Secondary school places close on 31 October: what to have ready
In England, applications for a secondary school place starting in September 2027 close on 31 October 2026, through your own council, and offers are sent on 1 March 2027. You can name at least three schools, and you are offered the highest one on your list that has a place.
Last updated 25 Sep 2026 · Neos Technologies Ltd
Who this is for: parents and carers in England whose child starts secondary school in September 2027 — usually a child born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016.
Who it is not for: families in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, where the process and dates differ, or anyone moving schools mid-year, which is an in-year application with its own process.
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 31 October 2026 | National closing date for secondary applications. You apply through your home council, even for schools in another council’s area. 31 October 2026 is a Saturday: check whether your council’s online form closes at midnight. | Admissions Code, GOV.UK |
| 15 January 2027 | National closing date for primary applications, for children starting reception in September 2027. | Admissions Code |
| 1 March 2027 | National Offer Day for secondary places: one offer, from your home council. | Admissions Code |
| 16 April 2027 | National Offer Day for primary places. | Admissions Code |
What to have ready before you apply
- Your list, in the order you really want it. Your council must let you name at least three schools, and some allow more. All the preferences are collated and you are offered a place at the highest school on your list where a place is available (Admissions Code). Putting a school second does not lose you a place there that you would otherwise have had, so there is nothing to gain by ranking tactically.
- Each school’s admission arrangements. They say how places are given when a school has more applicants than places — distance, siblings, faith, aptitude — and your council publishes them all in one composite prospectus, online, by 12 September (Admissions Code).
- Any supplementary form. A school that needs more information than the council’s form collects, such as evidence for a faith-based place, says so in its admission arrangements. Check the deadline for it: it may go to the school rather than the council.
- Your address, as it will be on the day. Councils check it, and if you are moving, ask your council how they treat a move before the offer.
If you miss the date
An application made after 31 October is a late application. Your council’s co-ordinated scheme says how late applications are handled and when they are considered (Admissions Code). Read it before assuming the worst — but the on-time date is the one that decides the 1 March offer.
If the offer is not the school you wanted
You can appeal each refusal to an independent panel. The letter tells you how, and you must be given at least 20 school days from the date it was sent (GOV.UK).
What Radar does with this
- Life setup asks: “School or nursery dates coming up? Forms, trips, parents’ evenings, term dates…” The letter home is easy to lose in a busy week. Radar reminds you 7 days ahead.
- Put 31 October on your Radar with any supplementary form that has its own deadline, and 1 March beside it, so the offer does not arrive in the middle of a week you had planned for something else.
Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.
Limitations and status
- England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different processes and dates.
- Radar does not apply for you or talk to your council. It reminds you of the dates you give it.
- Councils set the details — how many schools you can name, how late applications are handled. Your council’s admissions booklet is the one to follow.
Questions
When do secondary school applications close?
31 October 2026 for places starting in September 2027, in England. (Admissions Code)
When will I hear which school we got?
National Offer Day for secondary schools is 1 March 2027. Your home council sends one offer. (Admissions Code)
Does it matter which school I put first?
Yes, in one way: you are offered a place at the highest school on your list that has a place for your child. So list them in the order you actually prefer. (Admissions Code)
Do I apply to the school or the council?
To your home council, even for schools in another council’s area. Some schools also ask for a supplementary form. (GOV.UK)
Sources
- School Admissions Code (2021), Department for Education, read 25 Sep 2026
- Apply for a secondary school place, read 25 Sep 2026
- School admissions: appealing a school’s decision, read 25 Sep 2026
Written by Neos Technologies Ltd · first published 25 Sep 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.