September 2025 may seem ages away but if your child is due to start school you need to start the application process now.
From Friday 15 November the Council is taking applications from families whose children:
- are due to start at primary school for the first time.
- due to transfer to junior school (having completed Year 2 in an infant school)
The deadline for primary and junior school applications is Wednesday 15 January 2025.
Each school has its own admission criteria, so it’s important to look at the information relating to specific schools in the admission guidance booklet also on our website.
Last year the Council was able to match 94.96 per cent of young people and parents with their first preference of primary school, 100 per cent with their first preference of junior school.
Councillor Sally Cresswell, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships, said: “Starting school is an exciting new adventure for you and your child. I would urge parents and children to visit their local primary schools. It’s one of the best ways of getting a real feeling about a setting and how happy you and your child will be there.
“We understand how stressful the application process can be for some parents and guardians, I encourage them to get their applications in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”
Parents are warned if they apply late there is a risk that all the places at their preferred schools will be filled by applicants who applied on time. To maximise the chances of being allocated a place at a preferred school, parents are advised to list three schools in their application. Where the Council is unable to allocate a place at one of the parent’s preferences, a place will be allocated at the nearest suitable school to the home address with a vacancy after all the preference applications have been considered.
For more information visit the website www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions or email [email protected]