These application processes are for children living in Cornwall who need a school place in Cornwall or in another local authority.
Applications for September 2026 will open on 1 September 2025
If you are still not sure of something having read the information below, please use our Contact us form.
- Apply to start infant/primary school
- Apply to transfer to secondary school
- Apply to transfer to junior school
- Apply to start at a university technical college or studio school
- Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan
- Where to submit your application
- Deciding which schools to list as preferences
- Providing information on your application form
- How places are allocated
- When you have been offered a place
- Late applications
- Support for parents/carers of children starting or moving up in school
Apply to start infant/primary school
For children born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022. Application deadline: 15 January 2026.
|
For applications or a change of preference received... |
Applications/preference changes will be dealt with... | Outcomes will be sent... |
| by 15 January 2026 | together in 'round one' as 'on-time' applications | on National Offer Day 16 April 2026 |
| between 16 January 2026 and 20 April 2026 | together in 'round two' | by 22 May 2026 |
| between 17 April 2026 and 31 August 2026 | in 'round three' individually after round two has been completed | after 22 May 2026 |
The application link will be available here on 1 September 2025.
Please note: if your child attends a school’s nursery or pre-school class you still need to apply.
Apply to transfer to secondary school
For children born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015. Application deadline: 31 October 2025.
| For applications or a change of preference received... | Applications/preference changes will be dealt with... | Outcomes will be sent... |
| by 31 October 2025 | together in 'round one' as 'on-time' applications | on National Offer Day 2 March 2026 |
| between 1 November 2025 and 6 March 2026 | together in 'round two' | by 3 April 2026 |
| between 7 March 2026 and 31 August 2026 | in 'round three' individually after round two has been completed | after 3 April 2026 |
The application link will be available here on 1 September 2025.
North Coast Secondary School - potential new school in Perranporth
Apply to transfer to junior school
For children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 who are attending an infant school in Cornwall and need to apply for a junior school*. Application deadline: 15 January 2026.
The application link will be available here on 1 September 2025.
*If you want to apply for a primary school instead of a junior school you will need to complete a different application form. The application will be processed later than junior school applications. Contact the School Admissions Team for more information.
Please note: if your child already attends an infant school and wants to attend the nearby junior school you must still complete an application for a place – attending the infant school does not guarantee you will be allocated a place at the junior school.
Apply to start at a university technical college or studio school
To apply for Year 9 at a KS4 school (UTC or studio school) in another county in September 2026, such as Scott College in Plymouth. Application deadline: 31 October 2025.
Please contact us for a copy of the application form for a KS4 school.
There is more information here: Key Stage 4 schools
Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan
If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan you do not need to complete an application form. Please contact the Statutory SEN Service for more information:Education, Health and Care Plans
Where to submit your application
I live in Cornwall: You need to apply to Cornwall Council for your preferred schools even if one (or more) is not in Cornwall.
I live outside Cornwall: If you want to apply for a school in Cornwall you have to apply through your home local authority.
I am moving to Cornwall: If you want to apply for a school in Cornwall because you will be moving you have to apply through your home local authority. You will need a confirmed address.
I live overseas: If you live overseas but are planning to move to Cornwall you can apply direct to Cornwall Council.
Deciding which schools to list as preferences
You can apply for up to three schools.
Before you decide which schools to apply for you could arrange a visit by contacting the school, have a look at the school’s website and ask for a copy of their prospectus. You should also…
- Read the school’s oversubscription criteria: this will help you understand how places will be allocated.
- Find out if your child would be eligible for travel assistance: you should not assume that your child is eligible for home to school travel assistance. If you wish to check your eligibility please contact the Transport Co-ordination Service before submitting your application.
- Name more than one preference including your nearest school/s: if you only put one preference and we cannot offer you that school you might be allocated a school some distance away as other parents/carers who did express additional preferences will take priority for the nearer schools.
Naming more than one preference will not give you any less chance of getting a place at your preferred school.
Find out about schools
For more information about individual schools go to the Family Information Service website:
Designated areas
Cornwall Council has divided Cornwall into areas called ‘designated areas’. You might also hear them called ‘catchment’ areas. These are each served by a specific school or schools.
• Your designated school may not be the one nearest to your home address.
• Some schools include living in the designated area as a priority in their oversubscription criteria. This is the criteria they will use to decide who should have a place.
• If you want to find the designated or nearest school or schools for your address go to:
Home to School Travel Assistance
Please note that parents/carers are responsible for getting their child to and from school.
If you are in any doubt as to whether your child would be eligible for home to school travel assistance please contact the Transport Coordination Service (TCS) before naming your preferred school/s.
Home to School Travel Assistance
Special Educational Needs
Information about Special Educational Needs
Faith schools
Please note, you will need to supply supporting evidence if:
- you are applying for a place at a faith school and
- you indicate on your application form that you feel that you should be given priority under that school’s faith criteria/criterion, if they have one (this is as described in their admission arrangements).
