application, often in Year 5. Admission authorities must take all reasonable steps to tell you the result before the 31 October secondary closing date. Reaching the required standard does not guarantee a place if more children qualify than there are places.

Late applications

Applications received after the closing date are usually considered after all on-time applications, making a preferred school less likely. Each council explains how it handles late applications and what counts as a good reason, such as moving into the area. If you might miss the deadline, contact your council early.

Waiting lists

If your child is not offered a school, you can ask to stay on its waiting list, even if you have accepted a place elsewhere. Admission authorities must keep waiting lists until at least 31 December of the year of entry. Lists are ranked by the oversubscription criteria, not by when you joined, so your child's position can move up or down. If a place comes up, you will receive a formal offer.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Wales has a similar system. You apply through your local authority for most schools, naming at least three preferences, and national offer days are 1 March for secondary and 16 April for primary. Wales has its own admissions and appeals codes, and voluntary aided and foundation schools may handle parts of the process themselves.

Scotland works differently. Each home address has a catchment school, and you enrol your child there. To ask for a different school, you make a placing request to the council. A request made by 15 March for the new school year should receive a decision by 30 April. Refusals can be appealed to an appeal committee and then to the sheriff court.

Northern Ireland admissions are run by the Education Authority through its online system, EA Connect. Each school's Board of Governors sets its admissions criteria. Many grammar schools use a transfer test for Year 8 entry.

Sources: GOV.UK: School admissions, GOV.UK: Admission criteria, GOV.UK: How to apply, GOV.UK: School waiting lists, Department for Education: School Admissions Code 2021, Welsh Government: Co-ordination of school admission arrangements, Education (Scotland) Act 1980, section 28A, nidirect: School admissions criteria, Education Authority Northern Ireland