School admissions explained: how to apply, deadlines and preferences

Last reviewed October 2026

Applying for a school place is more straightforward than it first appears, but a few misunderstandings cost families places every year. This guide explains how the process works in England, the dates that matter, and how to use your preferences well.

How the system works

You apply through your local authority, not usually to the schools directly, even if the schools are academies or run their own admissions. You list several schools in order of preference on one application. The councils and schools then work out offers using each school’s published admission criteria, and you receive a single offer on national offer day. If you’re not sure which authority that is, you can find your local authority by postcode.

Each school must publish its admission arrangements (its “admissions policy” or “determined admission arrangements”), and this is where you find the criteria that decide who gets a place. You can usually find them in three places: on the individual school’s own website (often under “Admissions”), in your local authority’s composite admissions booklet or prospectus (published each autumn, covering every school in the area), and on your local authority’s admissions pages. For church and other faith schools, the criteria are often set by the school or its diocese rather than the council, so check the school’s own site.

Listing more than one school does not count against you. Naming only one school does not improve your chance at that school; it just leaves you with nothing to fall back on if you miss out.

The key deadlines

The two national closing dates in England are 31 October for secondary school applications (for children moving into Year 7) and 15 January for primary applications (for children starting Reception). Applying late genuinely matters: late applications are usually considered only after all the on-time ones, so you can miss out on a school you would otherwise have got.

National offer days are 1 March for secondary and 16 April for primary. Offer day is simply the date every family who applied on time hears which single school their child has been offered — everyone in the same round finds out together, rather than offers trickling out. Most local authorities notify you online, and some also by letter. Because these dates can shift slightly and are set nationally, confirm the exact dates for your application year on GOV.UK or your local authority’s admissions pages.

How preferences actually work

England uses an equal preference system. This means schools do not see where you ranked them; each school considers every applicant against its own criteria as if it were their first choice. Your ranking is used only at the end, to give you the highest-ranked school out of those that would offer you a place.

Two practical consequences follow. First, you should genuinely rank in the order you want, because there is no tactical advantage in putting a “safe” school first. Second, you should still include at least one realistic option you are confident of getting, so you are not left without an offer.

Scotland and Wales

The equal-preference process above is the English system. Admissions are devolved, so the other UK nations work differently.

In Scotland, children are normally allocated a place at their local (catchment, or “designated”) school automatically, based on the catchment area for their home address. If you would prefer a different school you make a “placing request” to the local council, which is considered against the council’s criteria and can be refused if the school is full. There is no equal-preference ranking system.

In Wales, you apply to your local authority much as in England, and popular schools are decided by published oversubscription criteria; however, Wales does not use the same nationally co-ordinated equal-preference scheme, and the dates and details differ by authority.

In both cases, and in Northern Ireland (which has its own arrangements again), the definitive guidance is your local council’s or education authority’s admissions pages. This guide, and the deadlines above, describe England.

Admission criteria and how places are decided

When a school has more applicants than places, it uses published oversubscription criteria to decide. Common ones include looked-after children first, then siblings already at the school, then distance from home, with faith schools and some others using additional criteria. Grammar and some other schools use a test or aptitude assessment instead of, or alongside, distance.

Read the criteria for each school you are considering, because they differ and they determine your realistic chances far more than a school’s reputation does. To find them for a particular school, start with the school’s own website (look for an “Admissions” or “Admission arrangements” page), then cross-check your local authority’s admissions booklet, which lists every school’s criteria in one place. If a school sets its own criteria (academies, and church or other faith schools), the fullest detail is usually on the school’s or diocese’s own site; the council can point you to it if you are unsure who sets a given school’s rules.

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying to only one school. Missing the deadline. Assuming a sibling link or a church connection counts without checking the exact wording. Forgetting that moving house after you apply can change which school you are closest to. And assuming last year’s cut-off distance is fixed, when it moves year to year.

Where this connects

Start by finding your realistic options on the map, then read each school’s Ofsted picture carefully using our guide on reading Ofsted report cards. Distance usually decides admissions, so it is worth reading our guide on catchment areas alongside this one, and reading each school’s criteria closely. For the authoritative, up-to-date rules and dates, use GOV.UK and your local authority’s admissions pages.

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