You may need to complete a Supplementary Information Form or provide evidence in another way. Please read the school’s Admission Arrangements.
Alternatively, you can contact the school to find out what is required and return any evidence direct to the school.
Key Stage 4 schools
Studio Schools have employer involvement in the curriculum and focus on developing the skills needed for employment. This involves personal coaching and work experience, alongside a similar curriculum to a typical 11-18 secondary school.
Cornwall does not currently have any Studio Schools, however there is one Studio School in Plymouth:
Scott Medical and Healthcare College
Careers guidance
All schools have to secure impartial careers guidance for all Year 8 to Year 13 students. It should inspire young people to fulfil their potential and to make them aware of all opportunities open to them. We strongly recommend that your child discuss their options with a Careers Adviser at their current school.
Travel assistance to a KS4 school
For families living within Cornwall and wishing to apply for a KS4 school in another local authority it is unlikely that there will be eligibility for travel assistance free of charge to the establishment. Requests for travel assistance would be considered on a case by case basis. Please refer to Cornwall Council's Home to School Transport Policy.
When parents/carers disagree about an application
- We can only allocate one place for a child. You should sort out any disagreement before submitting one application.
- We cannot become involved in parental disputes.
- We must have regard to the views of all persons with parental responsibility in the absence of a court order.
- If you cannot reach an agreement then you may need to seek mediation or apply to the court for an order.
Changing your preference - before or after National Offer Day
When applying online you will not be able to make any changes to your preference(s) or details once the application has been submitted.
- For a change of preference before or after you have received an outcome to your application, please complete the change of preference form (link below).
- For all other changes please contact us.
- If the place is no longer required you will need to let us know in writing.
Providing information on your application form
Home address
We can only use one address to process your application.
A child can only have one address which will be used to decide:
- admission to school; and
- home to school travel assistance entitlement
The address must be:
- the child’s principal permanent residence at the point of application and the address from which they will attend school; or
- a future address from which the child will attend school, supported by a form of evidence
An admission authority may refuse to accept an address if an applicant still owns or rents an address at which their child previously lived. It is for the admission authority to decide:
- if the address given on an application is a child’s current or future principal permanent residence and the address from which they will attend school; and
- which address should be used to decide eligibility for a place
We would need evidence of a proposed address in the form of, for example:
- a signed rental agreement; or
- evidence of an exchange of contracts
Other forms of evidence are listed in the Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme which can be found on the Admission Arrangements page.
Exceptional circumstances in relation to the provision of a home address will be considered on a case by case basis. If there is shared residence of the child or a query is raised regarding the validity of an address, Cornwall Council will consider the home address to be with the parent with primary day to day care and control of the child. Residency of a child may also be clarified through a child arrangement order where it is shown who has care of the child. Evidence may be requested to show where the child lives.
If there is a disagreement between parents/carers about the home address:
- you should sort this out before applying
- you may need to get legal advice
- the Council or the admission authority will decide which address to use if you cannot agree or do not tell us in time
Change of address
If you change address before National Offer Day you must tell us in writing.
- A change of address may affect your child’s priority for a place at a school or your entitlement to travel assistance.
- All address notifications received by the exceptional circumstances deadline will be taken into account when considering your child’s priority for a place at a school.
- You must provide evidence of the change of address to the School Admissions Team in the form of, for example:
- a signed rental agreement; or
- evidence of an exchange of contracts.
- If you fail to notify Cornwall Council of your change of address and you are allocated a place at an oversubscribed school on the basis of your previous address Cornwall Council reserves the right to withdraw that allocation.
If you change address after National Offer Day you must tell us in writing.
A change of address may affect your entitlement to travel assistance. However, as long as your move takes place after the allocation date an allocated place would not be withdrawn if you wish to retain it.
Providing supporting information
If you believe that you should be given priority based on a particular oversubscription criterion in the school’s admission arrangements:
- You will need to provide as much relevant information as possible with your application. You can upload this to your Parent Portal application.
- Places can only be allocated using the written information that you give us.
- If you wish to send any supporting information after you have submitted your application it must be received by the School Admissions Team by the ‘exceptional circumstances’ deadline. After this date the allocation process will begin and it cannot be guaranteed that the supporting information you provide will be taken into account. You will need to post or email this.
- It is your responsibility to send any information that is provided outside the online application system to us securely.
- If one (or more) of your preferred schools is a faith school you may also need to complete an extra form or provide additional evidence. This is to help them determine your priority for a place under their oversubscription criteria. You should ask the school or School Admissions Team whether this is the case and provide the required information with your application.
Fraudulent applications
You could miss out on your preferred school if you submit a fraudulent application.
If you use false or misleading information in your application we might:
- start an investigation which could lead to criminal proceedings;
- ask you to provide evidence to help with an investigation;
- share your information to help with preventing and detecting fraud;
- withdraw the offer of a school place.
You must tell us immediately if your circumstances change.
