school admissions for Americans relocating

[vonmartens510]

Hello, I'm a UK dual national from California. My family of four is moving to Belfast next June to live for 1-2 years. Our girls will be Primary 7 and Year 9.

I'm concerned that applications for the next school year start in December/January and we won't arrive until June. Will we be too late to apply and be admitted to a school? We can't apply until we establish residency, I'm told.

Is there a huge difference between the various schools? We're open to all types and kids currently attend a Catholic school. Do i have to contact each school individually to find out if they have openings? Can I use a relative's address as a proxy to get the process started and update my address later? Is there a service I can contact to help with this process?

Thanks so much!