Apply for a place at a primary or secondary school

Your school application

It is your responsibility to read all the information on our schools admissions pages before you apply for your child's school place.

Online application deadline

Secondary School applications for Year 7 in September 2023 – deadline for ontime applications is 31 October 2022.

Primary School applications for Reception in September 2023 – You can make an application from 12 October and the deadline is 15 January 2023.

Infant to Junior School transfer in September 2023 – deadline for applications is 15 January 2023

View detailed timelines and key dates.

Information for parents

Is it the right time to apply?
Read our guidance about filling in your application form, listing your preferences and making changes to a submitted application.
Have you chosen your child's school yet? Did you know that different types of schools have different rules when applying, and some may require a supplementary information form (SIF)? Read our guidance about choosing schools, including catchment areas, here.
You need to make sure you are aware of the admissions policies and oversubscription criteria that may apply to you.
You may wish to read information about your right to appeal if you are not allocated your preferred school.

Apply online

You can:

create an account if you do not have one;
make a new application;
continue with an application you have saved;
view your submitted application; or
view which school your child has been offered.

Apply online or log into your account

Late applications

If you are transferring to a secondary school in September 2023 you will no longer be able to apply online from 18 December 2022. You will need to complete the common application form that can be accessed below.

If you are starting in reception in September 2023 from 19 February 2023 you can no longer apply online. You will need to complete the common application form that can be accessed below.

If you are applying to start primary or secondary school at the normal entry point but you have missed the normal deadlines, your application is late.

Late applications or late changes with a genuine reason that is acceptable to the admission authority maybe considered, up to a certain deadline, usually in December for secondary admissions and mid February for primary admissions. You must contact us in writing to tell us your reason.

Any late application, received after the December and February deadline, will be considered after the National Offer Day has passed. All the on-time applications, including those from out of the catchment area, are processed before late applications.

You may still be allocated a place at your preferred school, if the school is undersubscribed and there are still places available. Otherwise the normal oversubscription criteria will apply. Remember to fill in several preferences in case this happens.

What happens next?

Look at our timelines page to see how the admissions process works through the year.

Other useful information

Frequently asked questions: primary school

Infant, junior or primary school?

If you are not sure what these terms mean, please read the information about types of school.

What school are you applying to?	What you need to do
The reception class of a primary school	Apply using the form on this page. There will be no need to make any further applications until your child enters secondary school in year 7.
The reception class of an infant school with a separate junior school	Apply using the form on this page. You will, in time, need to make a further application for a year 3 place in a junior or primary school.
The year 3 class of a junior school where your child has been attending the nearby infant school	Apply using the form on this page. This is because a junior school is an entirely separate school, where year 3 is the entry point for new starters. Attending the nearby infant school does not guarantee you a place.
The year 3 class of a primary school where your child has up until now been attending a separate infant school	Apply using the form on this page.

My child is already in the nursery at my preferred school. Do I need to apply for a place in reception?

Parents must be aware that attendance at a nursery or pre-reception class attached to a primary school neither guarantees nor gives priority to a place at that school. To prioritise children attending the nursery would discriminate against:

younger children;
children who are attending a nursery class in another school or setting; and
children whose parents choose not to use any of the pre-school provision available.

Parents of children who attend a pre-reception or nursery class must submit an application form if they want their child to be given a place in the school's reception class. That application will be considered alongside all other applications. We will apply our normal admissions criteria and policies, and appeal arrangements.

Does having an older sibling at a junior school help my child get a place at the nearby infant school in getting a place?

If your children will both be attending the same primary school, meaning a school that covers Reception until year 6, and it is a school for which we are the admissions authority, our normal oversubscription criteria and admission arrangements apply.

However, if your children will be attending an infant school and a junior school, these are two entirely separate schools, even if they are linked by name or location. Just because your child attends an infant school there is no guarantee they will be allocated a place at the linked junior school when they transfer at the end of year 2. They are treated like any other applicant.

For this reason, having a sibling at the junior school does not give any priority to a younger child applying for a place at the infant school. We will apply our normal oversubscription criteria and admission arrangements.

What age should my child start school? What do I do if I do not think he or she is ready?

Please view information about deferred entry, summer-born children and other guidance about starting school age here.

Frequently asked questions: secondary school

How do I apply for a selective grammar school?

Find out about how to apply to the selective grammar schools in Ripon and Skipton here.

What happens after age 16?

We do not deal with admissions to sixth form colleges or to the sixth forms of schools which have an integrated sixth form. Please apply directly to the school you are interested in for post 16 education.

You can find some admissions policies and contact details for sixth forms here.