Scheme for co-ordinated admissions in-year allocations

Parents can apply for a place for their child at any school at any time. This scheme outlines how we'll coordinate in-year admissions for participating schools.

This scheme will apply to all schools in the city including both community schools and own admission authority schools which have all agreed to participate in this scheme.

This scheme for in-year admissions runs from 1 September 2023 until 31 August 2024. 

An application is an in-year application if it's for the admission of a child to:

• a relevant age group (reception, year 7 or year 3 for a junior School), but it is submitted on or after the first day of the first term of the admission year
• any other year group

1. To make a valid application for a school place in Brighton & Hove, parents must complete a common application form provided by Brighton & Hove City Council.

You can apply by one of the following ways:

• online
• paper application, download an application or contact the schools admission team

The form is also available in hard copy for parents without internet access.

2. Parents may name up to 3 preferences on the Brighton & Hove application.

All preferences expressed by parents will be treated equally. This means that each preference will be considered separately. They'll be either offered or measured against the published oversubscription criteria when there is either a waiting list or more preferences for the school than available space. 

3. Only one school place will be offered. If it's possible to allocate a place at more than one preference, the offer will be the highest possible preference expressed by the parent that can be agreed upon.

4. Where it is not possible to offer any of the named preferences, the applicant will be advised to remain at their current school if possible, or an alternative school place within Brighton & Hove will be offered.

This will normally be the nearest school to the home address appropriate to the child’s age and educational needs with a place available.

1. Schools where the governing body is the admission authority may need more information from you to apply their oversubscription criteria. You can get a copy of the school’s supplementary information form from the school or from our website.

Completed supplementary information forms should be returned to the individual schools, not the School Admissions Team.

2. Where the parent fails to complete the supplementary form, the governing body will rank the application according to the information given on the application form only.

3. Where the parent completes the supplementary form but fails to complete the application form, this will not constitute a valid application.

4. Where the parent names their own admission authority school in Brighton & Hove, details of the child’s application, such as name, address, date of birth and any supporting information, will be sent to the governing body.

5. If the school has places available, the governing body must offer a place to every child who has applied for one without condition or the use of any oversubscription criteria, unless admitting the child would prejudice the efficient provision of education or use of resources.

6. Where there are multiple in-year applications or a waiting list and the school does not have sufficient places for every child who has applied.  Applications will be ranked according to the school's published admission criteria to determine which child is offered a place.

7. Own admission authority schools should confirm to the council, as soon as possible but no later than 5 school days after receipt of the application, whether it would be possible to offer a place. Should any other schools become academies before or during the 2023/2024 academic year, this paragraph will also apply to them.

8. Any applications submitted by parents/carers to schools in error must be forwarded to the Brighton & Hove City Council admissions team. Any applications submitted to the council for schools not participating in this scheme will be forwarded to the school in question.

1. The council will notify parents of the outcome of their applications to schools participating in this scheme as quickly as possible and within 15 school days. This is regardless of whether the council is the admission authority. 

2. Notification will be given by email if the application is submitted online or an email address is provided and by letter in other circumstances.

3. Parents are expected to confirm acceptance of the offer of a school within 7 school days after the date of the offer.

4. Where an applicant is offered a place following an in-year application and the offer is accepted, arrangements will be made for the child to start school as soon as possible.

1. Parents are advised to apply for a school place when it's needed but allow up to 15 school days for the application to be processed.

2. School places will not be held open for more than half a term. Where an allocated place has not been taken up within this time, it will be withdrawn. Parents will be advised to reapply again when their child is able to take up the school place.

3. Parents applying for a school place at the beginning of the autumn term can apply throughout the summer term and places will be held open until September.

1. Parents will be informed of their statutory right of appeal when they receive the outcome of their applications. Parents can appeal for any preference expressed but not allocated, even if it was a lower preference than the one offered.

2. Appeal forms and information are available on our website and hard copies are available on request.

1. Waiting lists for all Brighton & Hove community schools and Bilingual Primary School will be held by the council. Other schools where the governing body is the admission authority will maintain their own waiting lists and advise on the ranking of these lists in accordance with their published oversubscription criteria.

2. Following an application, if it is not possible to offer a place at the first preference school the child’s name is added to that school’s waiting list (primary) or re-allocation pool (secondary).

Parents can request that their child’s name be added to the waiting list or reallocation pool for the second and/or third preference school if also unallocated.

3. All waiting lists or re-allocation pools held by the council will be cleared at the end of each term. Any parents wanting their child to remain on a waiting list or reallocation pool will need to contact the admission team to request this each term.

4. There is no requirement to maintain waiting lists after 31 December of the year of entry, such as reception, year 3 junior Schools or year 7. This being so, Brighton & Hove City Council will close re-allocation pools for secondary schools in year 11.

Other admission authorities may continue to maintain waiting lists for this year group.

5. Where it's possible to offer a place to a child on a waiting list or reallocation pool, parents are expected to confirm acceptance of the offer of a school within 7 school days after the date of the offer.

6. If the place is not accepted, it will be offered to the next child on the list. If the offer is accepted, arrangements will be made for the child to start school as soon as possible.

7. School places will not be held open for more than half a term.  Where an allocated place has not been taken up within this time, it will be withdrawn.

Parents will be advised to reapply again when their child is able to take up the school place.