Starting primary school

If you have a child born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021, you must apply for your child to start primary school in September 2025 by Wednesday 15 January 2025.

Primary school applications
There have been reports of processing issues when applying for a primary school place. If you come across any problems making a new application, visit eAdmissions support online or call the helpdesk on 020 8255 5555 then choose option 1.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.

In this section

Key dates

  • The deadline for on-time applications is Wednesday 15 January 2025. 
  • National offer day is Wednesday 16 April 2025.

National offer day: Wednesday 16 April 2025

You must apply before Wednesday 15 January 2025 to receive an outcome on this day. Offer response deadline date is Wednesday 30 April 2025 to secure your child's school place. 

If you applied online:

  •  you will receive an email on the evening of Wednesday 16 April 2025, advising you to log back into your eAdmissions account to view and accept your offer
  • you will not receive an offer letter in the post
  • ·all relevant information will be available on the eAdmissions website. 

If you have changed your email address and do not receive an email, you can still log into your account on the evening of offer day.

Please note: If you applied online after Wednesday 15 January 2025, you will not be able to view your outcome online. An offer letter will be sent via email or post in accordance with our late application timetable.

Access your eAdmissions account

If you submitted a paper application, your offer letter will be emailed with full instructions on how to accept your school offer.

For data protection reasons, our school placement and admissions team cannot advise parents/guardians of the outcome of their application over the telephone.

Please note: If you applied after Wednesday 15 January 2025, you would receive an outcome via email following late allocations that begin during May.

Admission of children outside their chronological age group 

Please view our designated  Guidance on the admission of children outside their chronological age group (PDF) [232KB] for information and advice.

Before you apply

Proof of address

When you apply for a school place, you must have parental responsibility for the child and submit evidence to show that you and your child live at the address you've stated on your application, even if you have been placed in temporary accommodation.

Please read our Proof of address (PDF) [101KB] for details on what proof of address is accepted.

Admissions criteria calculator (for community schools only)

This useful tool will help you determine which criteria your application will be processed under, and calculate the distance between your home address and the school.

Use the admissions criteria calculator

How to apply

The closing date for on time applications is Wednesday 15 January 2025.

If you miss the deadline date, you can still submit a late application online until Tuesday 19 August 2025. However, your application will not be processed until after Wednesday 16 April 2025.

Hillingdon Council is not liable for delays due to postal services or internet providers. If you are completing a paper application form, we recommend sending it as soon as possible to ensure it is received before the deadline.

Apply for a primary school place

Please note:

Supplementary information

If you are thinking about applying to a school that considers faith as a criterion, you must complete a supplementary information form (SIF) and return it to the school or address stated on the school's criteria.

The deadline for on-time supplementary information forms is Wednesday 15 January 2025.
Any forms submitted after the deadline will not be processed until after national offer day (Wednesday 16 April 2025).

The following schools consider faith as a criterion; please visit the school's website or contact them directly for further details.

Applications for families arriving from abroad, including from the EU

In most cases, children arriving from overseas have the right to attend schools in England. It is the responsibility of parents to check whether their child has a right, under their visa entry conditions, to study at a school before submitting an application. 

Read more about applications for families arriving from abroad

Statistics

The following provide information on furthest distances offered for community, academies, foundation and free schools. 

Parental responsibility and disputes

Our School Placement and Admissions team has seen a significant increase in the numbers of disputes between parents, relating to where their children should go to school. We understand that, when trying to come to a mutual agreement on child arrangements, parental disputes can be extremely upsetting for all involved (including the children). 

Protocol and guidance regarding parental responsibility (PDF) [179KB] has been published to help parents understand the council's protocol for dealing with situations where parents disagree. This is general guidance intended to help parents understand their rights and responsibilities in line with the law. 

Can't find the information you're looking for?

If you're unable to find the information you are looking for, please complete our online schools query form.

Submit a schools query form

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Page last updated: 20 Sep 2024
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