Starting school | When and how to apply for primary school

In relation to starting school and when to apply for a primary school place, there is a lot of preparation required before the big day comes around, including submitting those all-important applications.

How to apply for primary school in England

In England, you can apply for a primary school place a year before your child can start school. The school starting age is 4. 

You must apply via your local authority.

Applications open in September each year and close on 15 January.

All applications submitted before the deadline date will be treated equally. This means that submitting your application earlier won’t guarantee your child a place at your chosen school. If you submit your application later than the deadline date, although it will still be considered, you’ll be allocated a place once all the applications that were submitted on time have been allocated.  

If you’re applying for a primary school place in a different country in the UK, the process is slightly different.

How to apply for primary school in Scotland

In Scotland, local councils decide which school a child will attend rather than parents or guardians making an application. They do this through catchment areas, offering a place to children who live within the catchment area of each school.

You should receive a letter at some point the year before your child is due to start school to let you know which school your child has been allocated a place at. You’ll be required to confirm your acceptance to secure the spot. Some local councils require you to enrol your child at the school in your catchment area instead of allocating a place. Make sure to double check what the process is within your area.

It is possible to appeal a decision. However this will only be successful if there are places available at your preferred alternative school.

How to apply for primary school in Wales

In Wales, the application process is similar to in England. Applications will be made through your local authority. You’ll be required to list a few different schools that you would like your child to attend.

Application windows may differ, so please check to make sure.

How to apply for primary school in Northern Ireland

If you’re applying for a primary school in Northern Ireland, the application window usually opens in January of the year of enrolment (e.g. January 2025 for a September 2025 start) and closes at the end of the same month.

You can find more information here.

The following guidance will be relevant to those applying for a primary school in England and Wales.

Primary school application form

To apply for a primary school place, you’ll need to complete an application form.

The application form will need to be completed by someone who has:

• Parental responsibility of the child

Or

• Legal residency of the child (this will be the person a child lives with the majority of the time if custody is shared).

The application form is available online, but you can also request for it to be sent in the post. If you’d prefer to complete a paper version of the application, ensure you leave plenty of time to receive the form, fill it out and send it back in the post.  You may need to create an account online when you make your application, whether you are opting for the online or paper version.

Applications will be made through your local council, and they have ultimate say in the outcome.

How do I apply if I am relocating?

If you’re planning on relocating by the time your child is due to start school, you’ll still make your application through your current local council.

In the form, there will be an option to include a future address, i.e., where you will be moving to.

To be considered for a primary school place in the area you are relocating to, you’ll usually be asked to provide evidence that you will live in the area when the school term begins.

For example, this could include:

• If you’re buying a home – evidence from your solicitor that contracts have been exchanged before the new term begins.
• If you’re renting a home – a tenancy agreement that begins before the new term starts.

Some local councils will require exchange of contracts or a tenancy agreement to be dated as early as March of the year your child is due to begin school.

If you’re going to be living with family you may be asked to provide alternative evidence, this should be detailed in your application form.

If you are relocating, try to give yourself as much time as possible to complete your application. This will ensure that you’re aware of the specific information and evidence you need to provide and have time to get everything in order without delaying your application.

What does the application process involve?

The form will ask questions relating to your child, you as the parent/guardian and your living situation.

You’ll likely be asked for the following information:

• Details of your child – their name and date of birth
• Parent/guardian details
• Proof of address
• Details of siblings (if eligible) – in some cases, applications might be successful if a child has a sibling already attending.

If you’re applying for a faith school, you may need to provide additional details of your family’s involvement with the religion. For instance, how often you attend your place of worship.

How do I list my chosen schools?

The key feature of the application form, of course, is providing the information of the school(s) you would like your child to attend. Whilst you aren’t obliged to list more than one, most local councils request that you list three different schools. This will improve your chances of being allocated one of the schools of your choice.

If you live in London or another higher populated area, you’ll likely be asked to list more school choices. This is due to the higher demand.

Bear in mind that listing fewer schools than the required number won’t make you more eligible for those you do list. It’s more in your favour to list the maximum amount so that you have a higher chance of being allocated a place at a school you’d be happy with, even if it’s not your top choice.

When completing your application, you should list your choices in priority order, with the school you’d most like your child to attend first.

Follow the link below to apply for a place at a state primary school in England and Wales:

Apply for a primary school place – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

How do primary schools prioritise applications?

