The procedure for applying for junior places at junior and primary schools.
Primary admissions timescale - September 2027
- Week commencing 2 November 2026 – Information on application process distributed to schools.
- Monday 9 November 2026 – Online and telephone application facilities open.
- From week commencing 9 November 2026 - Preferences start to be recorded on the Admissions System and initial information available to schools on SAM.
- Midnight Friday 15 January 2027 – Closing date for submission of applications.
- By Monday 25 January 2027 - The Admissions and Transport Team send other Local Authorities details of Derbyshire children who have expressed preferences for their schools.
- By Monday 25 January 2027 – The Admissions and Transport Team to have received from other Local Authorities details of their children who have expressed preferences for Derbyshire schools.
- By Monday 1 February 2027 – The Admissions and Transport Team will have released all preference details to own admission authority schools where assessments are done by the school.
- By Friday 5 February 2027- The Admissions and Transport Team will have released preference details for checking by own admission authority schools where assessments are done by the Admissions and Transport Team.
- By Friday 12 February 2027– Own admission authority school rankings to be complete on SAM, checked and confirmed to the Admissions and Transport Team. Schools should ensure that a Governors’ meeting to consider preferences is scheduled in order to meet this deadline.
- By Monday 8 March 2027 – The Admissions and Transport Team to send to other Local Authorities potential offers of places in Derbyshire schools.
- By Monday 29 March 2027 – The Admissions and Transport Team to receive from other Local Authorities potential offers of places in their schools.
- By Friday 2 April 2027 – Allocation process complete. The Admissions and Transport Team to release details of children to be offered places (subject to the receipt of information from neighbouring Local Authorities). This information is confidential until National Offer Day.
- Friday 16 April 2027 – National Offer Day. Decision available online and letters posted second class where appropriate.
- Friday 16 April 2027 – Waiting lists for all oversubscribed schools established and administered by the Admissions Team.
- Monday 17 May 2027 – Closing date for appeals (20 school days from offer day).
- May 2027 onwards – Own admission authority schools to inform the Admissions and Transport Team of the outcome of appeals to the independent appeal panels. Where appeals have been successful, the Admissions Team will deal with any resulting movement.
- Monday 19 July 2027 - Main round of appeals to be heard by this date.
- From Monday 6 September 2027 – Schools to notify the Admissions and Transport Team of any pupil allocated a place who does not take up the place offered or who leaves whilst the waiting list is maintained.
- 31 December 2027 – waiting lists cease to be maintained by the Admissions and Transport Team.