How do I apply for a Reception place in London for September 2027?
Children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 apply by Friday 15 January 2027. Six schools, one form, offers on 16 April, and what you can do if your child is not ready for full days.
Apply to the council where you live by Friday 15 January 2027, even if your child already attends the school's nursery. You can name up to six state primary schools anywhere in London, in your real order of preference. Offers arrive on Friday 16 April 2027. A later or part-time start is arranged after you have a place, so apply on time either way.
Which children apply this year?
Children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 start Reception in September 2027. Ealing's page, for example, says children born in that window start primary school in September 2027. Families with a child in Year 2 at a separate infant school apply for the junior school by the same date.
A nursery class place, even in the same building, gives no automatic right to a Reception place. Hackney puts it plainly: all parents should apply by 15 January 2027, even if your child is already in the nursery.
How do I apply, and how many schools can I list?
You fill in your home council's Common Application Form, usually online through London eAdmissions. Lambeth's 2027 brochure says you can apply for up to six schools anywhere in London, excluding fee-paying schools, and that you must use your home borough's form even for schools in another borough.
The order works exactly as it does for secondary transfer. Schools rank applicants by their own criteria without seeing your order; the School Admissions Code 2021 bans "first preference first" (paragraph 1.9(c)). If your child qualifies at several schools you get the one you ranked highest. Our explainer on how school-place allocation works shows why the last line on the form matters most.
Church schools often ask for a supplementary information form, returned to the school itself. Wandsworth says your form and any supplementary forms must be received by 15 January 2027.
When will I hear, and what do I do then?
GOV.UK says councils send primary offers on 16 April, and in 2027 that is a Friday. Wandsworth families who applied online are emailed the outcome on the evening of 16 April 2027. Accept or decline by the date in your letter: Lambeth and Hounslow both give 30 April 2027. If you were not offered a school you ranked higher, your child stays on those waiting lists and you can appeal.
My child is not ready for full days in September. What are my options?
Every child is entitled to a full-time place in the September after their fourth birthday, but they do not have to be in school until compulsory school age. GOV.UK defines that as 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following their fifth birthday, whichever comes first.
Paragraph 2.17 of the Code gives you two choices once you hold a place. You can defer the start until later in the school year, but not beyond compulsory school age and not beyond the start of the final (summer) term. Or your child can attend part-time until they reach compulsory school age. Either way the place is kept for them. Ask the school how it arranges this.
My child is summer-born. Can they start Reception a year later?
You can ask. A summer-born child is one born between 1 April and 31 August. Under paragraph 2.18 of the Code, their parents may choose not to send them to school until the September after their fifth birthday, and may ask for them to be admitted to Reception rather than Year 1.
It is a request, not a right. The admission authority decides each case "in the best interests of the child" (paragraph 2.19). DfE's summer-born advice for parents says the government believes it should be rare for a child to start school in Year 1, but that the admission authority decides. If you are thinking about this, ask early and still apply in the normal round. Hackney, for example, says a deferral request received by 15 January 2027 is answered in writing before offer day.
Frequently asked questions
What if we move house before 15 January?
Apply from the address you live at, and tell your council as soon as you move, with the proof of address it asks for. Councils check addresses, and the Code lets an offer be withdrawn if it was obtained through a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application (paragraph 2.13).
Does a sibling at the school guarantee a place?
No. Siblings are a common criterion, but each school sets its own order of criteria and its own definition of a sibling. Read the school's 2027 admission arrangements.
If we defer, can someone else take the place?
No. Under paragraph 2.17 the place is held for your child until they start, within the limits above. A request to start in Reception a year later is different: it means applying again in the following year's round.
This guide covers the rules every London council follows. Whether your child is likely to be offered a particular school depends on its criteria and on how far from it last year's places went. Look each school up in the London school directory before you rank them.
The 15 January closing date is national, but supplementary forms and open mornings run to each school's own timetable. They are collected, with sources, on one page.
See the 2027 dates for your child's schools →Evidence level
Dates and rules are from GOV.UK, the School Admissions Code 2021, DfE's summer-born guidance and London councils' 2027 admissions pages, checked on 13 October 2026.
References
- GOV.UK. (2026). How to apply (closing dates and National Offer Day) ↗ external. gov.uk
- GOV.UK. (2026). School starting age ↗ external. gov.uk
- Department for Education. (2021). School Admissions Code 2021 (paragraphs 1.9(c), 2.17 to 2.20) ↗ external. Statutory guidance, gov.uk
- Department for Education. (2023). Summer-born children starting school: advice for parents ↗ external. gov.uk
- Lambeth Council. (2026). Primary admissions brochure 2027-28 ↗ external. lambeth.gov.uk
- Ealing Council. (2026). Apply for primary school (Reception) or infant to junior transfer ↗ external. ealing.gov.uk
- Hackney Education. (2026). Primary: before you apply ↗ external. hackney.gov.uk
- London Borough of Hounslow. (2026). Application timetable for a new Reception place ↗ external. hounslow.gov.uk
- Hackney Education. (2026). Starting reception class ↗ external. hackney.gov.uk
- Wandsworth Council. (2026). Apply for a primary school place ↗ external. wandsworth.gov.uk
Related research
How do I apply for a London secondary school place for September 2027?
Apply to the council where you live, not to the schools, by Saturday 31 October 2026. In London you can name up to six state schools, in any borough, in your true order of preference. Offers arrive on Monday 1 March 2027.
How does school-place allocation actually work?
Under the national equal-preference system, every school on your form assesses your application independently, not in order. The local authority then offers you a place at the highest-preference school that has offered you one. Order only decides which of your offers you receive — not whether any specific school offers you.
UK school entry points explained: 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ side by side
The five main UK independent-school entry points explained side by side — with the typical assessment format, registration timing, entry age, and school types that use each. Plus how state entry (Reception and Year 7) fits alongside the independent timeline.