Secondary applications close on 31 October: what to do this week
The Year 7 deadline for September 2027 falls six weeks into Year 6. How to apply, how many schools to list and in what order, what the catchment and oversubscription rules mean, and what happens on 1 March.
By The AskBobbie team · 29 September 20262 min read
The deadline for a Year 7 place in September 2027 is 31 October 2026. It falls in the October half term for many areas, six weeks into Year 6, and it is the most missed deadline in the school system. If you have a child in Year 6, this is what to do this week.
How to apply
Through your home council's website, not the school's, whatever the school says. Search "[your council] secondary school application". You will need your child's details, your address, and the names of the schools you want. The form takes twenty minutes. You can save and come back, and change your order until the deadline.
If you live in one council area and want a school in another, you still apply through your own council; they pass it on.
How many schools, and in what order
Most councils allow six preferences, some three. List every school you would accept, in the order you want them. The council allocates the highest school on your list that has a place for your child under its rules. Listing one school does not improve your chances of it; it only removes your safety net.
Put at least one school on the list that you are very likely to get, usually your nearest school with places, even if it is your fourth choice. A child with no allocated school is given whatever is left in the area, which can be a long way away.
What the rules mean
Every school publishes its oversubscription criteria: the order in which it gives places when there are more applicants than seats. Typically: children in care, then siblings, then distance from the school, sometimes a catchment area, sometimes a feeder primary, sometimes faith criteria. The council's booklet lists last year's furthest distance offered for each school, which is the most honest guide to your chances.
Grammar schools require a test, usually sat in September, registered for in June or July. If that has passed, the grammar cannot be on the list.
After the deadline
Offers arrive on 1 March 2027, by email in the evening or by post. You accept within a fortnight or so. If you did not get your first choice, you can accept the offered place and appeal for a higher one at the same time; accepting does not weaken the appeal. Waiting lists move in the spring and summer as families move.
Put it in the calendar
31 October to apply. 1 March for the offer. The school's open evenings before then, if you have not been. If you forward the council's emails to Bobbie, the dates come out on their own; either way, put them in today.
Further reading
Sources: GOV.UK school admissions; local authority admissions pages including Waltham Forest and Brighton and Hove.
Questions people ask
- What if I miss 31 October?
- You can still apply, but your application is considered after every on-time one. For popular schools that means no place. Apply on time even if you are not sure of the order; you can change the order until the deadline.
- Should I only list the school I want?
- No. Listing one school does not improve your chance of it; the council allocates your highest preference that has a place. List every school you would accept, in the order you want them, and put one you are very likely to get somewhere on the list.
- Do I apply to grammar schools the same way?
- Through the same council form, but most grammars require an entrance test taken in September, before the deadline, and registered for in the summer. If your child has not sat the test, the grammar cannot be listed.