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Starting Reception or moving up to Year 7 is a big step for children, and for parents it comes with a timetable of deadlines that runs for most of a year. Most of these dates are set nationally, so they are the same wherever you live in England, but the detail of how you apply and accept a place is handled by your local council.

This guide sets out the dates that apply in England, what happens at each stage, and how to prepare during the summer before your child starts.

The national admissions timetable

Stage Starting secondary school (Year 7) Starting primary school (Reception)
Applications usually open Early September, in Year 6 Autumn, the year before your child starts
Application deadline 31 October 15 January
National offer day 1 March 16 April
Child starts school September September

If an offer day falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers are sent on the next working day. You apply through the council where you live, even if the schools you want are in a neighbouring council area. Application opening dates and the exact process for accepting an offer vary by council, so check your council’s admissions pages early in the autumn.

Applications made after the deadline are usually considered only after all the on-time applications, which can make a real difference for popular schools. If you are moving house, talk to the council about how late applications are handled.

If you are not offered the school you wanted

You have the right to appeal. The admission authority must give you at least 20 school days from the date of the decision letter to lodge an appeal, and appeals must be heard within 40 school days of that deadline. You will get at least 10 school days’ notice of the hearing, and the panel’s decision is usually sent within five school days.

It is generally sensible to accept the place you have been offered while you appeal or wait on a waiting list. Accepting one school does not stop you appealing for another, and it means your child has a place in September whatever the outcome.

Grammar school tests

In areas with grammar schools, there is an earlier timetable to add. Registration for the 11-plus tests usually closes in the summer term of Year 5, and many tests take place in September of Year 6, before the 31 October deadline for secondary applications. The dates and process are set locally, by the council or by individual schools, so check them in the spring of Year 5.

Between offer day and September

Spring and early summer

Schools usually send information to new families after offer day and invite parents to an induction meeting or open evening in the summer term. These are worth attending: they are where you hear about uniform, the start date, the shape of the first week and how the school communicates with parents.

For secondary transfer, Year 6 teachers pass information about each pupil to the new school, and secondary staff often visit feeder primary schools. For Reception, many primary schools arrange visits to nurseries or home visits.

Transition days

Most schools hold transition or “move-up” days in the summer term. For Reception, these are often short sessions so children can see their classroom and meet their teacher. For Year 7, children may spend a day or two at their new school, following a simple timetable and meeting their tutor group. The dates are set by schools rather than nationally, so watch for letters from both the current and the new school.

The first week of term

Check the start date carefully. The council’s term dates give the first day of term for community and voluntary controlled schools, but many schools use the first day or two for INSET, and some stagger the start for new Reception or Year 7 pupils. Your local authority page shows the council’s dates, and the school will confirm when your child’s year group starts. Across the councils on this site, the autumn term starts on dates from 24 August to 7 September 2026, so do not assume your area matches a neighbouring one.

Practical preparation over the summer

  • Uniform and equipment. Buy early enough to sort out sizes, and label everything.
  • The journey. For secondary pupils travelling independently for the first time, practise the route at the time they will be travelling.
  • Routines. Move bedtimes and morning routines back towards school times in the last week or two of the holiday rather than all at once.
  • Everyday skills. For Reception, practise putting on a coat, using the toilet independently, and recognising their own name. For Year 7, practise packing a bag from a timetable and keeping track of belongings.
  • Reading. Regular reading over the summer is one of the simplest ways to keep children’s learning ticking over without turning the holiday into extra school.

From my own teaching, the children who settled quickest were rarely the ones who had done the most academic preparation. They were the ones who knew what the first day would look like and had practised the small routines.

If your child is summer born

Children born between 1 April and 31 August can start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday, but they do not reach compulsory school age until the following September. Parents can ask to defer or delay their start. Our guide to summer-born children and school entry explains the options.

Sources

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