How to choose the right primary school

The short answer

The right primary school is one your child can get to easily, where they will feel safe and settled, that teaches reading and maths well, and that you have a realistic chance of getting into. To find it, list the schools near you, check each one's admissions rules and last distance offered, read the latest Ofsted report and Key Stage 2 results, visit your shortlist, then rank them in the order you genuinely want them and apply by your council's closing date.

For children starting Reception in September 2027, that closing date is Friday 15 January 2027 in most areas. Most families get the school they want most: for September 2026 entry, 92.4% of primary applicants in England were offered their first preference and 98.7% were offered one of the schools they named. The odds are lowest in London, at 85.0% in Inner London and 90.0% in Outer London.

This guide is about primary schools only. For the wider process, including secondary schools, see how to choose the right school in England.

Key dates for September 2027 entry

Your child can start full time in the September after their fourth birthday, but they do not have to be in school until they reach compulsory school age: the start of the term after their fifth birthday. You can defer their start until later in the Reception year, but not beyond the point they reach compulsory school age or the start of the summer term, or ask for part-time attendance until they reach compulsory school age. Children born between 1 April and 31 August (summer-born children) can also ask to start Reception a year later, at age five. The admission authority decides each request, so apply in the normal round and make the request at the same time. Our guide on when your child starts school explains the options, and the primary school admissions timeline sets out what to do month by month.

Start with your child

Before you look at any data, think about the four-year-old in front of you, not the child you imagine at eleven. Primary school covers seven years, from Reception to Year 6, and the early years matter most for settling in.

Questions to talk through at home

• Does your child cope well with noise and large groups, or settle better somewhere smaller and calmer?
• Are they likely to need extra help with speech, language, toileting or separating from you?
• Do they have friends from nursery going to a particular school, and does that matter to them?
• Would a school with lots of outdoor learning, music or sport suit them better than one with a narrower focus?
• If you have younger children, which school would work for all of them? Sibling priority usually helps younger brothers and sisters get in later.

There is no single best school. A small village school with mixed-age classes can suit one child perfectly and frustrate another. A large three-form-entry school may offer more clubs and a wider friendship group but feel overwhelming at first.

Types of primary school

Many primary schools have a nursery class. A place in the nursery does not give your child a place in Reception: you still need to apply through your council by the closing date. Schools can give priority to children from their own nursery only in limited cases, such as children eligible for the early years pupil premium, so check the policy.

Whether a state school is a council-run community school or an academy matters less than you might think for daily life. It mainly tells you who sets the admissions policy.

Journey, childcare and costs

The journey

You will make the school run around 190 days a year for seven years, often with a pushchair or a younger sibling. Walk or drive the route at 8.30am before you decide. A school that is slightly further away but on your way to work, or next to a childminder, can be the better choice.

Wraparound care and breakfast clubs

If you work, check before and after-school care early, because it is one of the biggest practical differences between primary schools. The government's aim is that every family with primary-age children who needs it can get term-time care from 8am to 6pm, either at the school or from a provider nearby. After-school care is usually paid for, and popular clubs can have waiting lists.

Free breakfast clubs are being rolled out to state primary schools in stages. In April 2026 the government said more than 2,000 would be open by September 2026. Ask each school whether it runs one now, when it starts and finishes, and whether places are limited.

Meals, uniform and other costs

• Lunch. Every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at a state school gets free school meals. From September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit are also eligible, but you still need to apply through the school or council.
• Uniform. From 1 September 2026, state primary schools cannot require more than three branded items of uniform and PE kit. Other items should be generic ones you can buy from a range of shops.
• Trips and extras. Ask how the school handles voluntary contributions for trips and whether it helps families who cannot pay.

Reading Ofsted and results for a primary school

Ofsted

Since November 2025, Ofsted has given state schools report cards instead of a single overall grade. Each area is graded on a five-point scale from urgent improvement to exceptional, and safeguarding is judged separately as met or not met. Most primaries have not yet had a report-card inspection, so their latest report may be in the older format and cannot be compared like for like. Our guide to Ofsted ratings and school choice explains both formats.

For a primary school, read these parts closely:

• Early years. This covers Reception, and the nursery if there is one. It is the part of the report closest to your child's first year.
• Early reading and phonics. Look for what the report says about how children learn to read, and what happens for those who fall behind.
• Inclusion, and attendance and behaviour. These show how the school supports children who need more help and how calm classrooms are.
• The date. A report several years old may describe a school with a different headteacher and staff.

Key Stage 2 (SATs) results

The main published measure is the percentage of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. Nationally, 63% did so in 2026. Performance tables also show the percentage at the higher standard and average scores in reading and maths. Progress measures, which compare pupils with others who started from a similar point, return with the 2026 results after a two-year gap. School-level 2026 results are due in December 2026.

Three things to keep in mind:

• Small year groups swing. In a school with 20 pupils in Year 6, one child is five percentage points. Look at several years, not one.
• Intake matters. A school where many children start behind or are learning English may be doing excellent work with lower raw results. Progress measures and results for disadvantaged pupils help show this.
• Infant schools have no Key Stage 2 results. For an infant school, the inspection report and your visit are the main evidence.

Results for the Year 1 phonics screening check and the Year 4 multiplication tables check are not shown in the performance tables. You can ask the school how its children did. Our guide to understanding school performance tables explains each measure, and the primary school rankings rank schools on their Key Stage 2 results and show each school's inspection band alongside.

Visiting a primary school

Most primary schools run open mornings or tours in the autumn before the January deadline, and many offer visits by appointment. Book early, because popular schools fill their slots. If you can, go during a normal school day, when you will see real lessons and a real playground.

