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Online school applications

A guide to online school applications.

Track the progress of your application

If you submitted your application online, you can track your progress by logging into the Parent Portal. 

Applying for a school place online is simple, fast and secure. Make sure that you have read all the advice and information before you start. You can use this system to apply for the following school places:

  • reception – starting school for the first time (children born 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020)
  • moving from infant to Year 3 at junior school (children born 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017 at infant school)
  • moving from primary/junior school to Year 7 in secondary school (children born 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013)

Before you start

Before you apply online, we recommend visiting the school(s) you want your child to attend. You can contact school(s) directly to arrange an appointment.  Most schools will hold open events and/or guided tours for main round transfers for Reception, junior school transfer and secondary school transfer.

You need to read the information about the type of application you want to make.

Click on the links in the related contact panel on the right.

What you will need

When you apply for a school place, you will need the following:

  • an email address so you can apply and receive details of the result (need help setting up an email account?)
  • your child's details (name, date of birth, home address)
  • the name(s) of the school(s) you want. We highly recommend that you select four preferences 
  • additional documents you may need to upload (e.g. proof of address if you are moving or additional information about your child such as medical conditions or proof of baptism etc)

Getting started

The Parent Portal will be available on each of the school admission pages, when the application process is open for you to apply for a school place or respond to an offer.

How to register

Before you start your online application, you will need to register on the Parent Portal. When you register, you must provide your name, email address and create a password.

How to create a password

The password must be at least 12 characters long.  It must contain only letters, numbers and special characters (e.g. & # ! %). It must contain at least one letter.  One letter must be UPPER case.  It must contain at least one number (digit).  It must contain at least one special character.

Choose a memorable password.  Also, write it down and keep it safe because you may need to use it to apply for another child in a future year.

An email will be sent from donotreply@oxfordshire.gov.uk to the email address you provided containing an eight-digit code.  You will need to type this code in to verify your new account.  You can click on the link to request a new code to be sent, or you can go back on your browser to change your email address.

Log in to the Parent Portal

After completing registration, you are automatically logged in. When returning in future you must log in using your email address and password.

Each time you log in, an email from dontoreply@oxfordshire.gov.uk with a new eight-digit code will be sent.

If you forget your password

You can use the ‘Forgotten Password?’ link on the login page.  This asks you to type in your email address.

A new eight-digit code is sent from donotreply@oxfordshire.gov.uk if the email address is valid.  When this is typed in, you can set a new password.

School Places (Admissions) home screen

On the home screen, your details are in a box in the top-right corner.  Check these details are correct.  You can change details using My Account or when you start a new application.

  • you can click the link to 'Show Key Application Dates’ for the following main transfer admissions rounds.
  • you can click ‘Contact Us’ to contact the Admissions Team.
  • you can start a New Application.
  • you can ‘View Change Request(s)’ if you submitted an in-year application and want to change it.
  • applications you have already started and/or completed are listed below.

Start an application

Click the 'New Application' link.

Main round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer)

The closest schools to your Oxfordshire address will be suggested when adding preferences.  This will allow you to pick preferences quickly if you want schools near your home.

If you want other schools(s), you can search for them by name.

You do not need to complete the application in one go.  You can ’Save for later’ and return to complete it anytime.

Remember that applications submitted after the National Closing Date will be late.

15 January is the Closing Date for each year for Reception and junior transfer applications.

31 October is the Closing Date for each year for secondary transfer applications.

In-year applications

You must finish in-year applications and submit them. If you do not the council cannot start processing them.

Finish the application

When you are happy with your application, read the Terms and Conditions.  You must agree to them.

Then you can click on the ‘Submit Application to Oxfordshire County Council’ button.

Edit the application

You can log back in to edit a submitted application anytime for main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer).

For in-year applications, view the application you submitted and click on the option to ‘Submit Change Request’

What happens next?

Main round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer)

All applications submitted by the National Closing Date (see above) will be processed after that date.

All applications submitted after the National Closing Date will be processed after National Offer Day or at a later date (see individual transfer pages for key dates or the ‘Show Key Application Dates’ link in the Parent Portal).

We will email you on National Offer Day if you submit your online application by the National Closing Date.  You can also log in to the Parent Portal on or after National Offer Day to see the result and respond.

Do not contact the Admissions Team while your application is being processed.  The outcome is unavailable until National Offer Day (or later for late applications).

In-year applications

Applications start to be processed immediately after they have been submitted.

We aim to respond to applications within 15 school days after we receive them.  Sometimes applications take longer if there are delays in receiving information from individual schools.

Do not contact the Admissions Team while your application is being processed before 15 school days have passed.  The Admissions Team will be busy processing applications and will not have an update for you.  You can check the Parent Portal to see if there is any update online.

Online admissions questions and answers

I don’t have internet access or an email address. Can I apply online?

You can use any computer or mobile device with internet access, for example in a library.

Need help setting up an email account?

If you cannot apply online, apply using the paper form.  You can follow the links in Related content (above) for the relevant form you need.  Or you can ask a school to print a form for you.

We recommend you photograph or scan the completed form and send it to us electronically.  This is better than sending it to us by post.  A school may be able to help you with this.

I was already registered. Do I need to register again?

If you registered before 10 August 2022 you will need to register again.

The council has changed from the Citizen Portal to the Parent Portal.  Everybody needs to register a new account.

What if I don’t receive an email with the eight-digit code?

Check your spam, junk or deleted items (trash) email folders first.  The email will be from ‘donotreply@oxfordshire.gov.uk’.  You can add this email address to your address book, preventing the email from being blocked.

