National Offer Day: Which groups of children get priority when it comes to school places

Not getting a place at your first choice of school can be tricky to navigate for parents and children alike - especially if they’re left wondering why others were accepted when they weren’t.

Parents in Blaenau Gwent told they will have to come to school to change children's nappies (Ian West/PA) — Parents in Blaenau Gwent told they will have to come to school to change children’s nappies (Ian West/PA)

National secondary school offers day 2025 is now just days away. Parents will find out which local state secondary school is able to offer their child a place when the new school year starts in September via either letter or email, with these slated to arrive on Monday, March 3.

While most primary school leavers will get into one of the preferred schools that their parents put down in their application, this unfortunately isn’t always the case. Some high-performing or well-regarded schools end up being more popular - and sometimes have more applicants than they do places available.

When this happens, schools will often turn to special admissions criteria to decide which children are offered a place first. On top of that, there are several legal criteria that may mean a child will automatically be offered admission first.

Here are some groups of children who may be given priority when it comes to assigning school places:

Children who have been in care

Children in care generic picture. From Pixabay.

Legally, all state-funded schools must also give top priority to children who either are in care, or have been in care in the past, the Government says.

Child Law Advice, a site run by the Coram Children’s Legal Centre charity providing legal guidance on children’s issues, says that children in care are among the most vulnerable in society, “and it is of paramount importance that a school place is found that is in the best interests of the child as quickly as possible”.

This covers young people currently in the care of a local authority - or who is being provided with accommodation by a local authority’s social services team - at the time they apply. But it also covers children who were in care, but have since been adopted, or have become subject to a Child Arrangements Order or a Special Guardianship Order.

Looked after and previously looked after children who have been in state care outside of England, but were later adopted by a UK family, will also be prioritised for school places, it added.

Children with an EHCP

Pupils at Heath Park Business and Enterprise College, Wolverhampton — The Conservatives are tabling an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to end the use of mobile phones and other devices during school days by pupils (David Jones/PA)

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place legally must also be admitted to a school, if their care plan names it. It will typically be a school that can meet that child’s unique needs. This is a separate process that takes place outside of the school’s usual admissions arrangements.

However, having special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) doesn’t automatically mean a child will be given priority if they don’t have an EHCP. But Child Law Advice says that legally they still can’t be discriminated against during the admissions process.

The school is also not allowed to refuse to admit a child with SEND either because they need extra support, or due to concerns about challenging behaviour - in most cases.

Faith, family ties and address

In England, each state-funded school is also able to set its own admissions criteria outlining what they do if they become oversubscribed - meaning more children have applied than there are places available. If this happens, then the Government says that schools may prioritise children for placement based on a number of different factors.

These often include children living in certain geographical ‘catchment areas’, or for secondary school applicants, children arriving from particular ‘feeder’ primary schools. In some cases, children may also be prioritised at a school based on family ties. This could include having an older sibling already attending, or having a parent who works there.

Some schools also have a special religious character, such as being Catholic, Anglican, or Muslim. While pupils from other backgrounds may also be considered, families who follow that same faith as the school may be prioritised for placement according to the school’s own admissions process.

To find out more about admissions criteria for schools in your area, you can visit your local council’s admissions page. If a school rejects your child and you don’t believe it has followed its own published admissions process, that may also be grounds for appeal.