2. How to apply (Reception)

Application Deadline – 15 January

If your child is due to start school in the Reception year, you must submit your application to Oxfordshire County Council by 15 January of the school year in which your child turns four. Applications received after this date are classed as late applications and are processed after the first round of allocations.

Offer Day – 16 April

Oxfordshire County Council will notify families of their school place offer on 16 April (or the next working day).

• Online applicants receive an email
• Paper applicants receive a letter

Apply Online

All applications must be submitted via the Local Authority portal:

Apply for a school place: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/primaryadmissions

This portal also provides guidance, policies, and details about applying from within or outside Oxfordshire.

Late Applications

Applications submitted after 15 January are processed later, in line with Oxfordshire County Council’s coordinated admissions scheme.

• Late applications received before the LA’s late-application cut-off are processed for the second offer day in mid-June.
• Applications received after the council’s late-application deadline are not processed until after the late-offer response date (late June)

Late applications are far less likely to secure a place at oversubscribed schools, so we strongly encourage families to apply by the 15 January deadline.