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Applying for a School Place

In-year applications

Apply for an in-year school place if your child is moving into or within the BCP area, returning to school or if you want to move them to a different school.

• you can only apply for schools within the BCP area

• you can submit one online application per academic year. If you

want to make changes to an application you have already made (for

example add additional preferences or change of address), please complete this change form.

When to apply

• you can apply up to half a term before the intended start date

• September to May: apply for the current academic year

• June to July: apply for the current academic year or September 2026

entry

• From August: apply for September 2026 onwards only

Already applied?

In-year application outcomes are not available to view online.

You will receive your offer or outcome letter by secure email.

If you wish to make changes to an application you have already made, please complete this change form.

Need to apply?

• Click the link below to submit an In-year application


Click here to make an In-year application

Starting school

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

• only BCP Council residents can apply through us

• you can include schools outside BCP Council in your preferences

Need to apply?

To submit a late application, click below.

Already applied?

To view the outcome of your application, click below.

Click here to make a late application

Click here to view the outcome of your Reception application (Opens in New Window)

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 in your preferences

This includes moves to:

• Junior school (Year 3) or Middle school (Year 5)

• Secondary school (Year 7) or Upper/Studio school (Year 9)

Need to apply?

Click the link below to submit a late application

Already applied?

Junior and Middle school applicants:

To view the outcome of your application, click below.

Secondary and Upper school applicants:

Outcomes are no longer available to view online

Click here to make a late application

Click here to view the outcome of your Junior or Middle School application (Opens in New Window)

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).