It may seem like potluck when applying for primary school places but there is a strict process in place that schools must follow to ensure that all applications are considered fairly and equally.

Each school has a limit on how many children they can offer a place to. When they receive applications over this amount, i.e., they are oversubscribed, they’ll apply a set of criteria to allocate places. This ensures that the school doesn’t offer more places than it can cater for and that the process is fair for everyone.

The criteria may consider:

• If you live in the catchment area for the school.
• If the child has a sibling at the school already.
• How far away you live from the school.
• If a child is, or has been, under the care of the local authority.
• If a child is eligible for the pupil premium or the service pupil premium.

If you apply for a faith school, evidence of dedication to the religion practiced will also be considered, so it’s important to include this in your application, if relevant to you.

Summer born children: Can I delay my child’s application to primary school?

If your child is born during the later months of their cohort (between 1 April and 31 August) they are described as ‘Summer born’. It is possible to defer or delay their primary school application.

A child who is ‘Summer born’ does not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday – a year after they could first have started school. However, the government expects them to start school in year 1 not reception class.  

Defer or delay

• Deferral – Requesting that your child begins school the September following their expected admission (e.g. September 2026, if they are due to start in September 2025).
• Delaying – Requesting a later start in the same academic year. So if your child is due to begin school in September 2025, they may be able to start at the beginning of the winter or spring term of that school year instead.

If you decide your summer born child will start school aged 5, and you want your child to start school in reception (not year 1), you need to make a request to the school’s admission authority. This will defer your child’s admission until the September of the following year and you’ll need to apply for ‘admission out of the normal age group’.

Admission out of the normal age group

Reception is the final year of the early years foundation stage (EYFS). If you do not make a request for ‘admission out of the normal age group’, your child will start school in year 1. Starting in year 1 may not be beneficial for them. Some children will benefit from a delayed school start, particularly if their school readiness has been delayed by a medical condition or developmental delays.

Applying for a deferred or delayed start doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be approved. It will be down to your local council as to whether your application is successful.

As children aren’t legally obliged to be in education until they are 5 years old, if your application for deferral or delay is successful, there’s no requirement to enrol them in any alternative form of education in the meantime, but it could be beneficial for their development to do so.

When do I find out if my application to primary school was successful?

You’ll find out if your application was successful on or after 16 April, following your application, this is known as Primary Schools National Offer Day. This date is the same each year, and applies to both England and Wales. You’ll be contacted the next working day if it falls on a weekend or a bank holiday.

On this date you’ll usually receive a letter informing you which school your child has been offered a place at. If you haven’t been accepted to any of your chosen schools, you’ll usually be offered a place at the closest school to you which still has places available.

You’ll be given a deadline day for when you need to accept the offer by. For many councils this is 28 April, but your letter will clarify this. If you don’t respond by the given date, you may lose your place.

School waiting lists

If you don’t receive a place at the school you wanted, you can ask to be placed on the waiting list for your school of choice. Schools are required to keep a waiting list open for the first term of the school year by minimum. Some may keep the list open for longer.

You can ask to be placed on a waiting list even if you have accepted an offer or your child is attending another school. If a place becomes available, the school will contact you to let you know. You can accept the offer even if your child has started at another school.

How do I appeal a decision on a primary school place?

If you’re not accepted for your chosen school, you have the option to appeal. The information you need to make this appeal should be outlined in the letter you received on Primary Schools National Offer Day.

An appeal only covers one decision made, so if you’re appealing a rejection from more than one school, you’ll need to make more than one appeal.

You’ll have 20 school days from the day you received your letter to make your appeal. Once you have done this, you’ll be given a deadline date for submitting evidence for your appeal. This should include anything that supports your reasons why you think your child should have been given a place at the school. Evidence submitted after your deadline may not be considered.

Once you’ve submitted your evidence, you’ll be invited to a hearing. You’ll be given at least 10 working days’ notice. In the hearing, your appeal will be considered by a small panel, usually around 3 people, who will be independent of the school. They’ll consider the evidence you’ve presented as well as the school’s admissions policy. You’ll usually find out the decision within 5 working days after your appeal.

How do I apply for a private school?

If you’re applying for a place at a private school, also known as public school, rather than a state school, the process is different. Applications will be made directly to the school as opposed to going through your local council. You should be able to complete an online application as well as submit paper applications if you prefer.

It’s a good idea to still apply for a number of different schools. Private schools can be competitive and making only one application could put you in a tricky spot if you aren’t accepted.