Secondary school places

Secondary school applications are open.

Apply by: Thursday 31 October 2024

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 2025

For children starting year 7 in September 2025 applications opened on Monday 2 September and will close on Thursday 31 October 2024.

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 for 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 2024 and 2 March 2025.

If you have applied but your circumstances have changed and you need to amend your application email kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk so we can help you.

Apply

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

Before applying, read our admissions privacy notice.

Apply for a secondary school place

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).

Contact the school(s) to obtain the form(s) and once completed return the form directly to them.

Cranbrook School

Cranbrook School is the only school in Kent with year 9 entry. Applications close on Thursday 31 October 2024.

University Technical Colleges (UTCs)

University Technical Colleges cater for children from year 10 onwards. Applications for UTCs close on Thursday 31 October 2024.

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 2025.

If you provided an email address on your application, we will email you on Monday 3 March 2025 after 4pm to tell you which school you have been offered.

Or log in after 5pm to see your offer online on Monday 3 March 2025.

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

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

Due to data protection restrictions, we cannot send the offer to another email address without approval from the original email account. If you have changed email address, make sure  you can still access the original one to receive your offer. Or view your offer online.

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

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

Find out what to do after you get your offer.