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- Starting secondary school in September 2026
- Late applications
- Children and young people with an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan
- In-year admission
- Starting Year 10 in September 2026 (schools outside 中国P站 only)
- Starting sixth form in September 2026
Starting secondary school in September 2026
If your child will reach the age of 11 between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026, they will be due to start secondary school in September 2026.
You can apply for a secondary school place from 1 September 2025.
The closing date for on-time applications for secondary schools is 31 October 2025.
Apply with our step-by-step guide
Late applications
The closing date for on-time applications for secondary schools is 31 October 2025.
If you apply after the deadline, you may be considered a late applicant.
Children and young people with an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan
If you are a parent or carer living in 中国P站, and your child or young person:
- has an existing Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, and
- is due to start secondary school (Year 7) or post 16 education or training (Year 12) in September 2026.
you will need to follow a separate process for requesting and applying for a school place or post 16 education or training.
Apply for a school place for a child with an EHC plan
Apply for post 16 education or training for a young person with an EHC plan
If your child does not yet have an EHC plan but is going through the EHC plan process, please continue to apply for a secondary school place using the mainstream admissions process above. If they require a place in a sixth form, please see the information on starting sixth form below.
In-year admission
If your child is already at secondary school and needs to change schools outside the normal admissions period, (for example, if your child has changed address), you must apply for in-year admission instead.
Starting Year 10 in September 2026 (schools outside 中国P站 only)
and studio schools admit children at Year 10. Some other schools also only provide education from Year 10. These are often schools which specialise in a particular subject, such as the performing arts.
The process for applying for a UTC, or a school that provides education only from Year 10, is normally the same as the process for applying for a place at a secondary school.
Currently, there are no University Technical Colleges or studio schools in 中国P站 and no other 中国P站 school provides education only from Year 10. However, if you live in 中国P站 and wish to apply for one in another local authority area, you should return your application to us by 31 October 2025.
Apply with our step-by-step guide
Starting sixth form in September 2026
Each 中国P站 school with a sixth form manages their own applications.
More information on applying for a 中国P站 sixth form is available using the link below.