Secondary transfer 2027: the 31 October deadline
For children in Year 6 now, born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016. What to do, in what order, with the official dates and each borough's own page.
The verified dates
| Applications close | Saturday 31 October 2026 |
| National Offer Day | Monday 1 March 2027 |
| Accept your offer | by the date in your offer letter |
Read on GOV.UK on 9 October 2026; set by the School Admissions Code 2021.
Checklist
- Check the cut-off time on 31 October with the council where you live. You apply to your home council even for schools in another borough.
- Read the oversubscription criteria in each school's admission arrangements for 2027. They decide who is offered a place when a school is full.
- Check whether any school on your list needs a supplementary information form (common at faith schools) and return it to the school by its own date.
- Check whether any school uses a test or banding assessment. Registration for those usually closes well before 31 October.
- List your schools in your true order of preference, using as many lines as your council allows.
- Use your child's permanent home address and have proof of it ready. Councils check addresses.
- Submit, then keep the confirmation email and your application reference. You can usually change the list until the deadline.
How your preferences are used
Parents often worry that ranking a popular school first "wastes" a line. It does not. This is how the co-ordinated scheme works in every council in England.
List schools in the order you truly prefer them.
If your child qualifies for a place at more than one school on your list, the council offers the one you ranked highest. The Code says the child must be "offered a place at whichever of these schools is their highest preference" (paragraph 2.11).
A school cannot use your order against you.
Each school ranks every applicant by its published oversubscription criteria alone. The Code forbids giving "extra priority to children whose parents rank preferred schools in a particular order, including 'first preference first' arrangements" (paragraph 1.9c). Putting a school second or third does not lower your child's place in that school's ranking.
Naming one school does not improve your chances there.
Your child is ranked at that school exactly as they would have been with other schools listed below it. Leaving lines empty only removes fallbacks: if no listed school can offer a place, the council offers a place at another school with room.
Use the lines you are given.
The Code requires councils to let you name at least three schools; your council's form shows how many you may list. Include at least one school where your child is likely to rank well under its published criteria, such as distance.
Quotations are from the School Admissions Code 2021, paragraphs 1.9(c), 2.1 and 2.11, and paragraph 15(d).
Common mistakes
- Ranking by guesswork about chances. Order has no effect on how a school ranks your child. Rank by what you want.
- Listing only one or two schools. It does not help at those schools and leaves no fallback.
- Assuming a sibling or distance rule without reading it. Criteria differ between schools and change from year to year. Read the 2027 arrangements.
- Missing the supplementary form. Without it a faith school may rank your child under a lower criterion.
- Forgetting an earlier test registration. Selective and banded schools set their own registration dates, often in the summer or early autumn.
- Leaving it to the last evening. Online systems are busiest then. An application after the deadline is late and is normally considered after those sent on time.
- Treating last year's figures as a forecast. They describe one year's applicants. Next year's will differ.
Your borough
Apply through the council where you live. London councils take applications online through the eAdmissions website; your borough's page explains its own arrangements.
| Borough | Official page | Applications | Offered first preference | Offered any preference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | Barking and Dagenham admissions | 3,094 | 81.9% | 96.4% |
| Barnet | Find on GOV.UK | 3,998 | 72.7% | 93.2% |
| Bexley | Bexley admissions | 2,992 | 68.1% | 95.3% |
| Brent | Find on GOV.UK | 3,253 | 70.4% | 93.1% |
| Bromley | Bromley admissions | 3,651 | 66.3% | 93.0% |
| Camden | Find on GOV.UK | 1,261 | 73.7% | 93.3% |
| City of London | Find on GOV.UK | 23 | 65.2% | 95.7% |
| Croydon | Find on GOV.UK | 4,184 | 71.2% | 95.3% |
| Ealing | Find on GOV.UK | 3,627 | 73.0% | 93.7% |
| Enfield | Find on GOV.UK | 3,975 | 77.0% | 97.0% |
| Greenwich | Greenwich admissions | 3,054 | 60.2% | 88.2% |
| Hackney | Hackney admissions | 2,029 | 74.6% | 95.8% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Hammersmith and Fulham admissions | 1,109 | 64.5% | 92.0% |
| Haringey | Haringey admissions | 2,285 | 76.8% | 96.9% |
| Harrow | Harrow admissions | 2,840 | 65.6% | 91.4% |
| Havering | Havering admissions | 3,279 | 74.7% | 95.9% |
| Hillingdon | Find on GOV.UK | 3,520 | 67.2% | 93.8% |
| Hounslow | Hounslow admissions | 3,156 | 68.9% | 95.6% |
| Islington | Find on GOV.UK | 1,593 | 66.2% | 94.5% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Find on GOV.UK | 602 | 66.8% | 92.7% |
| Kingston upon Thames | Find on GOV.UK | 1,895 | 69.3% | 95.8% |
| Lambeth | Lambeth admissions | 2,198 | 61.4% | 91.2% |
| Lewisham | Lewisham admissions | 2,828 | 63.5% | 91.4% |
| Merton | Merton admissions | 1,982 | 67.4% | 95.4% |
| Newham | Find on GOV.UK | 3,682 | 74.5% | 97.5% |
| Redbridge | Find on GOV.UK | 3,422 | 68.4% | 93.3% |
| Richmond upon Thames | Find on GOV.UK | 2,021 | 62.2% | 93.0% |
| Southwark | Southwark admissions | 2,489 | 72.1% | 95.9% |
| Sutton | Sutton admissions | 2,870 | 69.5% | 95.7% |
| Tower Hamlets | Tower Hamlets admissions | 2,716 | 79.1% | 96.6% |
| Waltham Forest | Find on GOV.UK | 2,724 | 79.5% | 96.3% |
| Wandsworth | Wandsworth admissions | 2,164 | 60.4% | 90.2% |
| Westminster | Westminster admissions | 901 | 65.8% | 92.7% |
Figures are for September 2026 entry, the last round published (Department for Education: applications and offers). They describe that year's applicants by home borough. They are not a forecast for any child or school.
Email me before the Year 7 dates
A reminder 14, 7 and 1 day before the closing date and offer day. No account needed.
Questions parents ask
When is the deadline for secondary school applications for September 2027?
Saturday 31 October 2026. It is the national closing date for state secondary school applications in England. Your council sets the cut-off time on the day.
When will we hear?
Councils send offers on National Offer Day, Monday 1 March 2027. Your offer letter gives the date by which you must accept.
Does the order of schools on the form matter?
Yes, but only in one way: if your child qualifies at more than one school you are offered the one you ranked highest. A school cannot give your child lower priority because you ranked it lower.
Do I apply to the school or to the council?
To the council where you live, including for schools in other boroughs. Some schools also need a supplementary form sent to them directly.
Can I apply for schools in another borough?
Yes. The School Admissions Code says a parent can apply for a place at any state-funded school in any area, through their home council.
Related
- Key dates finder: your child's entry points from their date of birth.
- Open-day question sheet: a printable page to take on visits.
- Reception 2027 guide.
Deep Teaching gives information to support your decision. It cannot tell you whether your child will be offered a place at any school. Confirm every date with your council.