Starting Primary or Secondary School in September 2026

Starting Primary or Secondary School in September 2026, everything you need to know…

It is an important decision for many families when considering which schools to apply for when your child is starting school in reception, or transferring to secondary school Year 7 from primary school Year 6. Sefton Council has prepared two guides which provides parents/carers with lots of helpful and important information to guide you through the school admissions process.

It is very important that you read both guides before submitting an application for your child’s school place. To help decide which schools you would like to apply for you should:

• Read the Parents Guide - applying for school places 2026.

  • View Sefton Primary & Secondary Schools Admissions Information Guide to find schools in your area.

  • Look at the admissions criteria for all the schools you are considering.

  • Think about which criterion your application would be considered under and review the numbers of successful applications in each criterion for previous years. This should help inform your choices and chances of a successful application.

  • Contact the school to enquire about open evenings/days or personal visits. 

  • Look at other sources of information such as school website and Ofsted reports.

  • If applying to a faith school complete the supplementary information forms (which you should request directly from the school) if you want to be considered under a faith criterion. You will see if this is required for your preferred schools by reading the Schools Information Guide.

  • Look at whether you child would qualify for home to school transport for the schools you are considering - this can be found in Section C of the Guide for Parents.

Important Dates for September 2026 Admissions 

You MUST submit your application online via the Citizen Portal by the national closing dates which are:

• Closing date for applications to start Secondary School is 31 October 2025.

• Closing date for applications to start Primary School is 15 January 2026.

Please submit your application as early as possible and no later than the closing dates above. 

Click this link to everything else you need to know including guidelines about admissions

Find out more at www.sefton.gov.uk/startingschool