How to Apply for a Secondary School Place: Step by Step

Knowing how to apply for a secondary school place comes down to doing the right things in the right order before the deadline. In England you apply through your home local council for a Year 7 place, listing your preferred schools in order, by 31 October the year before your child starts. Offers go out on National Offer Day, 1 March. This step-by-step guide walks through the whole process, from when to start to what to do if you miss your first choice.

Children move up to secondary school in the September after they finish Year 6, so you apply at the start of Year 6, in the autumn term. The deadline is earlier than the primary one, which catches a lot of parents out, so the single most useful thing you can do is diarise 31 October now.

Step 1: Note the 31 October deadline and start early

The national closing date for on-time secondary applications is 31 October, right at the start of Year 6. Begin in September so you have time to attend open evenings, which cluster in September and October. Late applications are processed only after every on-time one, which sharply reduces your chances at a popular school, so treat 31 October as firm.

Step 2: Research and visit schools

Look past the headline Ofsted grade. Go to open evenings, read each school's latest admissions policy, and weigh the practical things: the journey, whether there is a bus route, the sixth form, and the feel of the place. Build a shortlist you would be genuinely happy with rather than fixing on the one name everyone mentions.

Step 3: Check each school's admission criteria

If a school receives more applications than places, it ranks them by its published oversubscription criteria. For secondaries these commonly run, in order: children in care, then siblings already at the school, then distance from home or a defined catchment, with medical or social need, faith criteria and, at some schools, banding or an aptitude or entrance test where they apply. Read the criteria for each shortlisted school and be realistic about where you stand, particularly on distance and any test deadline.

Step 4: Register early for any entrance or 11-plus tests

Grammar schools and some faith and partially selective schools require a test sat in the early autumn of Year 6, and you usually have to register for these separately and well before the 31 October admissions deadline, often by early or mid September. Missing a test registration cannot be undone, so if any school on your list selects on ability, find its test date and registration deadline first. Our guide on grammar school admissions and the 11-plus covers how this works.

Step 5: Apply online through your council

You apply through the council where you live, even for schools in a neighbouring authority. Create an account on your council's school admissions portal and list your preferences. Almost every area lets you name several schools (commonly up to six), and you should use all of them.

Step 6: Rank your preferences honestly

England uses an equal preference system: each school you list considers your application against its own criteria, and you are offered the highest preference that can give you a place. Listing a school first does not improve your odds there, and listing it lower does not protect another choice. So put your true favourite first, and always include at least one realistic option you are likely to be offered, so you are not left without a place.

Step 7: Submit before 31 October and keep the confirmation

Submit the form before the deadline and save the confirmation. If anything changes, such as a house move, tell the admissions team straight away, because your address on the closing date is what counts for distance criteria.

Step 8: National Offer Day, 1 March

On 1 March (or the next working day if it falls on a weekend) you receive one offer, usually online and then by post. Accept the place by the council's deadline even if you plan to appeal or chase a waiting list, because declining can leave you with nothing. Accepting does not stop you joining the waiting list for a school you preferred more, or appealing.

If you do not get your first choice

You can use three routes at the same time: ask to join the waiting list, which is ranked by the school's criteria rather than by how long you wait; lodge an appeal to an independent panel by the deadline on your offer letter; and accept the place you have been offered as a safety net. Secondary appeals are not bound by the infant class size rule, so unlike Reception appeals there is more scope for a panel to find in your favour, though you still need a clear case.

The official starting point is the government's guidance on applying for a secondary school place at gov.uk, and your council's admissions pages give the local detail. For the wider picture, see our complete guide to school admissions in England or the Schools Insight homepage.

Frequently asked questions

When do I apply for a secondary school place?

Apply by 31 October at the start of Year 6, the year before your child starts secondary school. Offers are sent on National Offer Day, 1 March. Begin in September so you can attend open evenings, which mostly run in September and October.

How many secondary schools can I list?

Most councils let you name up to six preferences. Use all of them, including at least one realistic option, so you are not left without an offer if your top choices are oversubscribed.

Does the order I rank secondary schools matter?

It does not change your chance at any one school, because England uses equal preference. List your genuine first choice first; you will be offered the highest-ranked preference you qualify for.

What if I miss the 31 October deadline?

Late applications are considered only after all on-time ones, which greatly cuts your chances at popular schools. Apply on time, and if you are moving into the area after the deadline use the in-year or late admissions process your council sets out.

Do I need to register separately for grammar school tests?

Yes. Selective schools require an entrance test sat in early autumn of Year 6, with its own registration deadline, often in early to mid September, which is before the 31 October admissions deadline. Register for the test directly with the school or test consortium as well as listing the school on your council application.