School admissions

Information about school admissions.

Children with a final  Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)

If your child has a final EHCP that names a school, you do not need to apply through school admissions. The EHCP names the school your child attends. 

If you have recently askes for an EHCP assessment, or the assessment has started but is not concluded,  you should still apply through school admissions in case no final plan is granted.  

If a final plan is made later on, the school named in the EHCP overrides any school admissions place offer made for your child. 

School admissions process:  There are 2 types of school admission application.  

  1. Children starting reception, junior or secondary school (year 7) for the first time: Applications are made in advance for September places. The applications follow a national timetable with national closing dates and all local authorities send offers on a national offer day (March or April).    Find out more and apply at Leeds City Council school admissions pages. 
  2. Children moving schools: If you're moving to Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to complete an in-year application.  Schools with spaces in the year group are usually able to offer a place straight away and you can find a list of schools with spaces on our website.  Find out more about moving schools. 

Before you apply, do your research.   Each school has its own set of rules that they use to decide which children to offer a place to. This is called their admissions policy.    Common rules include prioritising children who:

  • have an older sibling at the school
  • live in the school's catchment area 
  • are a particular religion (for faith schools)  
  • are in care of the local authority

However, the rules are different for each Leeds school.  

By law, every school must provide support for pupils with SEND. This means that schools cannot refuse to offer a place because your child has SEND.   They also cannot give your child a higher priority for a place because they have SEND unless this is allowed by their admission policy criteria.  

To help you decide which schools to preference on your application, we recommend you

  • look at the locals schools in your local area, including their websites and OFSTED reports. 
  • read the admissions policy for any school you want to apply for and check the information on our school admissions pages to help you to decide what chance your child has of getting a place.
  • attend any open days and ask to speak to the SENCos to discuss how they will support your child’s needs. 
  • include your local or catchment school as a preference. 
  • think about how your child might travel to and from school and check whether you would be eligible for any help with home to school transport.