Guide to moving up to secondary school
If you miss the applications deadline
If you miss the application deadline, you'll need to submit a late application.
Information about deadlines is available on our later allocation rounds page.
If an application is late for the first round of allocations we will not look at it until after we've processed all those that were submitted before the deadline. The only exception would be if we received your application by 21 November and you have included independent evidence which we agree explains why you could not apply on time.
For example, you may have been ill for a long time, or there may have been a family bereavement, which prevented you from applying by the deadline. Moving into the area or being unaware of the deadline are not exceptional reasons for applying late.
See the Moving home section if you are an armed forces or Crown Servant family. If we receive your application and supporting evidence by 29 January we will treat your application as timely.
| Date we receive your application |
Do you think you have exceptional reasons for your late application? |
Will your application be treated as on time? |
When will you know which school your child has been offered? |
|---|---|---|---|
| By 31 October | N/A | Yes | 1 March |
| By 21 November | Yes - Evidence included and agreed | Yes | 1 March |
| By 21 November |
Yes – Evidence included but not agreed (or no evidence provided) |
No | 1 March |
| By 31 December | N/A | No | 1 March |
From January 2024, see our information about later allocation rounds.