Applying for a Secondary School Place

Before applying for a school place for your child, you should make sure that you understand the difference between the types of school available and that you have found and researched a number of schools that suit both you and your child's requirements.

Once you have created a list of preferred schools, you can apply for a place. Each school has different admission criteria - it's essential to check these with the school or the local authority to make sure you know when the application needs to be in. Never assume your child will automatically get a place at a school - even if they are at a nursery linked to an infant school, or an infant school linked to a junior school, you must make an application to move them up to the next level.

In this section we take a look at the entire application process for both primary and secondary schools, from checking the criteria and deadlines to advice on what to do if your child is not offered a place at your preferred school.