What to notice

• The Reception class. Is it welcoming, with space to play indoors and outdoors? Do the adults get down to the children's level?
• Reading. Are books everywhere, and do children seem to enjoy them?
• How adults speak to children. Warm and firm, or mostly about control?
• Behaviour at transitions. Lining up, lunchtime and moving between rooms show more than a staged lesson.
• Work on the walls. Current work by all children, not just the neatest.

Questions to ask

• How do you help children settle into Reception? Is there a staggered start or a home visit?
• Which phonics programme do you use, and what happens if a child falls behind with reading?
• How big are the classes, and are any classes mixed-age?
• What wraparound care do you offer, what does it cost, and is there a waiting list?
• How do you deal with unkind behaviour and tell parents about it?
• Which secondary schools do most of your Year 6 pupils go on to?
• What are you working to improve at the moment?

The last question is the most revealing. Leaders who can name what they are working on, and explain how, are usually the ones to trust.

Special educational needs

If your child has, or may have, special educational needs or a disability (SEND), start early. Every state school must publish a SEN information report on its website explaining how it supports children with SEND and naming its special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). Read it before you visit, then ask the SENCO what support would look like day to day for a child like yours, including in the playground and at lunch.

Children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan go through a separate process. You ask the council to name your preferred school in the plan, and a school named in the plan must admit your child. If your child may need a plan, contact your council's SEND team well before the January deadline: the council can take up to 20 weeks from a request for assessment to issue a final plan.

Your chance of a place

If a school has more applicants than places, it ranks them using its published oversubscription criteria. Looked-after and previously looked-after children come first. After that, primary schools most often use siblings already at the school, distance from home, and catchment area, with faith criteria at many faith schools.

• Read the policy for every school on your list. It explains how distance is measured and how ties are broken.
• Check the last distance offered. Many councils publish how far from the school the last child offered a place on distance lived. It changes each year, so treat it as a guide, not a promise.
• Living in catchment is priority, not a guarantee. See our guide to school catchment areas.
• Faith criteria can depend on attendance over time. Read them early and check whether a supplementary form is needed.

To see the primary schools closest to you, with their inspection outcomes and Key Stage 2 results, try primary schools near me. If you would like a personalised shortlist, School Match suggests primary schools based on your priorities and location. It needs a free FindMySchool account, and your top match on your first search is free.

Applying and ranking your preferences

You apply to the council where you live, even for schools in a neighbouring council area, usually online. In London you can name up to six schools. Elsewhere your council sets the number, which must be at least three.

1. Rank schools in the order you genuinely want them. Schools rank applicants against their criteria without taking your ranking into account. Your order only decides which offer you get if more than one school can offer a place.
2. Use every preference. Naming one school does not improve your chance of getting it.
3. Include at least one school you are very likely to get, often your nearest or catchment school. If none of your schools can offer a place, the council will usually offer one at a school with space, which may be one you would not have chosen.
4. Send any supplementary forms directly to the schools that ask for them, by their deadline.
5. Apply on time. Late applications are usually only considered after on-time ones, which makes a place at a popular school much less likely.

Our step-by-step guide to school admissions in England covers the form in more detail.

Independent primary and prep schools

Independent schools set their own admissions and you apply to each one directly, often earlier than the council deadline. Since 1 January 2025, their fees have been subject to VAT at 20%. They are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) if they belong to an association in the Independent Schools Council, and by Ofsted otherwise. Compare the options in state vs independent schools and private school fees.

After offer day

Offers for September 2027 are sent on Friday 16 April 2027. If you do not get your first choice:

• Accept the place you are offered by your council's deadline. It keeps a place safe while you try for others.
• Join waiting lists for schools you prefer. Schools must keep them until at least 31 December 2027, ranked by their oversubscription criteria, not by when you joined. See primary school waiting lists.
• Consider an appeal. You have at least 20 school days from the date of the decision letter. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes are limited by law to 30 pupils per teacher, so infant class appeals succeed only in narrow cases, such as the admission rules not being followed properly. See how to appeal a school place.

For a step-by-step plan for the weeks after offers, see what to do after primary school offer day.

Useful official resources

• Compare school and college performance: official Key Stage 2 results for each school
• Ofsted reports: full inspection reports
• Get Information about Schools: the official register, with school type, age range and contact details
• Apply for a primary school place on GOV.UK: links to your council's application
• Summer-born children starting school: the government's advice for parents
• Your council's admissions pages, for local dates, the composite prospectus and last distance offered

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a primary school?

Start with the schools near you and your child's needs. Check each school's admissions criteria and last distance offered, read its latest Ofsted report and Key Stage 2 results, visit, then rank your preferences in the order you genuinely want them and apply by the closing date.

What should I look for in a primary school?

A short, safe journey, a welcoming Reception class, strong teaching of early reading, calm behaviour, good support for children who need extra help, and wraparound care that fits your working week.

When do I apply for a primary school place for September 2027?

Applications open in autumn 2026 and close on 15 January 2027 in most areas, for children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023. Offers are sent on 16 April 2027.

Does my child get a place because they go to the school nursery?

No. You must still apply for a Reception place through your council. A few schools give limited priority to children from their own nursery, such as those eligible for the early years pupil premium, so check the admissions policy.

Does putting a school first improve my chances?

No. Schools rank applicants against their own criteria without taking your order into account. Your order only decides which offer you get if more than one school can offer a place.

How many primary schools can I apply for?

Up to six in London. Elsewhere your council sets the number, which must be at least three. Use every preference you are given.