Reception applications

Before you complete an application, we recommend visiting the school you want your child to attend. Contact the school to arrange an appointment.

You can also:

• talk to other parents
• look at your catchment area
• attend open days.

Consider schools in your catchment area

Many, but not all, primary and infant schools have catchment (or designated) areas.

Where your child has a catchment area school, they are more likely to get a place, but it isn't guaranteed. If there are more applications than places, we follow the school's published admission rules to decide priority. We advise that you list your catchment school as one of your preferences if there is one for your address. 

You can find details of catchment areas for schools that use them on our list of schools page.

Think about how your child will get to school

Free home-to-school transport

We provide free home-to-school transport in limited circumstances as detailed in our policy.

Primary and infant school children are eligible for free home-to-school transport, where:

• they attend their nearest available school (not always their catchment school) and 
• the school is more than two miles from their home address.

We may provide transport where the distance to the nearest available school is less than two miles, and we have listed the route as dangerous. Visit the travelling to school page for further details and the full transport policy.

Nearest available school

When assessing free transport, we do not measure the distance to the nearest school in the same way as the catchment school. So, the nearest school may not be your child's catchment school.

Think about how your child will get to school if you apply to a school that's further than your nearest available school.

To find out where your nearest school is, contact us. 

New primary schools in Oxfordshire

The following primary schools are scheduled to open in Oxfordshire in September 2023.

Graven Hill Primary School

• Location: Bicester
• Published Admission Number: 60
• For further information on admissions contact: admissions@gravenhillprimary.school
• School website: www.gravenhillprimary.school

Sires Hill Primary Academy

• Location: Didcot
• Published Admission Number: 30
• For further information contact: Sarah Bellingham admin@omnialearningtrust.org
• Applications can be submitted via the school’s website: www.sireshillprimaryacademy.org.uk

St John's Church of England Primary School

• Location: Grove, Wantage
• Published Admission Number: 60
• For further information  contact the Headteacher, Kerry Cottrell, with initial enquiries via enquiries-primary@stjohnsce.vale-academy.org
• Applications can be submitted online via: www.vale-academy.org/stjohns

List of (existing) schools

Find details for every existing state-funded Oxfordshire school on our list of schools page. You can find each school's:

• location
• contact details
• catchment area (where it has one)
• admissions rules
• history of allocation data.

How places were allocated in previous years

The catchment area is one of the ways that places at schools are decided. There are other factors, such as whether a child has a brother or sister at the school or whether they have special educational needs. Religious or faith schools could use the religion of your child or family as a deciding factor.

Find the admission rules for all state-funded secondary schools, and how places were allocated on the individual school pages.

Delaying entry to infant and primary school

Parents may request to delay their application for entry to an infant and primary school. Learn how to delay reception application.

Independent school

If your child is going to attend an independent school, you must tell us the school name in writing as soon as possible.

Home educating

If you are going to educate your child at home, please let us know in writing as soon as possible. Contact the Elective Home Education Team.

Leaving Oxfordshire

If you are leaving the area and no longer require a school place in Oxfordshire, contact us as soon as possible.

Where to get more information

For advice and information about applying for a primary or infant school place, contact us (School Admissions Team).

Find more detailed information about the application process for primary and infant school in our Starting school booklet (pdf format, 1.1 MB).