Starting secondary school September 2025
If you have a child born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014, you must apply for your child to start secondary school in September 2025.
In this section
- Key dates
- Before you apply
- Schools open evenings
- Grammar school information for September 2025
- How to apply
- Proof of address
- Applications for families arriving from abroad
- Supplementary information forms
- Statistics
- Parental responsibility and disputes
Key dates
- The deadline for on-time applications is Thursday 31 October 2024.
- National offer day is Monday 3 March 2025.
Before you apply
- Read the School admissions 2025 brochure (PDF) [2MB]. This contains a lot of useful information on making your application, choosing your schools, frequently asked questions and all of the schools' individual criteria and contact details.
- Read our Starting secondary school 2025 leaflet (PDF) [268KB].
Schools open evenings Autumn 2024
Every year schools hold open evenings for parents to provide information specific to their schools. Information on when school open evenings will be taking place can be found in the starting secondary school leaflet 2025, or by checking the schools individual websites from September.
Grammar school information for September 2025
View our designated page on grammar schools for advice and support.
How to apply
To give your child the best possible chance of being offered their preferred school place, ensure your application is received on time.
The closing date for on-time applications is Thursday 31 October 2024.
The council cannot be held responsible for any delays in the post or problems with internet providers; we would, therefore, recommend that you submit your application by Friday 25 October 2024 to ensure it is received on time.
Apply for a secondary school place (opens new window)
Please note:
- If you have difficulties making an application online, get additional support on how to create and complete an online application.
- Information on how to apply online for a school place with eadmissions (PDF) [300KB].
- If you choose to apply online, you must not complete a paper application as well.
Proof of address
You are required to submit Proof of address (PDF) [101KB] alongside your application.
Please note: When you apply online, you will not be able to attach any documentary evidence until after you have submitted your application.
Applications for families arriving from abroad, including from the EU
In most cases, children arriving from overseas have the right to attend schools in England. It is the responsibility of parents to check whether their child has a right, under their visa entry conditions, to study at a school before submitting an application.
Read more about applications for families arriving from abroad
Supplementary information forms
Some schools (such as faith schools) require the completion of a supplementary information form (SIF). This is so that they can decide which pupils should have the highest priority when making offers.
SIFs are available directly from each school and their website. They must be returned to the school or to the address provided by the school by the specified deadline, which may differ between schools.
The following schools require SIFs to be completed in order to process applications. SIFs can only be considered if they have a direct bearing on oversubscription criteria, or for the purpose of selection by aptitude or ability.
Schools must still accept applications without a completed SIF, because all schools have to consider 'other applicants'.
Visit the schools' individual websites for supplementary forms and deadline dates.
- Bishop Ramsey CofE School (opens new window)
- The Douay Martyrs Catholic Secondary School (opens new window)
- Guru Nanak Sikh Academy (opens new window)
- Swakeleys School for Girls (opens new window)
*SIF only required if applying for a place under the aptitude criterion.
The following school operates a fair banding system to allocate places. The places within each band are based on year 6 students taking a Non Verbal Reasoning Test (NVRT).
- Swakeleys School for Girls
Please be aware that the form must be returned to the school direct by Friday 20 September, 4pm.
Statistics
The following provide information on furthest distances offered for secondary schools.
- Secondary allocation data 2024 (PDF) [70KB]
- Secondary allocation data 2023 (PDF) [541KB]
- Secondary allocation data 2022 (PDF) [555KB]
- Secondary allocation data 2021 (PDF) [17KB]
Parental responsibility and disputes
Our School Placement and Admissions team has seen a significant increase in the numbers of disputes between parents, relating to where their children should go to school. We understand that, when trying to come to a mutual agreement on child arrangements, parental disputes can be extremely upsetting for all involved (including the children).
Protocol and guidance regarding parental responsibility (PDF) [141KB] has been published to help parents understand the council's protocol for dealing with situations where parents disagree. This is general guidance intended to help parents understand their rights and responsibilities in line with the law.
Can't find the information you're looking for?
If you're unable to find the information you are looking for, please complete our online schools query form.