Starting primary school September 2027

Before you apply

1. Read the Primary Admissions Booklet 2027.
2. If applying for a school outside Rotherham, check the admission arrangements published by the relevant local authority.
3. List up to three preferred schools in order of preference.
4. Remember that applying for only one school does not increase your chances of securing a place at that school.

Submitting your application

• Apply online through the Parent Portal.
• If you have not used the Portal before, you will need to register for an account.
• If you registered for a previous version of the Portal, you will need to create a new account.
• Make sure you submit your application when it is complete.
• You can view or amend your application until 15 January 2027.

Any changes made after the closing date will be treated as a late application.

After you apply

All Rotherham residents who submit an application by 15 January 2027 will receive a single school offer on 16 April 2027.

You will be offered the highest-ranked school on your application for which your child qualifies.

If none of your preferred schools can be offered, an alternative school place will be allocated.

No admissions decisions will be released before 16 April 2027.

Address verification

School places will be allocated based on your child's permanent home address as at 15 January 2027.

While proof of address is not required with every application, we may request evidence where:

• The address differs from information already held by the Council.
• There is reason to believe incorrect or misleading information may have been provided.

Applications may be checked against a range of records to verify residency.

Fraudulent applications

Rotherham Council takes any attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the admissions process very seriously.

If a school place is offered based on false, misleading, or fraudulent information, the offer may be withdrawn, even if the child has already started at the school.

Where an offer is withdrawn:

• The application will be reconsidered.
• Parents will be given the right to appeal.
• The child's name will be added to the waiting list where appropriate.

Apply for a School Place

For guidance on how to apply for a secondary school place in Rotherham, key dates, equal‑preference system, oversubscription criteria, required forms, church school evidence, and guidance to support a smooth transfer: Download the secondary application booklet

If you do not live in Rotherham, please do not apply here. Visit the website for your home authority where you will find details of how to submit your application, you will still be able to name any preferred Rotherham schools on your application.  Applications made directly to us from non-Rotherham residents will be disregarded.

• The National Closing Date for receipt of applications is 31 October 2026. You must submit your application by this date. If your application is late, you will be far less likely to get a place in your preferred school.
• You are advised to have read and taken account of the information in our Admissions to Secondary Booklet 2027/28 before making your application.
• Follow the 'Apply for a School Place' Link at the top of this page to apply online via the Portal. If you do not already have an account, you will need to register first. Please note that if you previously created an online account, you will need to register again as we have introduced a new Portal.
• Name three schools and choose them carefully.  Name them in your order of preference. 
• Applying for one school only at this stage will not increase your chances of securing a place at your first preference. If your first preference is oversubscribed, you may miss out on the opportunity of a place at your second or third preference by not naming the school on your initial application form and only applying for it at a later date.
• If you are including a school in another local authority on your application, we advise you check the website of the relevant local authority for the admission arrangements of your preferred school before submitting your application.
• Submit your application – please ensure that you have submitted your application once complete or it will not be considered. You will be able to log back in and view or edit it until the 31 October 2026.  Changes after this date will be dealt with as a late application after 1 March 2027.
• All parents who live in Rotherham and apply by 31 October 2026 will be made a single offer of a school place on the National Offer Day of 1 March 2027. This will be the school named highest on your application for which your child is eligible for a place. If it is not possible to offer a place at one of your preferred schools, you will be made an alternative offer. No decisions will be given to parents before 1 March 2027.
• Places will be allocated based on your child’s residential address on 31 October 2026.

Whilst we do not request proof of address with every application, proof of residence at an address will be requested where an address on an application form differs from the information we hold or where there is an allegation or evidence that a parent may have provided false or misleading information in order to gain admission to a school. Your address will be checked by reference to various records.

Fraudulent Applications

Rotherham Borough Council takes very seriously any attempt to gain an advantage in the admissions process by giving false information. It is important that the admissions system is fair for everybody. Each year a number of parents try to get a school place by providing false or intentionally misleading information, which could result in them taking a place that should have gone to another child.

Once the Authority has made an offer of a school place it may be withdrawn if the offer was made on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application or information from a parent which effectively denied a place to a child with a stronger claim, even if the child has already started at the school.

Where a place or an offer has been withdrawn, the application will be re-considered and a right of independent appeal offered if the place is refused, the child’s name will also be placed on the waiting list if the preferred school is oversubscribed.