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 is midnight on 31 October 2018.
The final date for making changes to an existing application is 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.
Information about secondary 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 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 the guide for parents and carers on applying for a secondary school place for the school year 2019/20 (pdf, 11.2MB) (opens new window) for information on the different types of school and how to apply.
- find your nearest secondary schools - you'll need your postcode.
- we recommend you visit your preferred schools
- see how places were allocated for secondary schools in previous years.
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 queries contact the academy at 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 :
- Bristol Cathedral Choir School , to register for the musical aptitude test contact the school directly. The closing date for returning documentation to the school is 24 September 2018
- Cotham School, supplementary form required when applying under the criterion children of staff
- Fairfield High School, applications for a child with exceptional social or medical must be supported by a letter from the child’s paediatrician,consultant, GP or specialist, which must be submitted directly to the academy at the time of application or by the deadline on 9 November 2018
- St. Bede’s Catholic School
- St. Bernadette Catholic Secondary School
- St. Mary Redcliffe & Temple CE School
Change of address
The last date that we can accept a change of address is 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 will be sent by first class post on 1 March 2019. If you applied online we'll also send 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 via 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.
- 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 e.g your child will be attending an independent 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.