Coronavirus (COVID-19) and school admissions

We are monitoring government guidance and currently considering the possible impact of the coronavirus on school admissions. Further information on the impacts of the coronavirus can be found here.

Apply for a primary place

Apply for your child to start in the reception year at a primary or infant school or in year 3 at a junior school. The closing date is 15 January each year.

Before you apply

Before you apply we encourage you to do the following:

  • read the Step by Step guide to normal round admissions for the type of school you are applying to, including:
    • year R (reception) primary or infant school applications
    • year 3 junior school applications
  • view information about the schools on the Schools Information pages
  • find out what different schools have to offer your child and, if possible, visit the schools you are interested in
  • know which school is designated for your child’s address
  • understand what equally ranked preferences mean – it enables you to apply for the schools you most want without affecting your chances of a place at other schools
  • be aware of the school transport policy – it is important that you understand who will be responsible for transport before applying to a school and before accepting a place.

You should apply to the local authority where your child lives. For example, if Devon County Council is your local authority, you should apply on this site, but residents of Plymouth, Torbay, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset should apply to their local authority.

We will not assume that you want a place at a particular school – even if you have an older child who already attends or you live nearby.

Parents of summer-born children – with birthdays between 1 April and 31 August – can read guidance about delayed admission to reception here.

The Admissions Team can be contacted at admissions@devon.gov.uk

A flyer about admissions to primary school for September 2021 has been translated into multiple languages and is available to download on the Babcock LDP website.

Changes to policy for September 2021

Changes to eligibility for priority on faith grounds

Churches and other places of worship were closed during the spring and summer of 2020, preventing parents and children from attending services.

This would render them ineligible for admissions priority on the grounds of attending services where this is a part of the oversubscription criteria for a school.

To address this, requests have been made for in-year variations and the addition of some wording for a number of schools in Devon which prioritise applications according to attendance. Faith schools in other areas may also make similar requests.

Parents should consider the arrangements that will be in place for any school they are interested in.

The schools involved are:

  • Bickleigh Down CofE Primary
  • Farway CofE Primary
  • Lynton CofE Primary
  • Morchard Bishop CofE Primary
  • St Georges CofE Infants
  • St Margaret’s CofE Junior
  • Pinhoe CofE Primary
  • South Molton CofE Primary
  • St Andrew’s CofE Primary,  Buckland Monachorum
  • St Martin’s CofE Primary
  • St Peter’s CofE Primary,  Budleigh Salterton
  • St Sidwell’s CofE Primary
  • Swimbridge CofE Primary
  • The Beacon CofE Primary
  • Wolborough CofE Primary
  • Woodbury CofE Primary

and the additional policy wording requested is:

  • In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these [admissions] arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.

If you have any questions about this year’s admissions process in general or specifically about faith oversubscription criteria please contact schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk or the Diocese of Exeter Education Advisor, or the school itself.

Similar requests to vary the admission arrangements for September 2021 have been made for a number of primary schools in other local authority areas.

Apply now

The application system to apply for a reception place at primary/infant schools and year 3 at junior schools in September 2021 is now closed.

The closing date is 15 January each year. You can apply after this date but applications will be considered late and may be at a disadvantage. Please see the ‘Late applications’ tab for more information.

Late applications

Applications close on 15 January each year. If you apply after this date, the application will be considered late unless you can demonstrate that you were unable to apply on time, for example, because of illness or a house move. For illness to be taken into account, it must have prevented an application being made.

If the reason you give is accepted and you are able to apply by the date when applications are processed by us, your application will be considered to have been made on time.

Please remember that:

  • you cannot apply online after the closing date. To apply after this time please contact us on 0345 155 1019
  • if your application is late, places at the schools you prefer may already have been filled – no places are held in reserve
  • if your application is late you may be responsible for transport to and from a school further away from your home
Offer day

We will email your child’s offer of a school place on Friday 16 April 2021. Please make sure your email address is kept up to date.

If you applied online, you can also log into your online account from 16 April to find out which school has been offered.

We will offer your child one primary school place. If a place was available at more than one of your preferences, the offer will be for the school that can offer a place which was your highest preference.

If none of your preferred schools could offer a place, we will make an offer at another school. This may be the school designated for your address if it has a vacancy remaining or the closest school to your child’s home with a vacancy.

View our frequently asked questions here.

What happens next

If you are happy with the school place offered to your child you do not need to do anything else, other than confirm you want the place to the school itself.

If you are not happy with the offer find out how to appeal for a school place.