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Secondary school applications for September 2027: the 31 October deadline
Debs · 9 October 2026
The short answer
If your child is in Year 6 in England, you must apply for their secondary school place by 31 October 2026, through your home council, even if the schools you want are in another area. List several schools in order of preference: it doesn't reduce your chances at your first choice. Offers are sent on 1 March 2027. Applications that arrive late are dealt with after the on-time ones, which can cost you a place.
Year 6 arrives, and with it the most important form of primary school: the secondary school application. It's one form, it opens in September, and it closes on 31 October, which this year is the Saturday at the end of half term, when nobody is thinking about forms. Here's how it works, and how to make sure it isn't still in your "to do" list on 1 November.
How secondary school applications work in England
Every child in Year 6 needs an application, including children at a primary school linked to a secondary. You apply once, to your home council (the one you pay council tax to), and it coordinates with neighbouring councils if you want a school across the border. Our guide to the mental load of school explains why this sort of one-off job is the one that slips.
- Deadline: 31 October 2026, for a place starting in September 2027.
- Apply to your home council, usually online, even for schools in another area.
- List schools in order of preference: councils must let you name at least three, and some allow six.
- Offers come on national offer day: 1 March 2027.
Listing only one school doesn't make it more likely. It just leaves the council to choose your second choice for you.
Left: one form covers every school you list, wherever they are. Right: the two dates that matter, which are four months apart.
How to choose and order your schools
Put the schools in the order you actually prefer them. Each school applies its own admission rules (catchment, siblings, distance, faith or a test), and the council offers the highest school on your list that can give you a place. Ranking a school lower doesn't make it think less of you; it never sees the order.
Check each school's admission rules and how far away the last child offered a place lived last year: councils publish this. If a school uses a test (grammar schools) or asks for a supplementary form (often faith schools), there may be extra steps and earlier deadlines. Put the open evenings in a calendar you both see, and the 31 October deadline with a reminder a week before. Here's how to add school dates to Google or Apple Calendar.
The council offers the highest school on your list that can take you. The order is yours to get right.
What to do this week
Find your council's secondary admissions page and make sure you can log in. Write down your schools in order. Check whether any of them needs a supplementary form. Then submit, rather than saving it as a draft, and keep the confirmation email. If your child sat an 11-plus test, results usually arrive in October in the areas that have one, so you can still decide before the deadline. In Wales, deadlines are set by each council; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems, so check your council or Education Authority.
Secondary school applications at a glance
For children starting secondary school in England in September 2027.
| When | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | September 2026 | Log in to your council's admissions website |
| Supplementary forms | Often by 31 October, sometimes earlier | Check each school's admission rules |
| Closing date | 31 October 2026 | Submit, and keep the confirmation |
| National offer day | 1 March 2027 | Accept the offer, or ask about waiting lists and appeals |
Mistakes we've all made
- Only listing one school, so there's no say in where your child goes if it's full.
- Saving the form as a draft and thinking it's sent.
- Assuming the primary school applies for you. It doesn't.
- Forgetting the faith school's supplementary form, which goes to the school, not the council.
Deadlines that don't slip
Debs, your own school admin assistant, reads the school's emails and letters and puts deadlines like this one on your "Don't forget" list, with a nudge before they're due and a button straight to the right page where there's a link. Open evenings go on the family calendar for both parents to see, and you can tell Debs things yourself: "secondary application due 31 October" and it's on the list. See everything Debs can do.
Questions parents ask
When is the deadline for secondary school applications in 2026?
In England, you must apply by 31 October 2026 for a secondary school place starting in September 2027. Apply through your home council.
When do you find out your secondary school place?
Councils in England send secondary school offers on national offer day, 1 March. For children starting in September 2027, that's 1 March 2027.
How many secondary schools can I apply for?
Councils must let you list at least three schools in order of preference, and some allow six. Listing more schools does not reduce your chances at your first choice.
Can I apply for a school in a different council area?
Yes. You still apply through your home council, which passes your application to the other council.
What happens if I miss the secondary school deadline?
Late applications are usually considered after all the on-time ones, so popular schools may be full. Apply as soon as you can and contact your council.