To give your child a better chance of getting a place at your desired school, please follow these steps.
Before you apply
Use the right address
You must use the address where your child is currently living on your application. We can request proof of address at any time.
It is a crime to use a false address in your application.
We do checks and if an application is found to be fraudulent or misleading, we will withdraw the offer of a place, even if a child has started at the school.
Full details of what to do if you are moving home are available in the parent guides.
Parents who do not live together
If you share custody of a child and you do not live together, you should use the address of the parent your child lives with for most of the time on your application.
We cannot resolve disputes between parents about school place applications, only the parents or the courts can do this.
Full details are available in the parent guides.
Check if you live in a school's First Geographical Area
Some, but not all schools, give priority to children who live close to the school. This is called their First Geographical Area, or other priority area.
Living in a school's First Geographical Area (or other priority area) does not guarantee your child a place. It may put your child's application higher up the list of applicants compared to those living outside of the area.
To check if you live inside one of these areas, see our dedicated webpages.
Please note these maps only show schools that have a First Geographical Area, or other priority area.
Find three schools to apply for
You should apply for three schools to give your child the best chance of getting a place.
Please list schools in preference order when you apply. Schools do not know the preference order on your application. If a place is available at more than one of your preference schools, we'll offer you the highest one that you qualify for.
If we cannot offer a place at any schools you apply for, we will usually allocate your child a place at the nearest school with places remaining. The more schools you apply for, the more likely it is your child will get a place at one of your preferred schools.
Find and compare schools on GOV.UK
Use the GOV.UK search tool to find primary and secondary schools. This search tool allows you to:
- search for schools by postcode
- check school Ofsted ratings
- filter schools by religion or school type
Research how places are allocated and the likelihood of getting a place
If a school has more spaces than applications, everyone will be offered a place.
If there are more applications than spaces available, the school’s oversubscription criteria will be used to determine who is offered a place.
Each school lists their oversubscription criteria in order of who gets priority. Children who meet the first priority will get a place before children who meet the second.
To see if you are likely to get a place, check which criteria your child would qualify for in the school’s admissions arrangements (for example if they have a sibling already attending the school). The admissions arrangements are available on the school’s website. A summary is also available in the parent guides.
You can also check information about how places were allocated at oversubscribed schools for the previous five years.
Check how your child will travel to school
You need to make sure that your child will be able to travel to any schools that you are applying for.
Children can get help with transport to their nearest qualifying school if it’s over the walking distance set out by the law.
Attend school open days and evenings
Open days or evenings give you the opportunity to visit a school to decide whether it's right for your child. You'll be able to speak to teachers and ask questions.
Please contact the school you are interested in to see if they are holding an open day/evening. You may be required to book. More information will be available on each school's website.