Applying for a school place

When should I apply for my child to start school?

Apply online

You can still apply after the deadline date but it will be considered a late application.  Late applications can be submitted using the online system.

There is no automatic entry from a nursery into a school, and there is no automatic offer of a sibling place (a place for a brother or sister).

When should I apply for my child to start school?

Apply online

You can still apply after the deadline date but it will be considered a late application.  Late applications can be submitted using the online system.

There is no automatic entry from a linked infant to junior school and there is no automatic offer of a sibling place (a place for a brother or sister).

Children, who are in year two at an infant school and do not wish to apply to transfer to a junior school, can apply to transfer to a primary school.

• Parents wishing to apply for a place at a primary school should submit an in-year transfer form.

In-year transfer

You may be applying for a school place outside of the usual time of entry. This might be because you have moved house, because your child is unhappy at their current school or because they have been excluded.

These are known as transfers or in-year applications. You should not remove your child from their current school before you have made a transfer application and secured a place at another school.

If you live in Wiltshire and would like to apply for a transfer to another Wiltshire School you should complete a in-year transfer application form online using the link below .   You should only complete a transfer form if your child is changing schools during the academic year. 

If you are applying for a community or voluntary controlled school we will make the decision on your application. If you are applying to a foundation, voluntary aided school or academy the governing body will make the decision.  All in year transfer applications will be processed within 15 school days from the date they are received or from the date they can be considered from.

Applications for places at Wiltshire schools are considered a term in advance of your requested move date. In these cases the 15 school day turnaround time does not apply and a decision on the application will be made as soon as possible.

If you wish to apply for an in year transfer to one of the schools below, you must contact the school directly to make an application. You will not be able to apply for an in-year transfer to one of the schools below using the online system.

Primary schools

• Amesbury Archer Primary
• Bemerton St John Primary 
• Chilton Foliat
• Clarendon Infants and Juniors
• Pembroke Park Primary
• Saint Edmunds Calne
• St Georges RC Warminster
• St John's Trowbridge
• St Joseph's Malmesbury
• The New Forest Primary 
• St Nicholas Porton
• The Holy Trinity Academy Primary Academy ( Great Cherverall )

Secondary schools

• Sarum Academy
• The Trafalgar School
• Wyvern St Edmund's

To apply for your child to transfer to any other Wiltshire school, please apply online using the in year transfer application form below. Alternatively, a copy of the in year transfer application form can be obtained by calling Customer Services on 01225 713 010. All paper applications forms must be posted back to the address on the application form. Email copies will not be accepted.

 Parent Portal

An offer will be made at one school based on the admissions criteria of the school and, as far as possible, your preferences. Where it is not possible to offer a place at one of your preferred schools, and you live in Wiltshire, a place will be allocated by the school admissions team. If you cannot get a place for your child in your preferred school, you will need to go through the appeals procedure.

Whenever a child is refused admission to a voluntary controlled or community school their name will automatically be added to a waiting list.

Foundation and voluntary aided schools and academies look after their own waiting lists. If you have been refused a place at this type of school you should contact them directly.

Transfer applications for admission

If you wish your child to transfer to a school in Wiltshire, you should complete an in year transfer application , even if you live outside the county.

If you wish your child to transfer to a school outside Wiltshire, you should contact the home authority for the school to clarify the admissions process.

Applications can be submitted online using the link below.

 Parent Portal

Applications from service personnel moving into Wiltshire

Applications for children of UK Service Personnel with a confirmed posting to the county or Crown Servants returning from overseas to live in the County, will be considered in advance of the family moving into the county if necessary.  Where possible, an application must be included in the normal admission round.

Families of UK Service Personnel are subject to frequent movement within the UK and from abroad, often at relatively short notice. Some areas in Wiltshire have a high density of service personnel.

An official letter, such as a posting notice or letter of support from the Commanding Officer should be sent to Wiltshire Council as soon as possible. This should include the relocation date and unit address. This should be sent to the local authority at the time of application or sent separately if you have submitted an online application.

It is not always possible to allocate places in popular schools so no school place can be guaranteed.

If your child will be starting school in September with the normal round of admissions, parents must complete an application, these can be made online.  Proof of posting can be provided at the time of application or by the deadline date  in order to be considered.

If you are a Wiltshire resident and you would like to apply for an out of county first school, please Apply online.  Alternatively, you can contact our customer service team to request a paper application form .  Please note if you complete a paper application form this must be posted back to Wiltshire Council and not emailed.

The deadline for submitting applications is the 15 January 2023. 

If you are a Wiltshire resident and you would like to apply for an out of county middle school, please Apply online.  Alternatively, you can contact our customer service team to request a paper application form .  Please note if you complete a paper application form this must be posted back to Wiltshire Council and not emailed.

The deadline for submitting applications is the 15 January 2023. 

