Starting secondary school September 2026

If you have a child born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015, you must apply for your child to start secondary school in September 2026.

In this section

Key dates

  • The deadline for on-time applications is Friday 31 October 2025.
  • National offer day is Monday 2 March 2026.

Schools open evenings

Schools hold open evenings each year to provide parents with information specific to their school.

Information about school open evenings will be available on individual school websites from September. 

Before you apply 

Grammar school information for September 2026

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 Friday 31 October 2025.

Apply for a secondary school place (opens new window)

Please note:

Proof of address

You are required to submit Proof of address (PDF, 101 KB) 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. 

*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

Statistics

The following provide information on furthest distances offered for secondary schools. 

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, 179 KB) 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.

Submit a schools query form

Related topics
Grammar schools
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Page last updated: 11 Sep 2025
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