Apply for a primary school
If your child was born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 they should start primary school in September 2020 and you will need to make an application for a place at a primary school.
How to apply
Your application must be completed before 15 January 2020.
You can apply now.
APPLY ONLINE FOR A PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACE
We write to families to invite you to apply for a place, the Invitation to apply letter (PDF, 367 KB)link to document provides information about the application process, however you do not need this letter to apply for a reception place.
Catchment or priority areas
Some schools in Leeds prioritise applications for children who live locally. This is called a catchment priority area or nearest priority area. If you live in one of these areas, your child will have a better chance of getting into that school.
If you live in Leeds you can use our search tool to find the priority school for your address.
CHECK IF YOU LIVE IN A PRIORITY AREA
If you are not a resident of Leeds (you pay council tax to a different local authority) you will need to apply through your own local authority, even if you wish to apply for a place at a Leeds school. If you live outside of Leeds you may still live in a priority area for a Leeds school. Find out by checking the maps in our find a school pages.
Preferences
You can preference up to five schools as part of your application. We recommend that you use all five preferences and read the admissions policies for each of the schools. Individual school admission policy information is available in our find a school pages. You may also want to read the section called "how places are offered" below.
Important dates for primary school applications
Primary school applications, important dates
15 January 2020
Deadline for applying
12 February 2020
Late application or changes deadline for the Leeds City Council admissions policy
16 April 2020
National Offer Day - offers released from 9am onwards
30 April 2020
First cut off for waiting list requests
15 May 2020
Deadline for accepting offers and first cut off for appeal forms
June to July 2020
Appeals heard by Independent appeal panels
May to August 2020
Places allocated from the waiting list
September 2020
Start primary school
Admissions Policies
There are different types of schools in Leeds. Some Leeds schools use the Leeds City Council Admissions Policy 2020-21(PDF, 527 KB)link to document and other schools use their own policies.
Schools prioritise applications in different ways. If you are applying for a school place and meet specific criteria for example, faith, previously looked after and catchment area. Please read the school's full admissions policy as you may need to supply a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and additional information to either the Local Authority or direct to the school.
It is important that you check the admissions policy for the schools you are applying for to understand where on their ranked list of applications your child might be.
You can find a school's individual's admissions policy using our Find a school page.
If you are want your application to be considered under a specific criteria in the Leeds City Council's admissions policy complete the relevant form and return to startingprimary@leeds.gov.uk.
previously looked after by the local authority (1a supplementary information form) (PDF, 168 KB)link to documentexceptional needs (1b supplementary information form) (PDF, 201 KB)link to documentrequest to be admitted outside of normal age group (admission out of chronological year group form) (PDF, 176 KB)
Before you apply
Before you apply we would advise you to:
visit the schools you are interested in applying for before you making your application to ensure that you are making an informed choice
read the information in the primary school brochure (PDF, 20 MB)link to document including the school information and oversubscription criteria to ensure you include school(s) where your child has a realistic chance of being offered a place
speak to staff in school or call the Admissions Team on 0113 222 4414 to clarify any issues you are not sure about
consider how your child will get to school and the potential transport costs
Before the closing date
Before the closing date on 15 January 2020 we would advise you to:
complete your online application and check you have received confirmation that this has been submitted
tell us of up to 5 schools you would prefer and read the admissions policies for each of these schools
if you are claiming exceptional medical or mobility needs (priority 1b) (PDF, 201 KB)link to document, check that your preferred school considers exceptional circumstances as part of their admissions criteria and provide any additional information necessary
complete and returned any supplementary information forms (SIFs) and supporting evidence if you are applying for a school place and meet specific criteria such as faith, previously looked after by the local authority