Secondary school admissions: the timeline and how to apply
Secondary school admissions in England: the Year 7 timeline, the 31 October deadline, offer day, the 11-plus, waiting lists, and appeals.
Secondary school admissions in England run on a fixed timeline that starts a year ahead, in the autumn term of Year 6. You apply through your council, name your preferred schools in order, and find out the result the following March. The date that matters most is the 31 October deadline. This guide sets out the secondary timeline step by step, plus the points specific to secondary, including the grammar school 11-plus and fair banding.
When to apply for secondary school
You apply for a Year 7 place in the autumn of Year 6, the year before your child moves up. The calendar is national for the closing date and offer day, while councils open their systems on slightly different dates.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | usually 1 September |
| Deadline to apply | 31 October |
| National offer day | 1 March |
Offer day moves to the next working day if it falls on a weekend or bank holiday. Apply in good time and always before 31 October, because late applications are usually dealt with after the on-time ones, which can cost you a place at a popular school. Applying earlier than another on-time applicant does not give you priority, but it leaves room to visit schools and sort any tests or extra forms.
How to apply
The mechanics are the same as for any state school place, so this is the short version. For the full detail of preferences, the equal preference system, and oversubscription, see our guide to school admissions in England.
- Apply through your home local authority, the council where your child lives, on its application form, usually online and with a paper form available if you need one.
- Name your preferred schools in genuine order of preference. Councils must let you name at least three, and some areas, including London, allow up to six.
- Submit any supplementary information form a school's arrangements require, and register separately for any selective test.
- Apply by 31 October and keep your confirmation.
Each school considers your child against its own criteria without seeing your ranking, so a sensible lower preference is a safety net that cannot cost you a higher choice.
Grammar schools and the 11-plus
Grammar schools select by academic ability through the 11-plus, and their timeline runs ahead of the main application. The test is usually sat in the autumn term of Year 6, with most schools testing in September and a few in early October. You normally have to register your child for the test separately from the council application, often during Year 5, and the registration window is set by each grammar school or local consortium, such as the Essex selective schools consortium, rather than nationally.
The timing works in your favour in one respect: 11-plus results usually arrive in October of Year 6, before the 31 October deadline, so you know whether your child has qualified before you finalise your preferences. Even so, a grammar place is never guaranteed by passing the test alone, because qualified children are still ranked by the school's oversubscription criteria. If you are considering a grammar school, check its test and registration dates early, because missing the registration deadline cannot usually be undone.
Banding and other arrangements
Some schools, particularly in London, use fair banding. Applicants sit a short ability test, usually in the autumn of Year 6, and are placed into ability bands so the school can admit a balanced spread of abilities rather than the highest scorers only. Banding is about a balanced intake, not high-ability selection, and it sits alongside the school's other criteria.
Faith schools often ask for a supplementary information form so they can apply their faith criteria, and some schools give priority through a named feeder link. As always, the school's published arrangements are the only reliable guide to how it ranks applicants.
How places are decided
When a secondary school has more applicants than places, it offers places by its published oversubscription criteria. Children with an education, health and care plan that names the school are admitted first, and looked-after and previously looked-after children come top of the criteria. After that, schools commonly rank by siblings, distance, a catchment or priority area, faith, a feeder link, or a banding test, in an order each admission authority sets.
For many schools, distance or a catchment area decides the borderline places, though the published criteria always control. Our guide to school catchment areas explains how the cut-off is set each year and how to read a school's last distance offered.
After offer day
On national offer day, 1 March or the next working day if needed, you receive one offer: the highest preference that can give your child a place, or, if none of your preferences can be offered, another school with a vacancy, usually the nearest. From there you have three things to do.
- Accept the place by the deadline in your offer letter, or it can be withdrawn.
- Join the waiting list for any school you preferred over the one offered. Lists are ranked by the school's criteria, not by how long you have waited. Our guide to how school waiting lists work covers what to expect.
- Appeal if you are refused a place you wanted. You appeal to an independent panel, and you can be on a waiting list and appeal at the same time.
Accepting a lower offer does not remove your right to a waiting-list place or an appeal at a school you preferred, so accept what you are given to secure a place, then pursue the schools you wanted.
If you move into the area or need to change schools outside the normal round, you make an in-year application through your local council, which can tell you which schools have places and how to apply.
How FindMySchool helps
A strong Year 7 application comes down to a realistic, well-ranked preference list, and that is what FindMySchool helps you build. We cover more than 25,000 school profiles, with FMS Inspection scores and catchment distance data where available, so you can judge which secondary schools are within reach before you apply.
- Use the school search and the map to find secondary schools near you and see how close they are.
- Check each school's last distance offered and our catchment guide so your preferences are realistic.
- Read the full school admissions guide for the equal preference system and oversubscription criteria.
Before you submit, do three things: confirm the 31 October deadline, complete any grammar-test registration, supplementary form, or banding assessment well ahead, and rank your true preferences with at least one school where the criteria and recent distance data make a place look realistic. That gives your child the best chance of a secondary place you will be happy with.
Frequently asked questions
You apply in the autumn term of Year 6. Applications usually open around 1 September, the national deadline is 31 October, and offers are made on 1 March. Apply through your home local authority, even for academies and schools in other areas.