Primary admissions

Apply for a new reception primary school place for September 2019.

If your child was born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015. You must apply for a new reception school place. 

Online

Apply online for a reception place for Sept 2019

If you're applying online you'll need to register for an account on our online admissions system when you make your application to apply for a school place.

If you made an online school application before September 2017 you'll need to register again before making an application. This is because of a change in online provider.

Other ways to apply

Fill in and return primary application form September 2019 (pdf, 708KB) (opens new window)  .

Application deadlines

The final date for making an on time application was  15 January 2019.

The final date to make changes to an application made by 15 January 2019 was 25 January 2019.

Changes to an application include:

• Changing the order of school preferences
• Confirming a change of address
• Confirming a sibling link at your preferred school(s)

Applications or changes to current applications made after 15 January 2019  will be processed after the second round of allocations has been completed.  

The second round of allocations will take place  in June 2019.  

Please respond in writing by post or email  at school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk to offers made in the second round of allocations.  Responses to offers cannot be made online.

Information about primary schools

Before you apply:

• check your local authority area
• if you live in Bristol and pay your council tax to Bristol City Council apply to us for a Bristol school reception place
• if you live in Bristol and pay your council tax to Bristol City Council and you want to apply to a school in another local authority area you also need to apply to us.
• read our guide for parents and carers on applying for a primary school place for the school year 2019/2020 (pdf, 23.6MB) (opens new window)  for information about the different types of school and how to apply.  
• find your nearest primary school - you'll need your postcode
• we recommend you visit your preferred schools.
• see how places were allocated for reception places in previous years

• see the furthest distance table (pdf, 272KB) (opens new window) which gives the furthest distance that places were offered in previous years where schools were oversubscribed

• Guidance for parents and carers: delayed and deferred entry to school for September 2020 (pdf, 4.1MB) (opens new window)

For other year groups you should make an In Year application

Amendments to the guide for parents and carers

Admission to Filton Avenue Primary School

The home to school distance will be measured in a direct line from a point on the home address to outside the Executive Head Teacher’s office door. 

This replaces the text under the heading ‘Geography’ on page 46 of the guide for parents and carers.

Admissions to Begbrook Academy and Frome Vale Academy  

Oversubscription criteria are as follows:

1. Children in care and children previously in care
2. Siblings attending the school who will still be on roll in September 2019
3. Geography – measured in a straight line from a point on the school site to the home address

This text replaces that information provided in the guide for parents and carers.

Admissions to Fonthill Primary Academy,  Henbury Court Academy and Little Mead Primary Academy

The definition of sibling for school admissions purposes is defined as follows:

• Local Siblings living up to a maximum of two miles from the academy measured in a direct line from the home address to the school.
• Siblings living over two miles from the academy measured in a direct line from the home address to the school, where the academy is still the nearest school.

This text replaces that information provided in the guide for parents and carers.

Admissions to Four Acres Academy  

Oversubscription criteria are as follows:

1. Children in care and children previously in care
2. Siblings attending the school who will still be on roll in September 2019
3. Geography: measured in a straight line from a point on the school site to the home address

This text replaces that information provided in the guide for parents and carers.

Supplementary information forms

You must complete a supplementary information form as well as the Bristol City Council application form for the schools below.  Contact these schools for a supplementary information form:

• The Dolphin School, supplementary form required when applying under the criterion children of staff
• Fishponds Church of England Academy 
• Four Acres Academy, when applying under the criterion exceptional social and medical needs
• Holy Cross Primary School
• Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School 
• School of Christ the King 
• St.  Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Primary School
• SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School
• St. Bernadette Catholic Primary School 
• St. Bernard's Catholic Primary School
• St. Bonaventure's Catholic Primary School
• St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School
• St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

How we tell you about an offer of a place

All on-time applications for a primary/infant school place, if you applied by:

• post then we'll send you an offer by first class post on 16 April 2019
• email and opted to be contacted by email, then we'll send you an email on 16 April 2019
• online portal, you will receive a notification message on your portal account on 16 April 2019

Offers for late applications for a primary/infant place will be sent to you in June 2019.

For security reasons we can't:

• tell you about an offer by phone
• send responses to email addresses not provided prior to the offer date
• send via email if you applied using a paper form

What to do when you have a school place offer

Parents and carers must reply by 1 May 2019 when receiving an offer.

You should either:

• accept the place by logging in to the admissions system and placing a tick in the ‘accept’ box, before clicking send response.
• not accept the place and ask to go on a waiting list for a school that you applied for but did not get offered a place.  
• not accept the place and request an appeal for your preferred school.
• not accept the place and request new school preferences.
• not accept the place and advise us that the place is no longer required for example if your child will be attending an independent school.

Waiting lists for reception education in September 2019

Waiting lists will be available from 13 May 2019.

If you ask to go on a waiting list for your preferred school your original place offer will be held for you.

Schools will keep a waiting list at least one term until 31 December 2019.

Bristol reception admissions appeals

How places were allocated in 2019

Statements for first round of primary allocations in 2019 (pdf, 5MB) (opens new window)

Statements for second round of primary allocations in 2019 (pdf, 1.1MB) 

Timetable for co-ordinated primary admissions for academic year 2018/19

See timetable for co-ordinated reception primary admissions for academic year 2019/20 (word doc, 246KB) (opens new window) .