There are no new Wiltshire schools proposed to open in September 2023.

When should I apply for my child to start school?

Apply online

You can still apply after the deadline date but it will be considered a late application.  Late applications can be submitted online using the online system.

If you are a Wiltshire resident and you would like to apply for an out of county upper school, please Apply online.  Alternatively, you can contact our customer service team to request a paper application form .  Please note if you complete a paper application form this must be posted back to Wiltshire Council and not emailed.

The deadline for submitting applications is the 31 October 2022. 

• It is the responsibility of the parents/ carers to apply for a school place
• You can apply for up to three schools, putting the school you want the most as your first preference. We strongly advise you to use all three preferences
• We advise you to enter your catchment area school as one of your preferences
• If you live in Wiltshire and want to apply for a school place outside the county, you must still make your application to Wiltshire Council. We will pass on your application details to the relevant council where it will be considered alongside the other applications for that school
• If you do not live in Wiltshire and want to apply for a Wiltshire school, you must make an application to your own local authority. They will then pass on your application details to us. You will not be able to use the Wiltshire online application system or Wiltshire's paper application form. The only exception to this would be applications from children of UK service personnel
• We will acknowledge receipt of your application. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your paper application within 15 school days of returning your completed form, contact Customer Services at Wiltshire Council on 01225 713010
• All online applicants will receive immediate email confirmation of registration and once the application has been submitted a separate confirmation email will be sent.

Voluntary controlled or community schools

If you have been unsuccessful in securing a place at a voluntary controlled or community school please visit the appeals section of our website for details of how to appeal.

All applicant who have been refused a place at a voluntary controlled or community school will automatically be added to the waiting list for that school.

Voluntary aided, foundation schools or academies

If you have been unsuccessful in securing a place at a voluntary aided or foundation school or academy you must contact the school directly as they are responsible for administering their own appeal arrangements.

Some schools may require you to make an appeal within a strict timescale so it is important that you contact them as soon as possible.

These types of school also run their own waiting lists so you must contact the school directly for information on their waiting list policy.

If we have not been able to offer your child a place at your preferred community or voluntary controlled school their name will automatically be added to the waiting list of this, and any other community or voluntary controlled school, that you put down as a higher preference on your application form.

If you have applied for an in year transfer application and you have been refused a place at your preferred school, then Waiting lists for the 2022/23 school year will close on the last day of the summer term 2023. To stay on the waiting list for the following school year you must make a fresh application for a school place in 2023/24.

If you have applied for the main round entry in September 2022 and you are refused a place at your preferred school, then Waiting lists for the 2022/23 school year will close on the last day of term in July 2023.

If you have applied for the main round entry in September 2023 and you are refused a place at your preferred school, then Waiting lists for the 2023/24 school year will close on the last day of term in July 2024.

Foundation and voluntary aided schools and academies look after their own waiting lists. If you have been refused a place at this type of school you should contact them directly.

How do waiting lists work?

Positions on a waiting list must follow the same order as the admission criteria and are not allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis.

If new or late applications have a higher priority under the admission criteria, they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the waiting list for some time. So it's possible that over time a child's position on a waiting list can change.

A waiting list can be lengthened when any future applications for new pupils are refused and the names of these children are added to the list. These names are not added to the end of the list but are inserted according to how well they meet the admission criteria. So, a new application from a child with a higher priority for admission than any of the children already on the list would force all those other children down by one place.

A waiting list can be shortened if any places become free at the preferred school. The free place would be offered to the child at the top of the waiting list at the time in which the place becomes available If the place is accepted, all the other children on the list would go up by one position. If the place is declined, the child in the top position would be removed from the list and the child in the next position would be offered the place.

A child's position on a waiting list can also change if they move house. The change in position only takes effect when parents supply the school admissions team with evidence of the house move e.g. a tenancy agreement or solicitor's letter confirming an exchange of contracts.

Parents can ask for their child's name to be removed from a waiting list at any time. Being on a waiting list does not affect the parent's right of appeal.

In order to begin an online application you should read these conditions. You must accept the conditions in order to apply online. If you do not accept the conditions you will not go through to the online application form; you will be returned to the school admission forms, guides and policy documents page where you can download a common application form.

Wiltshire Council has a duty to protect personal information and will process personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and any amendments to that act.

The Department for Children and Education will use the personal data supplied to process your application for the purpose of admission to a school. Personal data supplied may also be used for the prevention or detection of fraud or crime and in an anonymised form for statistical purposes. The data will be stored on computer and/or manual files.

Wiltshire Council is required by various laws to provide these services and in order for Wiltshire to do this they may share your personal information:

• within the local authority
• with other local authorities
• with schools

If you do not wish certain details to be shared please indicate this within your application.

If you do not wish to continue your application online complete a paper application form which can be requested by calling 01225 713010 or emailing customerservices@wiltshire.gov.uk