Secondary school places

Applications are open. Apply by Tuesday 31 October.

You must apply for a secondary school place for your child to start year 7 at secondary school. You will need to do this when your child is in year 6 at primary school.

If your child is already at secondary school and you want to move them to a different school you must apply for an in year admission.

What to do

You can name up to 4 school preferences on your secondary school application. To help you choose:

Applications for 2024

For children starting year 7 in September 2024 applications opened on Friday 1 September and close on Tuesday 31 October 2023.

You can apply for up to 4 schools.

  • Put the schools in the order of preference.
  • It’s in your best interest to list 4 schools.
  • Naming only one school does not guarantee your child a place at that school or give priority for a place over another child.
  • You are not able to name the same school more than once.

To apply to a school outside of Kent, name the school in your application with your other preferences. Your application details will be passed on to the relevant local authority for processing.

Applications are processed between 1 November 2023 and 1 March 2024.

Apply

To apply for a year 7 place complete our online application form.

Please read our admissions privacy notice before you apply for a school place.

Apply online

If you are unable to apply online email kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk for assistance.

Additional information

Some schools may need you to complete an additional form called a Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

Please contact the school(s) to obtain the form(s) and once completed return directly to the school(s).

Cranbrook School

Cranbrook School is the only school in Kent with year 9 entry. Applications close on Tuesday 31 October 2023.

University Technical Colleges

University Technical Colleges cater for children from year 10 onwards. Applications close on Tuesday 31 October 2023.

Special educational needs and disabilities children

Most children with special educational needs and disabilities can attend mainstream schools, whether or not they have an education health and care (EHC) plan.

If your child has an EHC plan their school placement will be arranged by the SEN Team.

Find out more about applying for a school place for your SEND child.

Free schools

There are no new free schools opening in 2024.

If you provided an email address on your application we will email you on Friday 1 March 2024 after 4pm to tell you which school you have been offered.

You can also log in after 5pm to view your offer online on Friday 1 March 2024.

Offer emails will be sent to the email address provided on your application.

We cannot guarantee the exact time you will receive your email, this will depend on your email service provider.

Due to data protection restrictions, we cannot send the offer to an alternate address without authorisation from the original email account. If you have changed email address, please ensure you can still access the original one so you can receive your offer, or you can view your offer online.

If you need to reset your password you must use the email address you registered with.

For any additional advice, email kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk.

Find out what to do after you get your offer.