How to apply for a school place - Print version

Admission to Primary School in September 2024

Applying for a Reception place in 2024 for children born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020

The application process to apply on time started on 1 September 2023.

The closing date for making your application on time was 15 January 2024. All applications received after this date will not be considered until after the national offer date of 16 April 2024.

You will need to complete the supplementary form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/244/primary_admission_forms_september_2011] if you are applying for a place at faith schools: Seva, or Leigh Church of England schools (including when applying online).

Late applications will be considered in the second allocation round in May 2024.

Make a late application [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/primaryschoollateapplication2024]

To Check the result of your child's school place - On time applications only

Access the Coventry Education Services Portal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolplaces] to check the outcome of your On time application from 16 April 2024.

Further information on the application process and timeline. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/primary-school-admissions/2]

Admission to Secondary School in September 2024

Applying for a Year 7 place starting 2024 for children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013

The application process to apply on time starts on 1 September 2023.

The closing date for making your application on time is 31 October 2023.  All applications received after this date will not be considered until after the national offer date of 1 March 2024.

Late applications will be considered in the second allocation round in April 2024.

Make a late application [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/secondaryschoollateapplication2024]

Check the result of your child's school place

Access the Coventry Education Services  [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolplaces]Portal to check the outcome of your On time application from 1 March 2024. 

Further information on the application process and timeline. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/secondary-school-admissions/2]

Making a realistic application - Before you apply

• Look at the oversubscription criteria for your preferred schools to work out which priority would be given to your application. Policy details can be found by school [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/10/schools_and_their_contact_details/category/14].
• Read the individual school pages in Section 2 of the Secondary Admissions 2024 booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets] for definitions that can help you understand the words used within the oversubscription criteria.
• Check your distance from the school. The Admissions team can confirm this for you, please email: secondaryadmissions@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:secondaryadmissions@coventry.gov.uk] stating ‘distance query’ in the subject box

Comparing your priority and distance with how places have been offered in previous years will give you an indication of how successful your application might be. There are further details on how places were allocated for each individual school in the Secondary Admissions 2024 booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets].

Making a realistic application example

This is an example and does not imply the outcome of an application.

Imagine you are applying for School A - find out your priority by checking your circumstances against the oversubscription criteria like this:

For School A your application has priority 6 and you live 1.6 miles from the school. Check in Section 2 the school page and compare to the last person offered a place at School A for last September, this could have been a child in priority 6 at 1.194 miles from the school.

This then means that your child would not have been offered a place because you live too far away. However, this is only a guide and does not mean your application would be unsuccessful every year.

The number of places available in priority 6 will change depending on how many applications are made for each school and how many children live in the catchment area. There is no guarantee that a similar situation will occur for admission in September 2024. A high birth year is predicted for Year 7 September 2024 entry.

The distance of the last person offered a place could also change, for example, it will not always be 1.194 miles for School A. You can still apply for this school and if it is the school you want the most you should put it first on your application, but you should include other schools where you may have a better chance of being offered a place.

You should find out your priority and distance for all of your preferences. If you have a higher priority or the same priority and live closer to the school you have a good chance of being offered a place. If you have the same priority and live further away your chance of being offered a place is not as good.

Many people will choose to make applications for schools that have been judged by Ofsted as outstanding schools. This means that the schools will be very popular and have far more applications than places. For these schools they are often/usually unable to make offers to children who are lower than priority 3 or 4 in their policies. If you only apply for schools like this, where your application would be classed as under priority 6 then you will not be offered a place at any of your preferred schools.

Please note: The local authority legally must make sure that your child is offered a school place, this means that you will be given a place at the nearest school with a space available. This may not be your catchment area school, especially if all places are allocated to applicants who asked for the school and if other local schools have more applicants than they have places, you run the risk of being allocated a school some distance away.