Contact us if you still need help.

What happens if my email address changes?

If you still have access to your old email address (so that you can receive the eight-digit code) and you have not registered on the Portal with the new email address, you will be able to log in to the Portal using your old email address, password and eight-digit code.

You can then change your email address on ‘My Account’.

If this doesn’t work, contact us.

Do I need to apply online as soon as the Portal is available?

No. 

There is no need to apply online as soon as the Portal is available. Many people will try to use the Portal on the opening day. Access may be slow.

For main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer), you must submit your application by the National Closing Date, giving you the best chance that your child is offered a school you want. Still, these places are not offered on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Applications submitted on the day the Portal opens are not considered with a higher priority than applications submitted on the National Closing Date.

You should research your preferences and perhaps visit schools first.   You can change your application and re-submit your application at any time, for example, if you change your mind about the school(s) you want.

For in-year applications, there is no closing date and they are processed as soon as they are submitted.

There is no advantage if you submit an in-year application quickly.  If the school you want has enough places, then a place will be offered.  If the school has no places, a place will not be offered.  Your school preference will only be considered alongside other applications (submitted earlier or later) if fewer places are available than applications received or children whose names are on the Continued Interest List (CIL).

Can I change my preferences if I apply online?

Yes.

You can make any changes you like for main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer) until the National Closing Date. If you make changes, you must re-submit it.

For in-year applications, click on the option to ‘Submit Change Request.’

Am I more likely to get the school I want if I apply online?

No.

For main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer), all applications received by the National Closing Date will be processed simultaneously, whether they were received online or on paper.

Online applications are not looked at more or less favourably than paper applications and are not offered on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The advantages of applying online are:

  • you can change your application and resubmit
  • if you choose notification by email, you will get an email on National Offer Day for main-round applications telling you the school your child has been offered.  
  • paper applications are sent by second-class post and will take several days to arrive.  
  • the council will not tell parents the outcome in a telephone call
  • you will be able to respond online

Do I need to apply online and fill in a paper application form?

No.  

You do not need to do both.

However, some schools and academies that make admissions decisions request a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) which collects more information than can be added to the standard online application.  You can obtain the SIF from the school and we urge you to complete a SIF if one is needed for your preferred school(s).

Can I ask for the same school more than once so that my child has more chance of an offer?

No. 

It is not possible to add a preference for the same school more than once online.

If a school is listed more than once on a paper application, this will be ignored, reducing the number of schools that can be requested.  The maximum is four.

If no place can be offered at any school(s) requested on the application, a place will be offered somewhere else at a school that was not requested but that still has places available.

What if I didn’t receive the confirmation email after I submitted the application?

Check on the Parent Portal that the application status is ‘Submitted’.

Check your spam, junk or deleted items (trash) email folders.  The email will be from ‘donotreply@oxfordshire.gov.uk’.  You can add this email address to your address book preventing the email from being blocked.

If the status is ‘Submitted’ and you cannot find an email, contact us.  We will check for you.

I missed the application deadline. What do I do?

For main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer), if you miss the National Closing Date, you should still be able to apply online via the Portal.

The application will be considered late. This means you will not receive an email with the outcome on National Offer Day.

You can use the space on the form to tell us why you could not apply by the National Closing Date.  Sometimes, this information can be considered as mitigating reasons if not long after that date, which might mean your application could be considered alongside the on-time applications.

We will write to you if we consider your late application on time.

If you cannot apply online, apply using the paper form.  You can follow the links in Related content (above) for the relevant form you need.  Or you can ask a school to print a form for you.

We recommend photographing or scanning the completed form and sending it to us electronically.  This is better than sending it to us by post.  A school may be able to help you with this.

How will I be notified of the outcome of my application?

For main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer), if you apply online and choose notification by email, we will email you on National Offer Day to tell you which school your child has been offered.

You can also log in to the Parent Portal to see the outcome online.

If you apply online and if your child is offered a place at the school requested as first preference and the council determines your child is not eligible for free travel assistance to the school, the email and/or the information on the Portal will be the only notification you receive.

Otherwise, a letter will be sent by second-class post on National Offer Day (please allow 2-3 days for delivery).

For in-year applications, we aim to notify by email (often with a letter attached) if we have an email address for the parent.  Emails are sent securely using Egress Switch.

Will I get a letter offering a school place?

For main-round applications (Reception, junior transfer, secondary transfer), see the answer to the question above: ‘How will I be notified of the outcome of my application?’.  Sometimes, we will not send a letter.

We will send a letter for the following:

  • applications on paper
  • for main-round applications, applications online where a place at the first preference was offered and the council has determined that free travel assistance should be offered
  • applications where the first preference was not offered
  • in-year application outcomes (a letter will usually be attached to an email if we have an email address)

How will I respond?

If the application was online, you can respond via the Portal.  The response for each preference will depend on the outcome.

For the school that was offered, you can:

  • accept the offer (for first preference); or
  • accept the offer pending the outcome of higher preferences (if not first preference); or
  • reject the offer if you have made another arrangement.  Instead, you will be asked to explain what your child will do.

For a school where a place was not offered (rejected), which is a higher preference than the school offer, you can:

  • not pursue a place anymore (blank response); or
  • ask to be added to the waiting list (Continued Interest List); or
  • tell us you will appeal and join the waiting list.  You will need to appeal separately (see below); or
  • tell us you have made another arrangement.  Instead, you will be asked to give more details about what your child will do

Can I appeal online if I don’t get the school I want?

You can appeal a school place using our online submission form. 
It will take around 20 minutes to complete, depending on the reasons and complexity of your appeal.