Waiting list for primary school places

About school waiting lists

If you have applied for a school for the first time, or to move up to junior school, and you don't get offered a place at a community infant, junior or primary school you listed as your first preference in your school application, your child will be automatically added to the waiting list for that school.

If you want your child to be added to a waiting list for another school you listed as one of your 3 school preferences, send an email to the School Admissions Team.

How waiting lists work

When a place becomes available at a school the child at the top of the waiting list is offered the place.

You can email the Schools Admissions Team to check your child's place in the waiting list.

Moving up or down the list

A list of 5 rules, called admission priorities, is used to decide how children are added to the waiting list. The same rules are used to move children up and down the list.

For example, if a child has a brother or a sister at the school, they could be added above another child already in the waiting list.

If you apply late for a school place, we will add your child to the waiting list once we've looked at your application.

If you change your school preferences and reapply for a school place, we will add your child to the waiting list for the new school you listed as the first preference from July onwards.

Staying on the waiting list

Your child will stay on the waiting list until 31 December, or until a place becomes available at the school if this happens sooner.

To keep your child on the list send an email to the Schools Admissions Team at the end of every school term.

How waiting lists are managed

Waiting lists for community, council-run schools and the Bilingual Primary School are managed by the school admissions team.

Church voluntary aided schools and academies manage their own waiting lists.

School admission guides

View our school application guides for more information.