We carry out checks on a random sample of applications to ensure that the address information is accurate. This is to ensure that places are allocated fairly. If you are randomly selected you will receive a letter requesting evidence of your current address. We may also request evidence where we have concerns or are alerted to a potential false address.
How places are allocated
It is important that you are aware of how applications will be ranked and places allocated at your preferred schools.
Each school has an ‘admission authority’ which sets the admission arrangements. This includes the priority order they will use if there are more applications than places available – the ‘oversubscription criteria’.
Please see the Admission Arrangements page for more information.
Attendance at a school's nursery or pre-school, or a local nursery or pre-school, does not automatically guarantee a place at that school. The school’s oversubscription criteria will be used to allocate places.
If your application was submitted by the deadline it will be considered at the same time as all other applications received by the deadline.
- On-time applications are not processed on a first come first served basis.
- Sometimes there are more applications than places available. If this happens the school’s oversubscription criteria will be used to decide who should get a place.
- All applicants will be listed in the order of each school’s oversubscription criteria for admission to each school. They will be listed regardless of whether the school is named as a first, second or third preference.
- If you name three preferences, your child will appear on three lists.
- We will offer places up to the Published Admission Number (PAN) for each school. The PAN is the maximum number of children that a school will admit to the year group.
- If your child qualifies for a place at more than one of the schools you have expressed a preference for, a place will be offered at the one you have ranked as your highest preference on your application form.
- Only one offer of a school place will be made for each child.
When you have been offered a place
National Offer Day
- If you submitted an application online by the deadline you will be sent an email on National Offer Day. This will tell you which school your child has been allocated.
- If you have difficulties opening the PDF document on your mobile phone or tablet, this may be due to the app you are using to open the letter (the default app on Samsung devices is not compatible). You can download a compatible app such as Google Drive or Adobe Acrobat, or alternatively, attempt to download and open the PDF on a different device.
- If you do not receive your email by 5pm please check your spam folder.
- If you applied online you will also be able to log back into Parent Portal to check your allocation.
- If you applied using a paper application and did not provide an email address we will send you a letter in the post which will arrive after National Offer Day.
|
Application |
For applications submitted by |
National Offer Day |
|
Transfer to Secondary School |
31 October 2025 |
2 March 2026 |
|
Starting School |
15 January 2026 |
16 April 2026 |
|
Transfer to Junior School |
15 January 2026 |
16 April 2026 |
When you have received your allocation
- If you are happy with the school place allocated then you do not need to do anything. The school will contact you to arrange admission.
- If your circumstances have changed since applying then please contact the School Admissions Team.
- If you no longer require the place then please inform the School Admissions Team in writing. We would strongly advise against refusing a school place until you have made alternative education provision for your child.
Appeals
You will have the right to appeal to an independent panel if you are refused a place at a preferred school.
Appealing a school place decision
Waiting lists
Cornwall Council or individual admission authorities will maintain waiting lists for at least the first term of the academic year. Children will automatically be added to the waiting list for schools where a place has been refused.
Late applications
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be processed until after all those submitted by the deadline.
- In exceptional circumstances an application may be accepted for consideration with those received by the deadline. Examples include medical reasons, a recent move into the area or a family returning from abroad. This can only be considered if you let us know in writing by the exceptional circumstances deadline.
- There is a deadline for late applications in ‘round two’.
- Late applications received before the round two deadline but not considered to be exceptional will be looked at together.
- Applications received after the round two deadline will be dealt with on a daily basis but only after the round two allocations have been made. The deadline for these applications will be midnight each day.
| Round two (late) deadline | Notifications will be sent | |
| Transfer to Secondary School | 6 March 2026 | By 3 April 2026 |
| Starting School | 20 April 2026 | By 22 May 2026 |
| Transfer to Junior School | 20 April 2026 | By 22 May 2026 |
Support for parents/carers of children starting or moving up in school
You may find the following web pages useful:
About starting school in reception
Most children start reception at the same time. There are also options for starting later.
- Places in reception will be allocated as full-time.
- You can request part-time admission until your child reaches compulsory school age. You need to arrange this with the school.
- If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan please speak to the Statutory SEN Service (01872 324242) if you have any queries about starting school.
Child born between 1 September and 31 December 2021
- Compulsory school age from January 2027
- You can defer the school place until January 2027 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know.
Child born between 1 January and 31 March 2022
- Compulsory school age from April 2027
- You can defer the school place until April 2027 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know.
Child born between 1 April and 31 August 2022
- Compulsory school age from September 2027
- You can defer the school place until April 2027 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know.
- Your child does not legally have to start school until September 2027 - if you decided to defer your child’s start then the offer of a place will be withdrawn and you will need to reapply for a place in year one. This will be treated as a new application and you need to apply in the summer term 2027. Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available at your preferred school.
Please note that if you decide to request a place in a reception class rather than year one in September, having deferred the place for a year, this would be called delayed admission and needs to be agreed by the admission authority, usually in consultation with Cornwall Council and other professionals. For more information go to:
Delayed admission to school for summer born children