How do school admissions work in London?
State school places in England are allocated through the local authority's coordinated admissions process, using published oversubscription criteria. Distance from the school is a common criterion, which ties admissions closely to address.
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How it works
Applications are made to the borough by a national deadline, with preferences ranked, and offers are issued on a common offer day. Late and in-year applications are handled separately by the local authority.
Commonly mixed up with
Ranking a school first does not create priority: the school's published criteria decide, not the order of preference.
How do school admissions work in London?
| Knowledge, London | Big city topics |
|---|---|
| Short answer | State school places in England are allocated through the local authority's coordinated admissions process, using published oversubscription criteria. Distance from the school is a common criterion, which ties admissions closely to address. |
| How it works | Applications are made to the borough by a national deadline, with preferences ranked, and offers are issued on a common offer day. Late and in-year applications are handled separately by the local authority. |
| Commonly mixed up with | Ranking a school first does not create priority: the school's published criteria decide, not the order of preference. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-08 |
Short questions
- Who do I apply to?
- The local authority for the address where the child lives.
- Are places guaranteed nearby?
- No, allocation follows the published criteria.
- What about private schools?
- Independent schools run their own admissions.
- Can I appeal?
- A statutory appeal process exists.
- Where are the rules?
- GOV.UK publishes the admissions framework.
Sources
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These pages explain how the rules work and link the authority that owns them. They are not legal, tax or immigration advice, and amounts and thresholds change, so open the source before you act.
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