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Transfer to secondary school

Secondary school offers for September 2024 are now available. 

  • If you applied online, you will be able to see the offer from 8.30am on 1 March 2024 in your admissions account online. We also sent you the offer by email on 1 March 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 1 March 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. 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. 

Not all appeals are successful. Of the 319 appeals heard in Norfolk, for the September 2023 secondary transfer round, 116 were successful. 

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 you if your child is entitled to home to school transport. 

Find out more about school transport. 

If your child gets free school meals at their current school, this entitlement will automatically transfer to their new school from September. 

Find out more about free school meals. 

Late applications 

If your child is due to transfer to secondary school in September 2024 and you haven't applied, you can make a late application by completing a paper application form. 

Request a paper application form using our general enquiry form

When children transfer to secondary school 

Secondary schools are for 11 to 16 year olds (years 7 to 11). Some secondary schools also have sixth forms for 16 to 18 year olds (years 12 and 13). 

Your child is due to transfer to secondary school when they are in their last year (year 6) at primary or junior school. 

You need to apply for a secondary school place for September 2024 if: 

  • Your child currently goes to a primary or junior school, and 

  • They were born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013. 

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

Secondary school admissions timetable 

Important dates for secondary school admissions for September 2024: 

  • Applications open - 11 September 2023 

  • Applications close - 31 October 2023 

  • National offer day (when you get your school offer) - 1 March 2024 

  • Appeals closing date - 16 April 2024 

  • Mini admission round starts (when we consider changes parents have made to their applications since the closing date) - 3 April 2024 

  • Appeals hearings take place - May or June 2024 

  • We maintain waiting lists for oversubscribed schools until 31 December 2024