Secondary School Applications

[AirFryHalloumi]

Based in Surrey and thinking of moving house to try and get our son into a better school. House has had photos taken and about to go live on Rightmove. Deadline for secondary applications is 31 October 2025. It’s a possibility that we will be able to sell and buy by the time we need to apply but I have heard that even once the deadline has passed that if you move into a school catchment you can let them know and they can amend the application to give you more chance of getting that school. But surely a deadline is a deadline and if all applications have to be in by the 31st October then that’s final. Does anyone know please?

Are you moving within Surrey?

Their website https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/secondary/apply/step-5-changes#:~:text=We%20may%20ask%20you%20to,initial%20allocation%20of%20school%20places. suggests that you can make changes up to a certain date and the new address will still be considered (this is current year's information, but I imagine will be similar next year).

There is often an extended deadline to update address and it still be treated as “on time” but you have to submit the initial application by 31st October. Last year it was 12th December.

“After the closing date
We may be able to accept a change after the closing date, but only if there is good reason for making a change, such as a change of address, and only if we receive notification of the change and any supporting evidence by 12 December 2024. You can let us know of a change by using our contact form: Questions about schools.
Changes received after 12 December 2024 will not be considered until all on time applications have been processed, normally after 3 March 2025. You can let us know of a change by using our contact form:”

Check your LA's website or send them an email, I know in our LA you had to submit your application on time with your current address and then any necessary changes could be made but there was a cut-off, usually about mid-January.

Where I am there’s the first offer date and then second before June half term and third at the end of the school year. You might miss the first but depending on the school criteria be top of the list for one of the subsequent ones. There’s always lots of chopping and changing here even into the first couple of weeks of the new school year…. Expensive tho I you have to buy uinform then get given your higher preference school Into the term. (But cost is a drop in the ocean of a house move I would imagine)

@AirFryHalloumii am in Surrey too but a long way off from secondary school allocations, but I would check each individual school criteria - I've been told that some in Surrey ask that you have had the address for 3 years (this is normally the case for grammar for which there are none in Surrey, but plenty in Sutton which is the neighbouring borough)