Starting primary school

If you have a child born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, you must apply for your child to start primary school in September 2026 by Thursday 15 January 2026.

In this section

Key dates

  • The deadline for on-time applications is Thursday 15 January. 
  • National offer day is Thursday 16 April.

National offer day: Thursday 16 April

You must apply by Thursday 15 January to receive an outcome on this day. The deadline to respond to your offer and secure your child's school place is Wednesday 30 April.

If you applied online:

  •  you will receive an email on the evening of Thursday 16 April, advising you to log back into your eAdmissions account to view and accept your offer
  • you will not receive an offer letter in the post
  • all relevant information will be available on the eAdmissions website. 

If you have changed your email address and do not receive an email, you can still log into your account on the evening of offer day.

Please note: If you applied online after Thursday 15 January, you will not be able to view your outcome online. An offer letter will be sent via email or post in accordance with our late application timetable (available after national offer day).

Access your eAdmissions account

If you submitted a paper application, your offer letter will be emailed with full instructions on how to accept your school offer.

For data protection reasons, our school placement and admissions team cannot advise parents/guardians of the outcome of their application over the telephone.

Please note: If you apply after Thursday 15 January, you would receive an outcome via email following late allocations that begin during May.

Admission of children outside their chronological age group 

Please view our designated Guidance on the admission of children outside their chronological age group (PDF, 232 KB) for information and advice.

Before you apply

Proof of address

When you apply for a school place, you must have parental responsibility for the child and submit evidence to show that you and your child live at the address you've stated on your application, even if you have been placed in temporary accommodation.

Please read our Proof of address (PDF, 101 KB) for details on what proof of address is accepted.

How to apply

The closing date for on time applications is Thursday 15 January.

If you miss the deadline date, you can still submit a late application online until mid-August. However, your application will not be processed until after Thursday 16 April (national offer day).

Hillingdon Council is not liable for delays due to postal services or internet providers. If you are completing a paper application form, we recommend sending it as soon as possible to ensure it is received before the deadline.

Apply for a primary school place

Please note:

Supplementary information

If you are thinking about applying to a school that considers faith as a criterion, you must complete a supplementary information form (SIF) and return it to the school or address stated on the school's criteria.

The deadline for on-time supplementary information forms is Thursday 15 January.
Any forms submitted after the deadline will not be processed until after Thursday 16 April (national offer day).

The following schools consider faith as a criterion; please visit the school's website or contact them directly for further details.

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

Statistics

The following provide information on furthest distances offered for community, academies, foundation and free 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

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Page last updated: 01 Sep 2025
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