To prevent this from happening we would ask you to always include a school where your application will have a higher priority, even if you put this as your third preference. For example, apply for your catchment area school (as you may not get this later on), or a school where you have a higher priority because of your faith, or you have an older child already attending that school. Some schools do consider 6th form pupils as siblings (check the school policies for details)

If the school you want to apply for is a Catholic school, they will give priority to children who are baptised Catholic and/or those who live in the parish. Coventry Catholic schools require you to send the baptismal certificate for your child as well as include the school name on your application. Blue Coat School and Seva School require a supplementary form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5231/2022-and-2023---secondary-supplementary-forms] to be completed and returned to the school by the deadline date as additional documentation.

Coventry application forms have three choices for you to complete, If your three choices of schools are all outside Coventry, we would strongly advise that at least one of these choices should be your catchment area school - this will give you a higher chance of receiving a suitable school place offer on 1 March 2024.

Primary in-year applications - current school year

How to apply

All primary schools in Coventry, except All Souls Catholic Primary School and St Mary’s & St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School, are part of the Coventry co-ordinated admissions scheme [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3771/secondary_admissions_scheme]. This however, does not include Independent fee-paying schools (please contact these schools direct) and Special Educational Needs Schools which are for children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (details of how to apply [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/sen])

Applying for a Coventry school (except All Souls and St Mary & St Benedict Primaries see below)

Please complete the primary in-year application form [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/primaryinyearapplication].

If you are currently living overseas, and are intending to move to Coventry, please note that foreign nationals who do not normally reside in the UK but who wish to apply for a state-funded school place, must check that their children have an immigration status which permits them to enter the UK to access a state-funded school before applying. Further information about school applications for foreign national children and children resident outside England from GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children#local-authority-responsibilities].

Applicants for Leigh C of E Primary School and Seva School may also need to complete a supplementary information form to enable school governors to fully consider their application against faith-based oversubscription criteria.

• Leigh CE Primary [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/1789/leigh_church_of_england]
• Seva School [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/2777/seva_school_primary]

The supplementary forms can also be obtained directly from the schools. 

Please return completed supplementary forms directly to the school.

Applying for All Souls Catholic Primary and St Mary & St Benedict’s Catholic Primary Schools

If you wish to apply for in-year admission at either All Souls Primary and St Mary & St Benedict’s Primary Schools, you should contact the school directly (details below) for admission or apply for these and other schools on the online application form and we will pass your request to the listed schools.

All Souls R.C Primary

Linsey Rae, School Business Manager

E: linsey.rae@allsoulsschool.co.uk [mailto:linsey.rae@allsoulsschool.co.uk]
T: 024 7667 5836
A: Abercorn Road, Coventry, CV5 8ED
W: www.allsoulsschool.co.uk [https://allsoulsschool.co.uk/]

St Mary and St Benedict R.C. Primary School

Julie Anderton, Clerical Officer
E: admin@stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk [mailto:admin@stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk]
T: 024 7622 9486
A: Leigh Street, Hillfields, Coventry, CV1 5HG
W: www.stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk [https://www.stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk/]

Whatever year group your child is in, it’s important that if you are considering moving schools, you need to make sure that the school you choose is the right one for your child. The best way to find this out is to visit the school you are interested in - speak to the headteacher (with an appointment) if you can.

Further information on the application process and timeline of when a decision will be made [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/primary-school-admissions/5].

Secondary in-year applications - current school year

How to apply

All secondary schools in Coventry are part of the Coventry co-ordinated admissions scheme [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3771/secondary_admissions_scheme]. This, however, does not include Independent fee-paying schools (please contact these schools direct) and Special Educational Needs Schools which are for children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (details of how to apply [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/sen])

Applicants for Blue Coat and Seva School may need to complete a supplementary information form to enable school governors to fully consider their application against faith-based oversubscription criteria.

• Blue Coat CE School [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/1818/blue_coat_church_of_england_school]
• Seva School [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/2777/seva_school_primary]

The supplementary forms can also be obtained directly from the schools.

