How and when to apply to change your child’s school
Brighton & Hove City Council coordinate admissions for most of the schools in the city so you will need to apply for these schools via the School Admissions Team.
You can apply either:
- online
- by paper application - download an application or contact the schools admission team
You can apply for one, 2 or 3 schools of preference on your application, but we'll only allocate one school place which will be your highest-ranked preference possible.
Make sure you like your first preference more than your second preference and your second preference more than your third.
Putting a second or third preference will not affect the likelihood of being offered your first preference school so only apply for schools at which you would like to accept a place.
Find a list of primary, infant and junior schools.
Find a list of secondary schools.
When to apply to change your child’s school
You can apply for a school place up to half a term before the place is needed. We won’t usually process applications earlier than this except for:
- applicants wanting a school place from the beginning of the autumn term, you can apply after Easter
- Crown Servants or members of the Armed Services being relocated to the area
How we'll process your application to change schools
Your application will be looked at and a school place allocated as soon possible after as it's received, so only apply at the time you would like your child to change schools.
We'll aim to give you a decision as quickly as possible but please allow up to 15 school days to receive your school offer.
Your school preferences will be considered separately. If it's possible to offer a place at more than one of your selected schools, only one school place will be given. The place will be given at the school you have ranked highest on your application.
If the school you have selected has available space for your child, we'll be able to offer a place.
If there are more applications for the school than available places or if the school has a waiting list, your preference will be judged against the school’s admission priorities to decide which child is given the place.
Find out about Brighton & Hove City Council's admission priorities for community secondary schools.
Some schools like church voluntary aided schools, academies or free schools have their own admission arrangements. Find out how church voluntary aided, academies and free school places are decided.
If it is not possible to offer any of your named schools, we'll advise that your child stay at their current school if possible. If this is not possible a different school place within Brighton & Hove will be offered. This will normally be the nearest school to your home address with a place available.
The admissions team will let you know the outcome of your application:
- by email if you have applied online or given an email address on your application
- by letter if an email is not provided
When a new school place is offered, we'll expect you to accept or decline the offer within 7 school days.
Supplementary information forms (SIF) and proof of address
Some schools like church voluntary aided schools need additional information for their governors to assess your application against the school’s admission priorities.
You can get a copy of the school’s SIF from the school. You can also get a copy of the school's supplementary information from our website.
Return your SIF to the school that you're applying for, not to the school admissions team.
If you have recently moved to a new house, or your child is currently at a private school, you need to supply proof of address with your application. If we do not receive this with your application, it may mean that you miss out on a place at your preferred school if other children with confirmed addresses have also applied for places there.
Read our proof of address for school applications page for more information.
When your child can start school
If the offer is accepted the school will be asked to make arrangements for your child to start as soon as possible.
School places will not be held open for more than half a term. Where an allocated place has not been accepted within this time, it will be withdrawn. You'll need to reapply again when your child is able to take up the new school place.
What happens if you move house
If you have moved to a new house and it's no longer practical to make the journey to your child’s current school, you will need to apply for a place at a different school.
You can use our interactive map to find schools local to your address.
No school places are reserved for people who move into the area, but we can tell you about which schools have places available if you contact the school admissions team.
Your application will be looked at and a school place allocated as soon as it's received by the school admissions team, so only apply when your move is confirmed. We'll aim to give you a decision as quickly as possible but please allow up to 15 school days to receive your school offer.
If you have recently moved to a new house, you need to supply proof of address with your application. If we do not receive this with your application, this may mean that you miss out on a place at your preferred school if other children with confirmed addresses have also applied for places there.
Read our proof of address for school applications page for more information.
Moving to Brighton & Hove from abroad
Your application will be looked at and a school place allocated as soon as it's received by the school admissions team, so only apply when your child can take up the school place offer.
If you do not have a confirmed address or arrival date in the city, making an application will not help your child secure the school place that you want.
We're more likely to be able to offer the school place that you would like or that's close to where you live if you apply when you have a confirmed address in the city.
We'll aim to give you a decision as quickly as possible but please allow up to 15 school days to receive your school offer.
Moving school if you have not moved house
Sometimes a change of school is unavoidable, for example when a child has moved to a new house or has had to leave private school due to a change of circumstances.
However, moving school at any time can have a disruptive effect on a child’s education and moving school multiple times can have a significant negative impact on your child’s progress. While parents do have the right to apply to change schools at any time it's worth thinking about the effect a move may have on your child.
Children and young people do less well in examinations when they have moved schools outside of normal transition periods. This is particularly the case for movement during years 10 and 11 which can be harmful for GCSE results, as schools will follow different combinations of syllabuses and offer different courses.
Schools in Brighton & Hove do talk to each other and will share information about potential new pupils to ensure a smooth transition.
How to get your child added to a waiting lists or reallocation pool
The school admissions team hold waiting lists (primary schools) and reallocation pools (secondary schools) for the community schools in the city and Bilingual Primary School.
Other free schools, academies and church voluntary aided schools hold their own waiting lists and have their own procedures.
After an application, if it is not possible to offer a place at your first preference school your child will automatically be added to that school's waiting list (primary) or re-allocation pool (secondary).
If you would like your child added to another school of preference, you can request that your child’s name be added to that school’s waiting list or re-allocation pool. This applies to second or third-preference schools with the exception that reallocation pools are not operated for year 11 pupils.
Pupils are added to a waiting list or reallocation pool according to the school’s admission priorities only. It's possible for children to move down as well as up a waiting list if other children join the list in a higher priority.
Waiting lists or re-allocation pools held by the council are cleared at the end of each term. If you would like your child to remain on a waiting list or reallocation pool for more than a term you will need to contact the admission team at the end of each term to request this.
What we do if a place becomes available at a school with a waiting list or reallocation pool
Each time we offer a place (or places) at a school it will be given to the child or children at the top of the waiting list.
For schools with a reallocation pool, the list will be randomised, and the place allocated to the child at the top of the list.
Parents notified that their child has been offered a place from a waiting list or reallocation pool will have 7 school days to reply before the place is offered to another child.
In-year fair access protocol
As required by law, Brighton & Hove has a fair access protocol with schools. This ensures that vulnerable children who need a school place outside the main admission round are offered one as soon as possible.
This applies to certain groups of children who can not secure a place through the normal admission process.
It can sometimes result in schools going above their published admission number for an established year group.