By Hazel Shearing & Vanessa Clarke
BBC News
Children starting primary school in England and Wales in September are being offered places.
But what are your options if your child doesn’t get into the school you want?
When is offer day for primary school places?
In England and Wales, primary school offers are usually made on 16 April.
In Northern Ireland, places will be offered on 27 April.
How do parents and carers accept a school offer?
Parents who applied online will receive an email on 17 April with details of how to accept the place, and the deadline.
Those who did not apply online will get a letter.
If parents don’t accept by the date specified, the offer could be withdrawn and the place given to someone else.
How are primary school places allocated?
In England and Wales, the school or the local council decides based on admissions criteria, but these can vary across individual schools.
All state-funded schools must give top priority to children who are in care or being looked after, or who have been in care.
Priority may then be given to children:
- who already have a brother or sister at the school
- from a particular religion (for faith schools)
- who are eligible for the pupil premium – which is linked to free school meals and used as a measure of disadvantage
- whose parent has worked at the school for two years or more.
Attending nursery or pre-school at a particular school does not guaranteed a reception place.
For children with special educational needs, their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will name a school for them and they must be given a place there.
In Scotland, local councils use “catchment areas” to decide where students go to school. Any children who live in that specific area will be given a place in the school.
In Northern Ireland, schools make the decision based on specified admission criteria, similar to those in England and Wales.
What if you don’t get the primary school you want?
In England, the local council must provide a place elsewhere, usually the nearest school that has spaces.
You can also put your child’s name on waiting lists for other schools – and these lists have to be open for at least the first term of each academic year.
You can accept an offer from a school after being on its waiting list even if your child has already started reception elsewhere.
In Northern Ireland, parents will be asked to choose a new preference from a list of schools that still have places.
In Scotland, the council selects a school in your local catchment area. You can ask for another school outside your local catchment area, and the council must allow this if there is space – but it is not guaranteed.
How can parents and carers appeal against the school offered?
During a hearing, the council or school explains why the application was rejected and parents make the case for their child being admitted.
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, classes are limited to 30 children, so applications can be turned down if classes are already at capacity.
Parents will be told the panel’s decision within five school days.
Of those, 1,667 (17.2%) were successful, up from 16.2% in 2021.
In Northern Ireland, appeals are considered at a tribunal.
In Scotland, councils have their own rules for appeals.
What if you missed the primary school application deadline?
If you missed the deadline in England and Wales, your application will not be considered until after the first round of offers has been made.
This means your child is less likely to get a place at your preferred school.
However, your child can still be added to the waiting list of the school you wanted.
If someone misses the deadline because they have moved into the area, different rules can apply and they may be granted a small amount of extra time to update their application with their new address.
