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Applying for a School Place

In-year applications

Changing school mid-year, or in September but midway through a school

- you can apply at any time – there are no closing dates

- you can apply through us only for schools in the BCP Council area

- you can submit your application up to half a term in advance of the intended start date

- You can only submit one in-year application per academic year. If you cannot see the option to apply for an in-year round, it may be because you have already submitted an application this academic year.

If you wish to update or change your current application, please complete this Change Form.

To get started, click on the link below.

Starting school

Starting school for the first time in Reception class in September 2026

- You can apply from 1 November 2025

- the closing date is 15 January 2026

- only BCP Council residents can apply through us

- you can include schools outside BCP Council on your application

To get started, click on the link below.

Moving up in 2026

Moving up from the last year of school, to the next stage of education

- only BCP Council residents can apply through us

- you can include schools outside BCP Council on your application

Moving up to Secondary school (into Year 7) or Upper/Studio school (into Year 9)

- you can apply from 1 September 2025

- the closing date is 31 October 2025

Moving up to Junior school (into Year 3) or Middle school (into Year 5)

- You can apply from 1 November 2025

- the closing date is 15 January 2026 

To get started, click on the link below.

Click here to get started...

Explanatory notes

Applications for starting school and moving up are ‘residence based’, which means that families apply through the Local Authority where they live, even if they wish to apply for schools outside the Local Authority area.

If you live within BCP Council, you need to apply through us, but can include non-BCP Council schools among your preferences. If you live outside BCP Council, you need to apply through your home Local Authority, but can include BCP Council schools.

If you are applying to move up from one stage of education to the next, make sure that the school you are applying for starts in the relevant year or has an additional intake.

If your child is in Year 2 at an Infant school, you need to apply for a Junior school which starts in Year 3 or one of the following schools which have a small intake at the start of Year 3:

  • Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
  • Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
  • St Joseph’s Catholic VA Primary School (Christchurch)
  • St Katharine’s CE Primary School
 
 

Whilst Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council endeavours to ensure that the information on this Portal for Children Services site is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and the Council do not accept any liability for error(s) or omission(s).