In-year admissions: what happens next

This guidance explains what happens next if you are unhappy with the  infant or primary school that has been allocated to your child.

If your child has not been allocated a place at any of your preferred infant or primary school and is unable to continue at their current school, you must complete an alternative school reply slip.

Start alternative school reply slip form

Failure to complete the alternative school reply slip will delay the processing of your child’s in-year application and your case may be referred to the Children Missing Education team.

Check for school vacancies

You can check infant and primary schools with vacancies in specific year groups by downloading the relevant vacancy list.

You should only request a place at a school on the vacancy list as these schools are the only schools that may currently have vacancies. Selecting a school that is not on the vacancy list will only result in your application being delayed.

Waiting lists

If your child has not been allocated a place at one of your preferred schools, their name will be placed on the waiting list for the school(s).

The list below shows how long your child’s name will be held on a waiting list for:

Waiting list for schools that expire on 31 July 2026

This includes the following schools:

• Beech Hill Primary School (Community)
• Beechwood Primary School (Community)
• Bramingham Primary School (Community)
• Bushmead Primary School (Community)
• Chantry Primary Academy (Academy)
• Crawley Green Infant School (Foundation)
• Cutenhoe Hill Primary School (Community)
• Dallow Primary School (Academy)
• Denbigh Primary School (Community)
• Downside Primary School (Community)
• Foxdell Primary School (Community)
• Hillborough Infant School (Community)
• Icknield Primary School (Community)
• Maidenhall Primary School (Community)
• Norton Road Primary School (Community)
• Parklea Primary School (Community)
• Pirton Hill Primary School (Community)
• Putteridge Primary School (Community)
• Ramridge Primary School (Community)
• River Bank Primary School (Free school)
• St Matthews Primary School (Community)
• Southfield Primary Academy (Academy)
• Stopsley Primary School (Community)
• Tennyson Road Primary School (Academy)
• The Ferrars Academy (Academy)
• The Meads Primary School (Community)
• Warden Hill Infant Academy (Academy)
• Waulud Primary School (Community)
• Whipperley Infant Academy (Academy)
• Whitefield Primary Academy (Academy)
• Wigmore Primary School (Community)
• William Austin Infant School (Community)

For all the schools mentioned above, parents/carers can apply for their child’s name to be held on the waiting list following the expiry date by completing a new in-year application.

Parents and carers must be aware that:

• there is no guarantee that it will be possible to offer places to pupils on waiting list(s), in the future. Places at oversubscribed school(s) have been allocated up to their admission limit. Opportunities for those on the waiting lists will only occur if pupils already attending the school leave in the relevant year group
• waiting lists are organised in the order of priority of the relevant school's admission criteria. Waiting lists are not based on the date the application was added to the lists. The position of your child’s name on a waiting list may change as pupils are added to or deleted from the list(s).
• you must write to the Admissions Team to remove your child’s name from the waiting list(s) for any higher ranked school if you are content with the school offered to your child
• if your child has a brother or sister who is on the waiting list for the school offered, you must contact the Admissions team to ensure the brother or sister’s details are re-ranked on the waiting list

Contact the Admissions team

If your child is in Year 2 from September 2025 and their details are on a waiting list(s) for an infant school, their details will be removed on 31 July 2026.

If your child is in Year 6 from September 2025 and their details are on a waiting list(s) for a junior school or primary school, their details will be removed on 31 July 2026.

Request details on your child’s position on a waiting list

Requests for details of your child’s position on a waiting list should be made in writing to the Admissions team.

How to appeal for a school place

In accordance with the School Standards and Framework Act (1998), you have the right of appeal against the decision not to offer your child a place at your preferred schools.

For information relating to the school admissions appeal process, together with the appeal form, read our appeals process for school admissions page.

Before submitting an appeal for children aged 5,6 and 7 years of age

The law states that no key stage 1 class (year R, 1 and 2 in infant/primary schools) may have more than 30 pupils in a class with one qualified teacher.

This law means that local authorities and governing bodies of schools must comply with limits on class sizes.

There are very limited circumstances in which a panel can allow infant class size appeals, consequently only a very small number of appeals are usually allowed.

Where the local authority has refused admission on the grounds that class size prejudice would occur (in other words, the class would exceed 30 pupils).

An appeal panel can only allow such an appeal in either of the following three circumstances:

1. That the decision was not one which a reasonable admissions authority would make in the circumstances. A reasonable decision is one which a sensible admission authority would make taking into account factors such as the admission policy for the school, the internal operation of the school and the school’s ability to accommodate pupils and meet the class size limit of 30.
2. That the admission arrangements have not been applied properly to the case and that if they had been applied properly the child should have been offered a place. If the panel consider that the admission authority did not carry out the admission arrangements properly, or if the rules were broken, then the appeal will be allowed.
3. The admission arrangements do not meet the requirements of the School Admissions Code or Part 3 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

If you cannot prove any of the above your appeal will be unsuccessful.

Further information

For further guidance on admissions legislation read appealing a school's decision – GOV.UK.

If you need assistance in other languages or any other query, contact the Admissions team.