Please return completed supplementary forms directly to the school.

Transferring between Coventry Secondary schools

If you are looking to transfer from a Coventry school to another Coventry school please complete the in-year transfer form, which is available from the main office of your child’s current school. Once you have completed Part 1 and Part 2 of the form, you will need to return it to your child’s current school for Part 3 to be completed. The Headteacher will arrange to discuss the reasons for transfer with you.

If your child currently attends Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School please follow the application process below.

Before you apply – things to think about [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year_primarysecondary_school_admissions_booklets]

All other applications

If you would like to apply for a place at a Coventry school, please complete the Secondary in-year application form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/secondaryinyearapplication].

If you are currently living overseas, and are intending to move to Coventry, please note that foreign nationals who do not normally reside in the UK but who wish to apply for a state-funded school place, must check that their children have an immigration status which permits them to enter the UK to access a state-funded school before applying. Further information about school applications for foreign national children and children resident outside England  from GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children#local-authority-responsibilities].

Further information on the application process and the timeline of when decisions are made [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/secondary-school-admissions/5].

Secondary school offers 2023 - additional information

If you have submitted an online application for your child’s secondary school place. You will be aware that secondary school places will be offered on Wednesday 1 March 2023.

This update is to provide you with some useful information about the process and point you to additional support that will be available online.

As you applied online, you will be sent an email informing you which secondary school has been offered to your child.  Emails will be sent on Wednesday 1 March 2023, and we expect that you will receive your email by 4pm. 

The exact time will depend on your email service provider. If you have not received any emails, please ensure you check your junk mail folder as the email could be in there. Your junk folder could be called 'junk', 'trash' or 'spam'.

Alternatively, you can log back into your account to see the result of your application.

All parents who made a paper or telephone application will be sent a decision letter via post.  All letters leave the office on the 1 March.  They are posted Second Class so they should arrive (depending on Royal Mail) on Friday 3 March

Please do not contact Coventry City Council before you have received the offer of a school place.

If for any reason you have not received your letter or email by 3 March 2023, we will provide you with information on the outcome of your application over the telephone. 

If you applied after the closing date of 31 October 2022 then you will not receive an offer of a school place on 1 March. You will be notified in early April of your school place offer.

If you did not make an application, then please apply as soon as possible. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-admissions-online-applications/2]

Next steps

If your circumstances have changed and you want to change your application to request different schools, then please email your request to 11plus@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk] or call 024 76975445 by 15 March with any new requests.

If your child has not been offered a place at any of the schools you applied for, this will be because the school(s) received more applications than there were places available and other children met the admission criteria more closely than your child. The Local Authority is legally obliged to offer a school place and therefore your child will have been offered a place at the nearest school from the home address that had a place available after we had completed the allocation. If you are not happy with the distance of the school to your home address you may be entitled to a free travel pass for your child [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schools-schooling/school-travel-passes]. The school place offered (preference 8) will not be removed from your child until a place can be offered at an alternative school.

You will be placed on the waiting lists for the schools where your application has been refused and you will have the right of appeal. In the meantime, you can make requests for places at other schools. Please email your request to 11plus@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk] or call 024 76975445 by 15 March with any new requests.

From 16 March we will put together all late applications and changes of preference and complete a second round of offers in early April. Any places which become available will be offered according to those who have the highest priority on the school waiting lists which are organised according to the admissions policy of each school.  

Waiting lists

If you do not receive an offer of a place at one of your higher preference schools your child's name will automatically be placed on the waiting lists for those schools and will remain on these lists until the end of the Autumn term (31 December). Applications are prioritised according to the admissions policy of each school.

Having a place on the waiting list is no guarantee that a place will become available. For the September 2022 admissions process, oversubscribed schools offered on average 5 places to those on waiting lists

The position your child is at on the waiting list is as at the day you enquire. There will be no changes to the waiting list from 1 March until we have completed the second allocation round so information on changes to waiting list positions will only be available from 5 April 2023.

