School admission rules

Admission policies and arrangements for admission to primary and secondary schools

If a school does not have enough places for everyone who applies, the admission rules for that school will be used to decide who will get a place.

When we allocate school places, only one will be offered, even if your child meets the admission rules for more than one school. This prevents some children from receiving no offer of a school place while others receive several.

Every school has a set of rules, known as the 'admissions arrangements' or ' oversubscription' criteria. Schools that are oversubscribed will follow these rules when allocating places. The school's admission authority sets admissions criteria. Oxfordshire County Council set the rules for community and voluntary controlled schools while governing bodies or academy trusts determine rules for other types of school.

The School Admissions Code came into force in September 2021.

The School Admissions Appeals Code came into force on 1 October 2022.

School admission rules 2026-27 (determined on 20 January 2025)

School admission rules 2025-26

School admission rules 2024-25