My Account Services offline from 5pm Thursday 5 March - Tuesday 10 March

Some My Account services will be unavailable from 5pm Thu 5 March to Tue 10 March while we calculate Council Tax bills and Housing Benefit awards for 2026/27. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Affected services

Waiting lists

If your child didn’t get a place at the school you chose, their name will automatically be added to the school’s waiting list.

How the waiting lists work

The waiting list is not based on who applied first. Instead, it’s based on the school’s admissions rules (for example, whether a child has a brother or sister already at the school, or lives close by).

This means:

  • If a child above yours on the list is offered a place and accepts it, your child may move up the list.
  • If a child turns down a place or moves away, your child may move up.
  • If a new child applies and meets higher priority rules (for example, they have a sibling at the school), they can be placed above children already on the list.
  • If a child already on the list has a change in circumstances (for example, they now qualify for higher priority), they can move up — which may move other children down.

Because of this, your child’s position on the waiting list can go up or down over time.

Since there are many applications, waiting list positions can change often.

If you want your child's name to be added to any school(s) waiting lists that you have not already applied for please email: ecs.pupils@oldham.gov.uk 

Checking your waiting list position

You can check your child’s position on a school’s waiting list from:

  • 1 April 2026 for secondary schools
  • 11 May 2026 for primary schools

Changing schools during the year (in-year transfers)

If you apply to move your child to a different school during the school year and the school is full:

  • Your child will be added to the school’s waiting list.
  • You have the right to appeal the decision if your child is refused a place.

When a place becomes available

When a place opens up, the school does not offer it to the person who has been waiting the longest.

Instead, they use their admissions policy to decide who should get the place. All children on the waiting list are ranked according to the rules, and the child ranked highest will be offered the place.

If you move house

If your address changes, your position on the waiting list might change too.

You may be asked to provide proof of your new address (for example, a rental agreement or confirmation that you’ve bought a property).

You can also ask at any time for your child’s name to be removed from the waiting list.

The school or the local authority may contact you to check whether you still want to stay on the waiting list. Please make sure you respond. If you ignore these messages, your child could lose their place on the waiting list.

Appealing the decision

Being on a waiting list does not stop you from making a formal appeal for a place at the school.