The Admissions team will contact you if a school place becomes available for your child from a waiting list.

Parents who have applied for places outside the city should contact the appropriate authority direct to discuss the appeals process and the position on any waiting lists. 

Appeals

You have the right to appeal at any school that you have applied for and had written confirmation of being refused admission. 

If you are considering the possibility of submitting an appeal, please read the advice regarding appeals on the School Admissions website carefully.

You can only appeal against the refusal of a place at a school you applied for.

Appeals are heard and decided by panels that are completely independent of the council and the school(s).

Consider the likelihood of your appeal being successful.

For example, were you realistic with the preferences you submitted for your child?

Appeals are generally only successful if you or your child have exceptional reasons for needing admission to a particular school.

There are no guarantees that any appeal will be successful (see below for the number heard and success rates for appeals administered by Coventry City Council over the last three years).

Please find below a list of schools whose appeals are administered by the Local Authority. Should you wish to appeal for any of these schools, the closing date for submitting your written appeal is 18 April 2023 with a second round closing date of 9 June 2023.

If you submit an appeal after this date, it will be classed as a late appeal and will be heard after the on-time appeals, and it may not be heard before the beginning of September 2023.

• Barr’s Hill School
• Coundon Court School
• Grace Academy
• Lyng Hall School
• Meadow Park School
• President Kennedy School
• Stoke Park School

You will be able to access the appeal form online from 1 March 2023 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/4].

All other Coventry Secondary school appeals are administered by the schools themselves, further information on deadline dates and who to contact can be found on our Appeals timetable. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6673/2022-appeals-timetable-information-all-schools]

Primary school offers 2023 - additional information

If you have submitted an online application for your child’s primary school place. You will be aware that primary school places will be offered on Monday 17 April 2023.

This update is to provide you with some useful information about the process and point you to additional support that will be available online.

As you applied online, you will be sent an email informing you which school has been offered to your child.  Emails will be sent on Monday 17 April 2023, and we expect that you will receive your email by 4pm. 

The exact time will depend on your email service provider. If you have not received any emails, please ensure you check your junk mail folder as the email could be in there. Your junk folder could be called 'junk', 'trash' or 'spam'.

Alternatively, you can log back into your account to see the result of your application.

All parents who made a paper or telephone application will be sent a decision letter via post.  All letters leave the office on 17 April.  They are posted Second Class so they should arrive (depending on Royal Mail) on Wednesday 19 April.

Please do not contact Coventry City Council before you have received the offer of a school place.

If for any reason you have not received your letter or email by 19 April 2023, we will provide you with information on the outcome of your application over the telephone. 

If you applied after the closing date of 15 January 2023 then you will not receive an offer of a school place on 17 April. You will be notified by the end of May of your school place offer.

If you did not make an application, then please apply as soon as possible. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-admissions-online-applications]

Next steps

If your circumstances have changed and you want to change your application to request different schools, then please email your request to Rising5@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:Rising5@coventry.gov.uk]  or call 024 7697 5445 by 2 May with any new requests.

If your child has not been offered a place at any of the schools you applied for, this will be because the school(s) received more applications than there were places available and other children met the admission criteria more closely than your child. The Local Authority is legally obliged to offer a school place and therefore your child will have been offered a place at the nearest school from the home address that had a place available after we had completed the allocation. If you are not happy with the distance of the school to your home address you may be entitled to a free travel pass for your child [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schools-schooling/school-travel-passes]. The school place offered (preference 8) will not be removed from your child until a place can be offered at an alternative school.

You will be placed on the waiting lists for the schools where your application has been refused and you will have the right of appeal. In the meantime, you can make requests for places at other schools. Please email your request to Rising5@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:Rising5@coventry.gov.uk]  or call 024 76975445 by 2 May with any new requests

From 3 May we will put together all late applications and changes of preference and complete a second round of offers by the end of the month. Any places which become available will be offered according to those who have the highest priority on the school waiting lists which are organised according to the admissions policy of each school.  

