Applying to school in an area we don’t yet live in

[wingingitandsoaring]

My son starts primary school next September (2026) and I want to apply to schools in the area that we will be moving to. We will be looking to move there in early 2026 but probably won’t have moved before the applications close which I believe is mid January. Does anyone know the process for applying to a school before you have moved to the area? We won’t have any proof of the move before it’s done because it’s not because of work. Any tips or advice greatly appreciated!!

@RareGoalsVergethanks for the detailed answer! Good to know not all is lost! I’ll do that and put an undersubscribed school as my 3rd choice and hope for the best!

We’ve just done this and just this week got a place in our first choice school near our new house. We moved within the same council, so I don’t have experience of two different councils but otherwise it seems like for like.

Deadline is 15th January, and our council had a separate deadline of 15th February to update any personal details including address. Had we moved by this deadline our application would have been considered as normal with our new address. Our sellers kept getting delayed which meant we didn’t move until nearly the end of March. I updated the council the same day, and they informed me they updated the address but the application would still be processed with our old address, but waiting lists would be based on new address. We had to provide proof of purchase which was a letter from the conveyancer confirming we had completed the purchase, a letter of exchange wasn’t enough. They also accepted proof of tenancy. It will get picked up if you use your partner’s address.

We had put schools in our new area on the list, but were given a school that we hadn’t listed that was much nearer to our old address (think 6 miles away). I contacted the schools and was basically told there is a lot of movement in reception and to sit tight. I thought we had no hope to be honest so was very pleasantly surprised to receive that email about our first choice on Tuesday! I will say that the school is huge, and of course having more classes means more movement and therefore more chance of getting a place, which has absolutely gone in our favour. I was undecided what I would do but I suppose we would have been looking at a transfer during the year but I’m so pleased he can just start with his peers at the school we wanted for him and I hope the same happens for you!

If you apply "in year" and there are no spaces in the school's Reception year then you won't get in.
Why on earth can't you move til January? The first few years of school are so important - why are you leaving it to chance?
You should be able to ring the local schools now to see if they have any places for this Sept - that would give you a big clue about where there would be spaces next year.

We applied for a school out of area, using our current address, and we got a place with no issues. It was across the other side of London - birth rates have plummeted so the school is undersubscribed. We checked on the council website (for the council where school was located) and it was undersubscribed for 2 out of the last 5 years, so we knew there was a good chance we'd get a place. A lot of very good schools are undersubscribed now just because there are fewer children to fill them.

OP why can't you just move in with your partner now? There will be settling in sessions before the school holidays and meeting the teachers, and if you are on a waiting list your child won't get to do any of that. You may not get a transfer then have your child in a school where you live nowm.you are making it all a lot more stressful that it needs to be

good to know! I will definitely check the new area for undersubscribed schools

I am obviously not purposely making it more stressful! If we could move in sooner it wouldn’t be a problem and I wouldn’t have written the post