Admission to reception classes

If your child is due to start school in September 2025, you need to apply for admission to reception.

Apply for a school place online

If you cannot apply online, you can request a paper application form using our general enquiry form.

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 2025 if your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021. 

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. 

When you get your school offer 

If you apply for admission to reception class for September 2025, we will offer you a school place on 16 April 2025. 

• If you apply online, you will be able to see the offer in your admissions account online from 8.30am on 16 April 2025. We will also send you the offer by email. 
• If you complete a paper application form, we will send your school offer by post. We send offer letters by second-class post on 16 April 2025. 
• You need to either accept or decline the offered school place.

The first day of autumn term 2025 is Wednesday 3 September. Your child should go to school on that day unless the school tells you otherwise. 

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

If we are unable to offer your child a place at one of your preferred schools, we will offer a place at an alternative school. This will be at the nearest school to your home address with an available place. You will be required to accept or decline the place offered.

Waiting lists 

If we don't offer 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 2025. 

Appealing the decision 

You have the right to appeal the decision if we do not offer 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

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, 399 KB).

Contact the admissions team

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

Reception class admissions timetable

Important dates for secondary school admissions for September 2025: 

• Applications open - 23 September 2024 
• Applications close - 15 January 2025 
• National offer day (when you get your school offer) - 16 April 2025 
• Appeals closing date - 26 May 2025 
• Mini admission round starts (when we consider changes parents have made to their applications since the closing date) - 20 May 2025 
• Appeals hearings take place - June/July 2025 
• We maintain waiting lists for oversubscribed schools until 31 December 2025