What if my request is unsuccessful?
If the request is refused for reception, the parent must decide whether to:
- accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or
- refuse it and make an in-year application for admission to year 1 for the September following the child's fifth birthday
If the request is refused to transfer to secondary school, the parent must decide whether to:
- accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or
- refuse it and make an in-year application for admission to Year 8 for September 2025
One admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority on admission out of the normal age group.
Therefore, parents should consider requesting admission out of the normal year group for all of their preference schools listed on their application for a school place rather than just their first preference school.
An agreement to defer entry does not guarantee your child a place at one of your preferred schools in the following academic year.
If you do not get a place in reception at one of these schools for September 2025, the School Admissions and Fair Access Service cannot make another school admit your child into reception for the new academic year. Instead, you would need to make an in-year application for admission to year 1.
If you do not get a place in secondary at one of these schools for September 2025, the School Admissions and Fair Access Service cannot make another school admit your child into reception for the new academic year. Instead, you would need to make an in-year application for admission to year 8.
Parents have the right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school they have applied to. However, parents cannot appeal if they are offered a place which is not in their preferred age group.
