Transfer to junior school

When children transfer to junior school

Junior schools are for 7 to 11 year olds (years 3 to 6).

Your child is due to transfer to junior school when they are in their last year (year 2) at infant school.

You need to apply for a junior school place for September 2025 if:

• Your child currently goes to an infant school, and
• They were born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018

If your child goes to a primary school

Primary schools are for 4 to 11 year olds (reception to year 6).

Children in year 2 at a primary school are not 'due to transfer' to a junior school. This means you do not need to apply for transfer to junior school if you want your child to continue going to the same primary school in year 3.

You can still apply for transfer to junior school if your child is in year 2 at a primary school. Your application will be given lower priority than applications from children at infant schools - even if you live in the catchment area for the school.

When you get your school offer

• 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 will be required to accept or decline the place offered.

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

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 have not been 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. Again, 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 a waiting list for that school in case a place becomes available. We will keep their name on that 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 we have offered your child a place at. 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.

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) [399KB].

Contact the admissions team 

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

Junior school admissions timetable 

Important dates for secondary school admissions for September 2025:

• Applications open - 6 November 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) - 14 May 2025
• Appeals hearings take place - June/July 2025
• We maintain waiting lists for oversubscribed schools until 31 December 2025