How to apply for a secondary school place

Before you apply

Find out as much as you can about the schools you are interested in applying to.

The best way to learn about a secondary school is to schedule a visit.

Open days and evenings let you visit a school to see if it's a good fit for your child. You can talk to teachers and ask questions.

Most secondary schools run open days and evenings in September and October.

Check with the schools you're interested in to see if they have an open evening.

Find and compare schools on GOV.UK

Use this search tool to find primary and secondary schools. You can:

  • Search by postcode
  • Check school Ofsted ratings
  • Filter by religion or school type

How school places are allocated

Each school has a set number of places for each year group, known as the Planned Admission Number (PAN).

School places are not given on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools follow an admissions policy, which includes oversubscription criteria (rules that decide which children get a place if there are more applicants than available spots).

If there are enough places available at a school for all pupils who request entry, then everyone will be allocated a place.

If a school receives more applications than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine who will be offered those places.

If children have the same priority under a schools oversubscription criteria, places may be given based on the shortest distance from home to school.

How is the distance measured?

When your address is entered into the admissions system, it’s matched to official address data from the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG).

Each address has a unique reference number and a map grid reference. The system uses these to measure the straight-line distance from your home to a central point at the school, calculated to the nearest 0.001 mile.

If two children live exactly the same distance away for the last available place, the council will use more detailed map data to decide which child lives slightly closer.

Flats and Apartments

If several applications come from the same building (like flats or apartments) that share one address, they will first be ranked based on how far the building is from the school.

If there aren’t enough places for all the children in that building, a random lottery will be used to decide who gets the remaining spots.

Associated primary schools

Oldham Council does not use a "feeder school" system for its local authority schools. This means children don’t automatically get priority just because they attend a certain primary school.

However, the following exceptions apply:

Saint John Henry Newman Catholic College is linked to specific primary school parishes.

These schools have named partner primary schools:

Admissions policies

You should read the admissions policy for each of the schools you want to apply for. This will help you to check what chance your child has of getting a place.

You can find each school’s admission policies on their website.

Exceptional reasons for school admission

Not all schools have this criteria.

Exceptional medical or social reasons may give your child priority for a school place if you can show that only a specific school can meet their needs.

Find out how to apply for a school place based on exceptional medical or social reasons—and what evidence you’ll need to provide:

Special educational needs

Find out how mainstream schools support children with special educational needs and what to do if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan:

Independent schools

If you want your child to go to a private (independent) school, Oldham Council does not pay for the school fees or any other costs. You’ll need to arrange and pay for everything yourself. It’s a good idea to also apply for a place at a local Oldham school, even if you’re applying to a private school separately.

Home education

You have the right to teach your child at home. However, the council will want to check and approve the education you are providing.

Admission statistics

Check how places were allocated based on the applications for each school:

Things to consider before making an application

  • Have children in the same situation as yours been offered places before?
  • What area does the school prioritise for admissions?
  • Have pupils from outside this priority area been accepted before?
  • Does your child go to a school that is linked to this one?
  • If it's a faith school, is your child or family part of the religion it serves? Some schools may ask for proof, like regular attendance at a place of worship or a Catholic baptism certificate.

Choosing your preferred schools

When picking your preferred schools, think about how likely it is your child will get a place. Look at the statistics showing how many applications each school got last year, how many students they can take, and what criteria were used to decide who got the last available place.

Separated parents

If the child’s parents are separated or divorced, what you need to do depends on your situation.

If the child lives with both parents, we will use the address where the child stays most of the school week (Monday to Friday) as their home address.

If the child spends equal time at both homes, we may use the address linked to services like the NHS, school, or benefits. We might ask one or both parents to provide proof.

We have the right to decide which address to use. Usually, it will be the one where child benefit is claimed. If no one gets child benefit, we’ll use the address where the child is registered with a GP.

You can also provide a court or child arrangement order that shows where the child is meant to live.

If parents can’t agree

Only one school application can be submitted per child.

By applying, parents confirm they have parental responsibility and agree on the school choices.

Parents must resolve disagreements themselves and submit a single application.

If conflicting applications are received, the council won’t process them until an agreement or court order is provided.

If no agreement is reached before the admissions deadline, a place will be offered at the nearest school with space, based on the child’s main home address.

If a place was given based on false information (e.g. using the wrong address), the offer will be withdrawn.

Siblings

To qualify for the sibling criteria, the children (including half-siblings, step-siblings, and foster children) must live at the same main address.

We understand that some siblings live at different addresses, but for admissions purposes, they must live at the same main address to qualify for the sibling criteria.

Cousins are not considered siblings.

If you have more than one child, don't list a sibling on the application if they will have left the school by July 2026.

Checks will be made with the relevant schools, that siblings do live at the same address.

Looked after children

A looked after child is a child who is in the care of a local authority (such as foster care) at the time of applying for a school place.

Previously looked after children (PLAC) are children who used to be in care but are no longer because they were adopted, placed under a special guardianship order, or given a child arrangements order (which must say the child lives with that person).

Internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC) are children who were in state care outside England and were adopted from that care.

Admissions for looked after children

These children, both those currently in care and those who were previously in care, usually get the highest priority when schools are deciding who to admit. However, each school sets its own admission rules, particularly faith schools, so it’s important to read the specific policy for each school you are applying to.

