Admission to reception classes

• If you applied online, you will be able to see the offer from 8.30am on 16 April 2024 in your admissions account online.  We also sent you the offer by email on 16 April 2024.
• If you completed a paper application form, we have sent your school offer by post. We sent offer letters by second-class post on 16 April 2024.

When you get your school offer

We will tell the headteacher of the school that your child has a place. The school will contact you with further information.

Some schools need you to complete an acceptance form. They will send you this form with their welcome pack.

The first day of autumn term 2024 is Wednesday 4 September 2024. Your child should go to school on that day unless the school tells you otherwise.

If you have not been offered a place at one of your preferred schools

If we were unable to offer your child a place at one of your preferred schools, we have offered a place at an alternative school. This will be at the nearest school to your home address with an available place.

Waiting lists

If we haven't offered your child a place at one of your preferred schools, we will add their name to waiting list for that school in case a place becomes available. We will keep their name on the waiting list until 31 December 2024.

Appealing the decision

You have the right to appeal the decision if we have not offered your child a place at one of your preferred schools.

How to appeal the decision

Transport and free school meals

We will tell the transport team which school your child will be going to. The transport team will contact your if your child is entitled to home to school transport.

Find out more about school transport

All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 automatically get free school meals.

Find out more about free school meals

When children start school

Most children start school in the September after their fourth birthday.

You need to apply for admission to reception for September 2024 if your child was born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020.

You must apply for a reception class place even if your child currently goes to a nursery class at a school. Going to a nursery attached to a school does not increase your chances of getting a reception class place at that school.

If you want your child to start later, you still need to apply for a reception class place at the same time as everyone else.

Find out more about when your child starts school.

Wraparound Childcare

To support more working families, from September 2024, you can expect to see an increase in wraparound childcare for primary school children across Norfolk. This includes regular before and after school provision during the term from 8am until 6pm or later. The childcare is either on a school site or at another local setting.

Tax-free Childcare, or Universal Credit Childcare, can be used to help pay for wraparound childcare. To find out more, you can:

• Speak to your child's school
• Contact Norfolk County Council's Family Information Service
  • By phone on 0344 800 8020
  • By email on fis@norfolk.gov.uk

The admissions process in Norfolk

You can find full information and answers to frequently asked questions in the parent's guide to admissions in Norfolk (PDF) [415KB].

Contact the admissions team

If you need to contact us, you can use the general enquiry form.

Reception class admissions timetable

Important dates for reception class applications for September 2024: 

• Applications open - 25 September 2023 
• Applications close - 15 January 2024 
• National offer day (when you get your school offer) - 16 April 2024 
• Appeals closing date - 14 May 2024 
• Mini admission round starts (when we consider changes parents have made to their applications since the closing date) - 20 May 2024 
• Appeals hearings take place - June/July 2024 
• We maintain waiting lists for oversubscribed schools until 31 December 2024.