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.

Before you apply

Please note that if your child was born between the 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, you will be able to apply for your child’s school place from 15 November 2019. You will be able to log in and make your application at any point after this date by visiting this page up until 15 January 2020. See late applications tab after this date.

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 primaryschooladmissions@devon.gov.uk

Apply now

The application system to apply for new reception at primary/infant schools and year 3 at Junior schools is now closed. The closing date is on the 15 January each year. You can apply after this date but applications made after this date will be considered late and may be at a disadvantage. Please see the ‘Late applicants’ 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.

Remember:

  • you cannot apply online after the closing date. To apply after this time please contact us on 0345 155 1019 or complete the D-CAF 1 for Primary/Infant Education (Reception Year) in September 2020 or the D-CAF 2 for Junior Education (Year 3) in September 2020.
  • 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

If you applied online we will email your child’s offer of a school place on Thursday 16 April 2020. Please make sure your email address is kept up to date.

You can also log into your online account from 16 April to find out which school has been offered.

If you applied by post we will send a letter by second class post on 16 April.

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.