Make sure you use the right address

You must use your child's permanent address when applying. We may ask you to send us proof of your address.

If an application is found to be fraudulent or misleading, we will withdraw the offer of a place, even if a child has started at a school.

Examples of a false address

Your address will be considered false if you:

  • Pretend to live with a relative
  • Rent a property close to a popular school but live somewhere else
  • Rent a property close to a popular school when applying and move back home after school starts in September

Moving house

Parents must notify the local authority immediately if they change address.

If you plan to move, your intention to change address won’t be considered until the move has actually happened, and you have proof that the new address is your permanent home.

Proof of address change will be accepted up until the latest reasonable date before school places are finalised.

If you move before 6 November 2025, you need to provide proof of your new address.

If you move after 6 November 2025, you also need to provide proof of your new address, but your address details will only be updated after the school places are allocated on 2 March 2026, which means your old address will be used to decide which school is allocated to your child.

Apply

Applications can only be made online.

When you apply online you will:

  • Get an instant acknowledgment that your application has been received
  • Be sent a confirmation email when you press the submit button
  • Get another email when the Council has picked up your application
  • Receive the outcome of your application by email, or by logging into your account

Please ensure that you have read the admissions policy for each school before you apply.

If you are unable to access the internet from home, computers are available at a number of local libraries:

Places are not allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, but if you apply after 5pm on 31 October 2025, it will be considered a late application and will be dealt with after all the other applications.

Apply for a school place

Make sure you press the submit button at the end of the process.

If you do not do this, the application will not be sent to us and you will not have applied for a school place.

If you do not receive a confirmation email, contact the Admissions Team as soon as possible:

Late applications

If you missed the deadline, you can still make an online application.

Your application will be considered as late and will be dealt with after all the on-time applications have been allocated a school place.

Please contact the Admissions Team for help and advice:

Add or change a preference

If you want to make changes before 12 noon on 31 October 2025

Once an application has been submitted, it cannot be modified online. However, we can make a one-time amendment on your behalf.

To request this, please email us your school choices in order of preference, along with your child’s name, date of birth, and full address.

Once the amendment has been completed, we will confirm the changes with you.

If you want to make changes after 12 noon 31 October 2025

You can still request changes to your original school choices. However, your application will be treated as late, which means it will only be considered after all on-time applications have been processed.

The steps are the same: please email us your school choices in order of preference, along with your child’s name, date of birth, and full address.

Once the amendment has been completed, we will confirm the changes with you.

How to apply if you live outside Oldham

If you live outside Oldham, you can still apply for a school in Oldham, but you must do so through your own local authority.
Here are the websites for our nearby councils:

Are applications from non-Oldham residents treated differently?

No, applications from people living outside Oldham are treated the same as those from Oldham residents. If someone from outside the borough has priority for a place over an Oldham resident, we cannot deny them a place just because they don’t live in Oldham.

Applying to schools outside Oldham

If you want your child to attend a school outside the Oldham area, include it as one of your preferences on the application.

When filling out the online application, change the local authority using the drop-down menu, then search for the school by name.

If you're not sure which local authority the school is under, contact Oldham Council at 0161 770 4213.

The decision to offer a place at a school outside of Oldham is made by the local authority where the school is located. If your child is not offered a place, you have the right to appeal the decision.

Important dates

July 2025 If your child is in Year 5 and goes to school in Oldham, you’ll get a letter or email from the school explaining how to apply for a Year 7 place and what steps to follow.

From 1 August 2025 You can apply online for a secondary school place.

You’ll receive a confirmation once your application is received. If you don’t get one, call Oldham Council at 0161 770 4213.

Deadline: 5pm, 31 October 2025  You must submit your application by this time

Late applications will only be looked at after all on-time ones are processed.

If you miss the 31 October deadline, you can still apply as a late applicant from 5 November 2025.

6 November 2025 This is the last date to tell the Council about any major changes, like moving house, that could affect your application.

You must send written proof via email to the School Admissions Team:

2 March 2026  You’ll get an email with your child’s school offer.

You can also log into your account to view the offer.

If none of your chosen schools have space, your child will be offered a place at the nearest school with available places.

Your child’s name will also be added to the waiting lists for the schools you applied for.

2 March – 10 April 2026 If you're not happy with the offer, you can download a form to appeal to the independent appeal panel.

From 1 April 2026 You can contact schools directly to find out your child’s position on their waiting lists.

10 April 2026 This is the final date to submit an appeal.

13 July 2026 All appeals will be heard by this date.

Accept or decline

You do not need to do anything if you want to accept an offer from a school.

However, you must tell Oldham Council if you want to decline a place.

What if you don't get the school you want?

If we can't offer your child a place at a higher preference school, it’s because the school is full according to its admissions policy. You can contact the school admissions team or the school for more details on why a place wasn’t offered.

We will make sure there is a school place available for all Oldham residents. If we can't offer a place at any of the schools you requested, we will offer you a place at the nearest school with available spaces.

Waiting lists

If your child is not accepted into any of the schools you applied to, we will put them on the waiting list for those schools. You can also ask to be added to the waiting list for other schools.

Appeals

If your child is refused admission to a school, you have the right to appeal the decision.

Contact

If you have any queries please contact the school admissions team: