When did you start looking around schools?

[Madeafewcakes]

DS won’t start school until 2025, when did you start to put feelers out for primaries? MIL seems to think it will have to be quite soon?

My child starts 2024, applications are open now. So whilst we had a school in mind we've been to visit afew more the last couple of weeks.

DD is going in September 2023 and we’ve been looking at open days this autumn, just had our last one with applications now due up to January. Decision day in April 2023.

For 2025, you’ll only need to apply in autumn 2024. In our area schools are undersubscribed so there are lots of open days, tours, events, info packs sent out through all the nurseries, etc. If you live somewhere oversubscribed you might need to be more active in seeing the schools. But MIL is wrong about it being soon!

For Reception in Sept 25 you'll apply Jan 2025 (England State school)

If there is a Nursery class, it will be a year earlier.

Thanks, I did think it seemed a bit premature! I think it’s a bit more oversubscribed where she is to be fair.

Open days here are all in September and October so guess you need an idea of which schools you're interested in by August 2024 . . .

I can only see you needing to think about it now if you may need to move house between now and then for a good school place or if you were thinking of moving anyway then best have it done before school starts.

mine started in 2018, I started looking in 2018...

Have a look at your local authority website too, it’ll tell you all the dates and the process, and have figures for acceptance rate to each school, links to Ofsted reports, etc.

No difference even in oversubscribed areas, there's Standard application dates for English state schools. Only matters if youbwant to move. The closer you are to a school, the better chance of getting in generally speaking.

If you're in England and you're looking at state schools then the application process is set by the Department of education. You can only apply in the round of applications before admission, so for September 25 the applications will be open December 24-january 25. Most open days will be September/october. You can't apply in this round of applications for 2025 intake

My DS will also be due to start school September 2025 and it didn't even occur to me to look for him, he is still a baby I have only looked at one school for my daughter starting next September but to be far I am quite sure about the school I want and will most likely get for her.

Undecided whether to opt for state or private so want to look round both

DD start primary school in September 2023 I have already looked at 4 schools and sent the registration form back. I have until January to tweak it online if I change my mind but I won't.

Oops I meant 2023!

I knew all about all of the local schools soon after they were born! And considered nursery's on that basis aswell.

Only reason to look around this early would be if you were moving and wanted to check on nearest schools to new home.

How did that work? For September 2018 you'd have had to apply by January 15th 2018 at the latest, so no point looking at schools after you applied

@Madeafewcakes for state schools you apply between September-January the year before your child starts, so from September 2024.
Schools will have open days September-November 2024.

Private you might need to start looking now or could be too late, depending on how popular they are and whether they select.

I'd start looking in September 2023. You'll need to apply in September 2024 so I'd start exploring schools to have a short list and do a more detailed visit the year you are applying. Taking your time and visiting more than once I think is very useful.

Some private schools do have waiting lists to be fair.

No point in looking at state schools at this point, unless it's to decide if you ight want to move because you don't like them!

Also, bear in mind, that many people don't really have a choice. We were only going to get into our catchment school so we just went to the Open Day during the application window to check we didn't hate it.

Mine went to a very popular private school and we looked when my eldest was 2 and the reception class nursery was already running a waiting list for 2 years time! With my other 2 they were registered into the school as soon as they were born. Some friends registered their child while pregnant.

After all the lockdowns I now look at stuff as soon as I can, even if I don’t need it for years.

My child will be starting the same time, we already have children at the school and his name was put down for nursery a while ago. More just so it was done, the nursery follow the same criteria for entry into the school, it's a religious school too so we had to baptise our children to get them in. It isn't first come first served as many schools aren't, ours goes by the criteria they set out it's something like children in care, baptised children with siblings at the school, baptised children in the catchment etc theres 6 I think. You just have to be high up on the criteria when you apply in the January. I think a lot of schools do this, distance from the school is high up there if it isn't a religious school, we just had to live in the parish.

Private school it probably is first come first served I suspect.

Some state schools (one in our area) give reception priority to those children who attend the school nursery so may be worth looking at schools if any run on that basis (especially if you want somewhere potentially out of catchment). Same if there is a waiting list for private schools on your radar.

Otherwise I wouldn't bother so in advance, all it would take would be a change of head and the school could look very different in 2 years time.