- Introduction
- Step 1: Check when your child should start school
- Step 2: Research and choose a school
- Step 3: Before you apply
- Step 4: Complete the application form
- Step 5: Complete any supplementary forms
- Step 6: If your child's address or preferences change after applying
- Step 7: Applications are assessed
- Step 8: We offer you a place
- Step 9: You accept or decline a place
- Step 10: If you do not get a place at your preferred school
Schools your child can go to
- Primary school - Reception to Year 6 (between ages 4 and 11).
- Infant school - Reception to Year 2 (between ages 4 and 7).
- Junior school - Year 3 to Year 6 (between ages 7 and 11).
When to start
In 中国P站, a child can start school at the beginning of the school year following their fourth birthday.
By law, they must be in full time education by the start of the school term following their fifth birthday.
Child's birth date | Can start school from | Can defer entry until | Must legally be in full time education by |
|---|---|---|---|
Between 1 September 2021 and 31 December 2021 | September 2026 | January 2027 | January 2027 |
Between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2022 | September 2026 | April 2027 | April 2027 |
Between 1 April 2022 and 31 August 2022 | September 2026 | April 2027 | September 2027 |
You may choose for your child to start school full or part time or to defer entry until your child reaches the legal age, but you cannot defer entry beyond the beginning of the final term of the academic year for which you have been offered a place.
This means that if your child was born between 1 April 2022 and 31 August 2022, they must take up their school place by April 2027. If they do not, then the place will be withdrawn and you will have to apply for an in year place for the following year. Please also see: information on admission of children outside their normal age group.
If you wish to defer taking up your child's school place until later in the year or if you wish them to start part time, you must still apply by the closing date, and then discuss this with the school's headteacher once you have been offered a place.
If your child was born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 and is leaving Year 2 of an infant school in July 2026, they will need to start Year 3 at a junior or primary school in September 2026.
Junior school or primary school with a Year 3 intake
To apply for a Year 3 place starting in September 2026 at a junior school or a primary school that has a Year 3 intake (these schools are listed separately on our school admissions booklets), you must apply using the primary school application. You may also need to complete a supplementary form.
You can apply from 3 November 2025. The closing date for applications is 15 January 2026.
Primary school without a Year 3 intake
To apply for a primary school that does not have a Year 3 intake, you will need to apply for an in-year school place for that school and indicate your preferred start date. You may also need to complete a supplementary form.
For more information on which primary schools may have in-year vacancies for children due to transfer from an infant school, please contact us.
We strongly advise you to also apply for junior schools and primary schools that have a Year 3 intake, as above.