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Parents in Nottinghamshire are being reminded to submit an application for their child’s reception or junior (year 3) school place by Wednesday, 15 January 2025.

With the deadline fast approaching, there are still families who haven’t applied. For the best chance of parents being offered a place they are happy with, the council strongly advises parents to list four schools and to include schools where their children would meet the higher eligibility criteria for admission. 

When making your application, you should:

1) Apply on time – by Wednesday, 15 January 2025. Applying late significantly reduces the chances of your child being allocated one of your preferred schools, as most places will have been allocated on National Offer Day to people who applied on time.

2) Apply to Nottinghamshire County Council if your child lives in Nottinghamshire, even if applying for schools in other local authority areas such as Derbyshire or Nottingham City.  

3) Use all four preferences – for the best chance of getting your child into a school you are happy for them to attend.  

4) Check the admission oversubscription criteria – and include at least one school within the four preferences where your child will have high priority within the admission oversubscription criteria. Information about the criteria for Nottinghamshire schools can be found on the council’s website.

5) Include other relevant information in the application, parents should mention any information which may affect how the admission oversubscription criteria are applied. You should also tell the council if you are moving house, as this may affect how your application is considered.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Ben Bradley, said: “Ensuring your child has the best start to their education is one of the most important decisions a parent can make, which is why I urge all parents to submit their application on time and use all four preferences. 

“This will give parents the best chance of their child receiving a place at a school that they would be happy for them to attend. Last year, 99% of families who applied for a school place on time were offered one of their preferred schools.

“The county council website has all the information you ned to make an informed decision”.
Nottinghamshire parents should apply through Nottinghamshire County Council, even if they wish to apply for schools in other local authority areas such as Nottingham City or Derbyshire.

Those who apply online will be able to log in to their account on National Offer Day on Wednesday, 16 April 2025, to view the outcome of their application.  If parents provide an email address, the outcome will be sent by email from 8.30am on 16 April 2025.  All other applications will be mailed by second class post on National Offer Day.

Applications received after the closing date are considered as late applications and will be processed once all on-time applications have been offered. 

Parents can visit the council’s website www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/admissions for details about the application process, including the ‘Admissions to Schools: Guide for Parents 2025-2026’ which contains lots of useful information and advice. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/admissions