Admissions 26- 27

Overview

This information only applies if you want to apply for your child to start in Reception at primary or infant school in September 2026.

If your child has an EHCP, you cannot apply using this form. You should already have received information from the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) in Chichester. Contact them if you have any questions.

If you live outside West Sussex, you cannot use this site to apply. You must apply via your own council. This will be shown on your Council Tax documents. Contact them for further advice.

Any applications from outside West Sussex will not be processed.

If your child needs a school place in a different year group or at another point in the year, you need to apply to move schools.

Find your catchment area school and other local schools

Before applying for your child's starting school place:

Before you apply

You must read the information for parents booklet, the relevant appendix and additional guidance pages before applying.

It is the responsibility of parents or carers to apply for a school place. You do not need to have a letter from the county council.

Follow our checklist to ensure you have completed all the necessary steps before applying.

Application for a school place checklist (PDF, 90KB)

Places for all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes have a limit of 30 pupils per teacher. If the 30^th child given a place is a twin (or a child from a multiple birth) the other siblings may also be given a place, as permitted exceptions.

Preferences

You can apply for up to 3 different schools. Rank the schools in order of preference - the first school listed should be the one you would most like your child to go to.
We advise that you use all 3 preferences and enter your catchment school as one of your preferences.
Be realistic with your preferences. If you choose an oversubscribed school, the further away you live the less likely you are to be offered a place.
If you select a school as a preference that is not your nearest/catchment school, this may impact on your eligibility for transport. See the school transport pages for further information.
Do not include a school that you do not want as a preference as you may be offered this school.
If you apply after the closing date you are far less likely to get a place at one of your preferred schools.
After the application deadline you cannot change your preferences unless there is a genuine unforeseeable reason for doing so, for example, if a sibling changes school.

Apply for a place

You can apply for a starting school place from 9am on Monday 6 October 2025 until 11.59pm on Thursday 15 January 2026.

If your child has an EHCP you cannot apply using this form. You should already have received information from the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) in Chichester. Please contact them if you have any questions.

Making an on-line application

You are encouraged to apply online, as it is the quickest and easiest way to apply for a place.

To make an application online you will need an email address.

All applications require a new account to be set-up on the Parent Portal unless you have already set up an account, in which case you will need to log in.

Apply for a school place(external link)

You can save your application and return to it to make amendments before submitting it. You must ensure that you submit the completed application before the deadline of 15 January 2026.

Once you have submitted your application, you can un-submit it and edit it to amend your child’s details or make any other changes. You must remember to re-submit before the deadline of 15 January 2026.

Return to your submitted application(external link)

Applying after the deadline means that your preferences will be considered after all the preferences received on time have been allocated.

Alternative way to apply

If you are unable to use the online application form contact the Pupil Admissions Team to request an application form. A form will be emailed to you, which should be returned by email.

You can request that a printed paper form is sent to you by post. If you return it to the Pupil Admissions Team by post you should send it by recorded delivery. It is your responsibility to ensure the form is received by the deadline.

Claims regarding missing forms will not be investigated unless you can provide evidence that it was received by the Pupil Admissions Team. If the form is received after the deadline, your preferences will be considered after all the preferences received on time have been allocated.

West Sussex County Council are not responsible for forms lost or delayed in the post and recommend that you keep a copy of the form and evidence of posting.

Offer dates

You will be notified of the outcome of your application by email or letter, depending on how you applied. No information will be provided over the phone.

Applications received before 11.59 pm on 15 January 2026

If you applied online we will email you the outcome of your application on Thursday 16 April 2026. Emails will be sent throughout the day so we can't give you an exact time.
If you applied by paper form you will be emailed the result later this day if an email address was provided with the application. The admissions office will contact you to request an email address if one is not specified on the form.
If you do not have an email address you will receive a letter by second class post.

Applications received after 11.59pm on 15 January 2026

If we received your application out of time (between 16 January 2026 and 11 February 2026) we will consider your preferences after reviewing all the applications we received on time.
If you applied online we will email you the outcome of your application on Thursday 16 April 2026. Emails will be sent throughout the day so we can't give you an exact time.
If you applied by paper form you will be emailed the result later this day if an email address was provided with the application. The admissions office will contact you to request an email address if one is not specified on the form.
If you do not have an email address, you will receive a letter by second class post.
Applications received on or after Thursday 12 February 2026 are late and outside the normal admissions round. They will not be processed until after 15 May 2026. You will be contacted after this date.

Applying after the closing date

Applications will close on 15 January 2026. Information about applying after that date will be available here.

After you get your school offer

To help you understand the 2026 intake, after the relevant offer day you'll find details below about the total number of places offered, the last criteria/category and furthest distance offered within that criteria/category for each school in West Sussex.

You will need to cross-reference it to the school’s policy available in the Information for parents booklet and appendixes.

If you did not get the school place you wanted, your child will be placed on a waiting list and you may want to appeal.

Find further information about waiting lists and appeals.