Applying for Reception

What you need to know

1. You apply the year before. Children usually start Reception in the September after they turn four, so you apply in the autumn and winter before, by 15 January. For September 2027 that means children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023.
2. You apply through your own council. Use the council for the area where you live, even for schools in another area. One online form lists your schools in order of preference. Listing only one school doesn't improve your chances, and councils allow different numbers, often between three and six.
3. Every school has admission rules. Usually children in care come first, then brothers and sisters already at the school, then distance from home. Church schools may ask for an extra form. A nursery attached to a school doesn't usually guarantee a Reception place there.
4. Offers arrive on 16 April. You get one offer: the highest school on your list that can take your child. You'll be told how long you have to accept it.
5. Late means later. Applications after 15 January are generally dealt with after the on-time ones, so there may be fewer choices left.
6. Reception isn't compulsory, but almost everyone starts. Children must be in school from the term after their fifth birthday. Most start at four. You can ask for your child to start part-time or later in the year; ask when you apply.

What to do, step by step

Check your council's dates

Applications open in the autumn and close on 15 January. Your council's website has the form and the exact dates.

Visit schools in the autumn

Open days and tours run from September to December. Ask about the school day, wraparound care and how new children settle in.

Read the admission rules

Each school publishes its rules. Look at how far away last year's places went, sometimes called the last distance offered.

List schools in your true order

Include at least one school you're likely to get, often your nearest.

Questions parents ask

We've only just moved to England. Can we still apply?

Yes. Apply to your council as soon as you have an address here. After 15 January it counts as a late application. If your child is already past the usual starting year, ask the council about in-year admissions.

What if we don't get any of our choices?

The council offers a place at a school that has space, sometimes further away. You can accept it, join the waiting lists for the schools you prefer, and appeal. Classes in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are limited to 30 children per teacher, so appeals are only upheld on limited grounds.

My child was born in the summer and isn't ready. What are our options?

You can ask for a part-time or later start. Parents of summer-born children (born between 1 April and 31 August) can also ask for them to start Reception a year later, at age five. The school or council decides, so ask early, before you apply.

Do we apply again for Year 3?

In areas with separate infant and junior schools, yes: you apply again in the autumn of Year 2. In primary schools that cover Reception to Year 6, there's no second application.