Apply for a primary or middle school place

Children can start reception year at primary school from the September after their fourth birthday. By law children don't have to start school until the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday

You can apply online for a primary school or middle school place between 1 September 2023 and 15 January 2024.

Applying later than this is considered a late application unless in Kirklees judgement there are significant and exceptional reasons for it not being received on time.

Late applications

If you apply after the deadline of 15 January 2024, your application will be considered as late. Late applications are not considered until all on-time applicants have been allocated school places.

Late applications received after 15 February 2024 will be processed as part of the re-allocation period. This is a 'two-week window' after national offer day when Kirklees parents/carers can write to Kirklees Pupil Admissions and change the school preference(s).

Late applications severely reduce your application's success.

The allocation of a school place MUST be based on the child's permanent address.

A child cannot be 'lodged' with a friend or relation to gain a place at a school.

Only one parent can submit a school application. The parent/carer who applies must have legal parental responsibility for the child.
It must be agreed which parent/carer will apply. When you apply, you are confirming that you have the consent of all those with parental responsibility for the child.

Before applying, research the schools in your area. Find a school and your priority admission area It's also advisable to:

• Visit school opening evenings
• Read the school's most recent Ofsted reports
• Check the school league tables
• View information about free school meals and primary school meals

It is strongly advised that you apply for a school in your priority admission area (PAA). Find a school and your priority admission area It is called this because children living there normally have priority admission over children who live elsewhere. It is also referred to as the catchment area.

All community and controlled schools have a PAA. Academies, free schools, trust schools, voluntary aided schools have their own admissions policy which is made by the governing body of each school. Their policy may or may not include a PAA. You can view these schools using Where's my nearest. This will show all the schools in your location.

Parents/carers are strongly advised to apply for three schools, these are your first, second and third school preferences. This is in case a place is not available at the first preference.

If your child qualifies at more than one school, you will be offered a place at the higher preference school.

If you do not complete all three stages, your application is not complete and cannot be processed.

Stage 1 Create an account (if you have not already created one in a previous year). If you are the legal parent/carer, enter your details and follow the link that will be sent to the email address you have used. The process will verify your account and provide you with a link that will take you to the login page of the Kirklees Parent Portal.

Stage 2 Add your child's details (if you have not already added them in a previous year)

Stage 3 Add your three preference schools. Check the application and then submit the application.

If there are fewer applicants than there are places available, everyone who applies will be offered a place. When there are more applicants than there are places available there has to be a way of deciding which children are offered places. This is done by having admission criteria, also known as oversubscription criteria, which are considered in order.

In Kirklees the admission criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools are:

1. children in public care (looked after children) and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be as a result of being adopted.
2. children who live in the school's Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have a brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule).
3. children who live in the school's PAA.
4. children who live outside the school's PAA who have a brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule).
5. children who live outside the school's PAA.

Community and voluntary controlled schools will admit a child with Special Educational Needs where the school is named on the Education Health and Care Plan.

There are several combinations of infant and junior schools in Kirklees. These are shown in the list below. The majority of children transfer from the infant school to the linked school. It is included to strengthen the admissions criteria for linked infant and junior schools to increase the continuity for children to a level comparable to that in an all-through primary school.

• Berry Brow I & N School and Newsome Junior School
• Birkby I & N School and Birkby Junior School
• Diamond Wood Community Academy and Ravensthorpe CE (VC) Junior School
• Earlsheaton Infant School and Bywell CE (VC) Junior School
• Lindley Church of England Infant School and Lindley Junior School
• Manorfield I & N School and Staincliffe CE (VC) Junior School
• Netherhall Learning Campus - Netherhall St James (VC) C of E Infant and Nursery School and Netherhall Learning Campus Junior School
• Netherton I & N School* and South Crossland CE (VA) Junior School
• New Mill Infant School and New Mill Junior School
• Pentland I & N School and Headfield CE (VC) Junior School
• Purlwell I & N School and Hyrstmount Junior School
• Reinwood I & N School and Reinwood Community Junior School
• Savile Town CE (VC) I & N School and Headfield CE (VC) Junior School
• Shaw Cross I & N School and Bywell CE (VC) Junior School
• Thornhill Lees CE (VC) I & N School and Headfield CE (VC) Junior School

* admissions to Netherton I & School only

If there are fewer applicants than there are places available, everyone who applies will be offered a place. When there are more applicants than there are places available there has to be a way of deciding which children are offered places. This is done by having admission criteria, also known as oversubscription criteria, which are considered in order.

In Kirklees the admission criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools are:

• Priority 1 - children in public care (looked after children) and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be as a result of being adopted.
• Priority 2 - children who live in the school's Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have a brother or sister attending either school from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule).
• Priority 3 - children who attend a listed infant school (with priority for the linked junior school).
• Priority 4 - children who live in the school's PAA.
• Priority 5 - children who live outside the school's PAA who have a brother or sister attending either school from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule).
• Priority 6 - children who live outside the school's PAA.

Community and voluntary controlled schools will admit a child with Special Educational Needs where the school is named on the Education Health and Care Plan.

If you name any of the following academies, free schools, voluntary aided Catholic or voluntary aided Church of England schools amongst your preferences, you should ensure that you complete the school's Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

You must return your completed SIF to the school and also complete an online Kirklees application

Primary school SIFs

• All Hallows CE(VA) Primary School
• Batley Grammar School
• Batley Parish CE(VA) J I & N School
• Christ Church CE Academy
• Cumberworth CE(VA) First School
• Denby CE(VA) First School
• Helme Church of England Academy
• Holy Spirit Catholic Primary Academy
• Kirkburton CE(VA) First School
• Lindley CE Infant School
• Linthwaite Ardron CE(VA) J & I School
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary Academy
• St Aidan's C of E Academy
• St John's CE(VA) J & I School
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary (Dewsbury)
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary (Huddersfield)
• St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy (Batley)
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy (Huddersfield)
• St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy
• St Peter's CE (VA) J I & EY School
• Scissett CE Academy
• South Crosland CE(VA) Junior School

Previously looked after child (PLAC) SIF

If you are requesting admission to school under the previously looked after child (PLAC) criteria you need to complete this online form:

Provide supplementary information for a previously looked after child

Fill in our simple online form

Clock Completing this form takes around 5 minutes

Provide supplementary information

After you've applied

Your completed form will be sent to Pupil Admissions.

Up to the closing date of 15 January 2024, you may change your preferences in the parent portal if you have not received an email to say Kirklees local authority has downloaded your application.

If you have received an email to say the local authority has downloaded your application you can only change your school preferences by sending your changes in an email to pupiladmissions@kirklees.gov.uk.

After the closing date you cannot change your preferences without a genuine reason for doing so, such as a significant change of address, in which we will require proof of.

In most cases, foreign national children in the UK have the right to attend schools in England. School admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child on the basis of their nationality or immigration status nor remove them from roll on this basis. It is the responsibility of parents to check that their children have a right, under their visa entry conditions, to study at a school.

To help parents, we recommend that local authorities advise foreign nationals, who wish to apply for a state-funded school place, to check that they have a right of abode or that the conditions of their immigration status otherwise permit them to access a state-funded school. Further information can be found at: School admissions: applications for overseas children