Waiting lists

If you do not receive an offer of a place at one of your higher preference schools your child's name will automatically be placed on the waiting lists for those schools and will remain on these lists until the end of the Autumn term (31 December). Applications are prioritised according to the admissions policy of each school.

Having a place on the waiting list is no guarantee that a place will become available. For the September 2022 admissions process, oversubscribed schools offered on average 2 places to those on waiting lists

The position your child is at on the waiting list is as at the day you enquire. There will be no changes to the waiting list from 17 April until we have completed the second allocation round so information on changes to waiting list positions will only be available from 1 June 2023.

The Admissions team will contact you if a school place becomes available for your child from a waiting list.

Parents who have applied for places outside the city should contact the appropriate authority direct to discuss the appeals process and the position on any waiting lists. 

Appeals

You have the right to appeal at any school that you have applied for and had written confirmation of being refused admission. 

If you are considering the possibility of submitting an appeal, please read the advice regarding appeals on the School Admissions website carefully.

You can only appeal against the refusal of a place at a school you applied for.

Appeals are heard and decided by panels that are completely independent of the council and the school(s).

Consider the likelihood of your appeal being successful.

For example, were you realistic with the preferences you submitted for your child?

Appeals are generally only successful if you or your child have exceptional reasons for needing admission to a particular school.  Infant Class Size appeals are subject to the Government legislation around class sizes of no more than 30 pupils per class. More information can be found here [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/148/school_admissions/122/school_appeals/6]

There are no guarantees that any appeal will be successful (see below for the number heard and success rates for appeals administered by Coventry City Council over the last three years).

Please find below a list of schools whose appeals are administered by the Local Authority. Should you wish to appeal for any of these schools, the closing date for submitting your written appeal is 19 May 2023 with a second round closing date of 9 June 2023.

If you submit an appeal after 9 June, it will be classed as a late appeal and will be heard after the on-time appeals, and it may not be heard before the beginning of September 2023.

Aldermans Green Primary       Aldermoor Farm Primary              All Saints CE

Allesley Primary                       Allesley Hall Primary                    Broad Heath Primary

Cannon Park Primary              Clifford Bridge Primary                 Coundon Primary

Courthouse Green Primary      Earlson Primary                         Edgewick Primary                         

Ernesford Grange Primary       Finham Primary                         Frederick Bird Primary             

Gosford Park Primary              Grange Farm Primary                Grangehurst Primary               

Hearsall Community Academy      Henley Green Primary          Hill Farm Academy                 

Holbrook Primary                     Hollyfast Primary                        Howes Primary                       

John Gulson Primary               John Shelton Primary                 Joseph Cash Primary             

Keresley Grange Primary        Limbrick Wood Primary              Little Heath Primary             

Longford Park Primary            Manor Park Primary

Moat House Primary                Moseley Primary                           Mount Nod Primary

Park Hill Primary                     Parkgate Primary                          Pearl Hyde Primary

Potters Green Primary            Radford Academy                        Ravensdale Primary

Richard Lee Primary               Sidney Stringer Primary               Southfields Primary

Sowe Valley Primary              Spon Gate Primary                       St Andrews CE Infant

St Christopher Primary           Stivichall Primary                         Stoke Primary

Stoke Heath Primary              Templars Primary                         Walsgrave Primary

Whitley Abbey Primary           Whitmore Park Primary                 Whittle Academy

Whoberley Hall Primary          Willenhall Primary                        Wyken Croft Primary

You will be able to access the appeal form online from 17 April 2023. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/5]

If you wish to submit an appeal please check the details on the below link to see further information on who to contact and deadline dates.

Appeals timetable. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6673/2022-appeals-timetable-information-all-schools]