Secondary admissions

Secondary admissions

Apply for a new year 7 secondary school place for September 2019.

If your child was born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 you must apply for a new year 7 secondary school entry place.

Online

Apply online for a year 7 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 secondary application form September 2019 (pdf, 794KB) (opens new window) .

Application deadlines 

The final date for making an on time application was midnight on 31 October 2018.  

The final date for making changes to an existing application was  9 November 2018. 

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 after 31 October 2018  or changes to current applications after 9 November 2018 will be processed after the initial  round of allocations has been completed in March 2019.

The second round of allocations will take place May 2019.  The final date for making changes to a second round is 12 April2019. 

Information about secondary schools

Before you apply:

For all other year groups make an In Year Application .

Admission to Colston's Girls' School

Colston's Girls' School no longer operate a non-verbal reasoning test as part of its admission arrangements. You can find admission arrangements for the school page 36 of the guide.

Admission to Orchard School

Home to school distance will be measured in a direct line from a point on the home address to a point within the school building using a computerised mapping system.

The above home to school point replaces the text under the heading ‘Geography’ on page 55 of the guide for parents and carers.

Admission to CST Trinity Academy

Admission to CST Trinity Academy for September 2019 is outside the co-ordinated admissions scheme. 

You can't select it as one of your three preference schools when you make an application.  For admissions information see the Trinity Academy’s website.

If you have any questions email admissions@trinityacademybristol.org.

Supplementary information forms

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

Change of address

The last date that we could accept a change of address was 9 November 2018.  We'll need documentary evidence to confirm your new address.

How we tell you about an offer of a place

Offers for all on-time applications for a secondary school place were sent by first class post on  1 March 2019. If you applied online we also sent you an email on 1 March 2019.

Offers for late applications for a year 7 secondary school place will be sent in writing in May 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 by email if you applied using a paper form.

What to do when you have a school place offer

Parents and carers must reply to offers by 15 March 2019.  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: make your request to the council that sent you the offer, not the school 
  • 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.'

If you accept a school place offer your application will be closed and we won't contact you again. The school will contact you about induction events or meetings.

If you don't accept a school place offer, your child can still attend the offered school while they are waiting for the outcome of an appeal or on the waiting list for another school.

Waiting lists

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.

Waiting lists  will be available from  10am on 1  April 2019 for the following schools:

  • Ashton Park School
  • Bedminster Down School
  • Bristol Brunel Academy
  • Bristol Free School
  • Bristol Metropolitan Academy
  • Cotham School
  • Fairfield High School
  • Oasis Academy John Williams
  • Redland Green School

Contact the school directly for all other Bristol Schools.

For schools outside Bristol, contact the council where the school is based for guidance.

If you want your child to stay on the waiting list for your preferred school from January 2020 to the end of the school year, you'll need to apply for in year admission.

First round allocation Statements and appeal information

The following schools are full for admission to Year 7 in September 2019. Information on how places were allocated is available below.

Appeal proforma template letters are attached to the allocation statements.

Schools outside Bristol

Complete and return the appeals form for the schools listed below.

BANES schools

North Somerset schools

South Gloucester schools

Waiting list for transfer from primary to secondary education in September 2019

Your right to appeal does not affect your right to go on the waiting list for any school that you applied for but did not get offered a place.

The Admission Authority must keep a waiting list for at least one term.

Secondary school new year 7 admissions appeals

Second round allocations

The second round of allocations takes place in May 2019. 

Timetable for co-ordinated secondary admissions 2018/2019

See timetable for co-ordinated secondary admissions for academic year 2019/20 (word doc, 250KB) (opens new window) 20