How to apply for a new year 7 secondary school place.
If your child was born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014 you need to apply for a new year 7 secondary place.
Some schools have changed their name. If you cannot find the name of your preferred school when making an online application try selecting E-Act before the school's name.
Online
Apply online from 12 September 2024 for September 2025 admissions.
You'll need to register for an account on our Parent Portal admissions system if you've not made an online application for a school place or free school meals before.
Before you apply
- Check application timetable
- check your local authority area Go to https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council (opens new window)
- if you live in Bristol and pay your council tax to Bristol City Council apply to us for a Bristol year 7 secondary 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.
- if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan don't apply to School Admissions, see Apply for a key stage transfer school place for a child with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan on our Local Offer site or email the Special Educational Needs Team at sen@bristol.gov.uk for how to apply
- read our information about Bristol secondary schools
- you must use your child's legal name on the application
- upload with your online application your preferred schools written response to your request to consider an application for a child working outside their chronological year group. This must be received to enable you to make an online application.
For other year group school places make an In year application
If you're applying for a school place whilst outside the country you can't apply online. You must fill in and return pdf secondary application form(645 KB) . You can either fill in the form online and email it to school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk or print and return the form by post.
Other ways to apply
Fill in and return pdf secondary application form(645 KB) .
Your school offer and response
Offers of school places for on time applications will be sent on 3 March 2025.
See year 7 secondary school place offer for how and when we'll offer your child a school place. You'll need to respond to this offer by 17 March 2025.
Application deadlines
Second round of allocations
The final date and date and time for making an application or changes to an existing application for the second round of allocations is midnight on 25 March 2025. See change your year 7 secondary place application.
The second round of allocations will be from May 2025.
Supplementary information forms
You may need to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) as well as the Bristol City Council application form for some schools.
Some schools including grammar schools in neighbouring areas may be holding aptitude and attainment tests before they can allocate school places which become available after national offer day. See your preferred school's admissions policy for more information.
School preference
You can express a preference for up to three schools in your order of preference from one to three. All your preferences are considered equally against the schools admission criteria regardless of whether you have put them as preference one, two or three.
If your child qualifies for a place at more than one of your three preferred schools your highest ranked preference school will be offered to you and lower ranked preferences withdrawn.