Applying for a school place for your kinship child is an important milestone – the information below, written by our expert advisers, highlights the main points and key dates that you need to be aware of.
School Starting Age
Most children start school full-time in the September after their fourth birthday. This means they will be aged 5 during their first school year. For example, if your child’s fourth birthday is between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 or if your child was born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018, they will usually start school in September 2022.
Applying for a primary or secondary school place
You can apply for a child to start primary school from 15 November 2021 up to 15 January 2022. The main closing date is 15 January 2022, however, there should be an online and telephone application facility available to use up until 31 January 2022.
Please note: You will need to apply even if you want your child to start part-way through the year.
The deadline for applying for a secondary school place is 31 October.
How to Apply
To apply you should follow your local authority’s application process by clicking on the following links:
Please note: You must still apply for a school place, even if the school you want is linked to your child’s current nursery, infant or primary school.
When you will find out
The local authority will send offers of school places for:
- Primary schools on 16 April 2022
- Secondary schools on 1 March 2022
You must accept the offer by the deadline date on the offer letter. Failure to do so may lead to the offer being withdrawn and the place being offered to someone else.
Applying after the start of the school year
You should contact your local authority to find out about applying for a school place once the school year has started – these are known as in-year applications. They can tell you which schools still have places and how to apply.
Once your child has been offered a place, they will usually start school at the beginning of the following term.
School waiting lists
If your child does not have a place, you will need to contact your local authority to ask for a list of schools that still have places. You can also ask for your child’s name to be added to a waiting list. You will need to contact the school or local authority if you would like to be added to the waiting list.
Please note: You can add your child’s name to the waiting list even if they have been offered a place at another school.
Appealing a school’s decision
You should be sent a letter with a decision about your child’s school. If your child is refused a place and you disagree with the decision, you can appeal against the decision. The decision letter should set out how to appeal.
You can obtain further information about appealing a decision here.
For further information and support:
- Visit us at – https://kinship.org.uk/for-kinship-carers/advice-and-support/
- Email us at – advice@kinship.org.uk
- Call our advice line – on 0300 123 7015
