Halton Local Authority's Admissions

Application to Secondary 2026

The deadline for Secondary 2026 applications was Friday 31st October 2025 and has now passed. The online system for Secondary applications is now closed and you will need to complete a Late Secondary 2026 Application Form using the link below or by calling in to any of the Halton Direct Link Offices to complete one.

For information regarding secondary schools in Halton and their admissions policies, please take a look at the Admission to Secondary School 2026 Booklet before making an application

You may also find the following documents useful when preparing your application:

Application to Primary 2026

Applications are now open online for parents/carers of children born between 01/09/2021 and 31/08/2022 wishing to make an application for their child to start Primary School in September 2026.

The deadline for Primary 2026 applications is 15^th January 2026. Don’t be late as this is likely to reduce your chances of being offered a place at your three preferred schools

For information regarding primary schools in Halton and their admissions policies, please take a look at the Admission to Primary School 2026 Booklet before making an application.

If you are unable to apply online please email schooladmissions@halton.gov.uk for a paper application form, or these can also be collected from any Halton Direct Link Office.

You may also find the following documents useful when preparing your application:

Application to Primary or Secondary School September 2025

If you have not yet applied for your child, or need to make a change of preference, for the current Reception class or Year 7 between September 2025 and 31^st December 2025, please email schooladmissions@halton.gov.uk for the application forms and a list of current vacancies.

Requests to educate outside of normal age group

For parents of summer-born children (those born between April 1st and August 31st), wishing to make a formal request to educate their child outside of their normal age group (i.e. they start Reception class in 2027 instead of 2026), please complete and return this Defer Primary Application form to schooladmissions@halton.gov.uk before the deadline of 15th January 2026. You should read the DfE guidance Summer Born Children: Starting School – Advice for Parents before making your decision.

Your preference school(s) will be contacted and a decision will be made in the best interests of the child at the earliest opportunity.

HALTON BOROUGH COUNCIL DETERMINED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS AND CO-ORDINATED SCHEMES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2026 INTAKE

Following consultation, the Council’s Executive Board at the meeting held on 16th January 2025, determined the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for the September 2026 intake, and the Primary and Secondary coordinated admission schemes for the September 2026 intake, which apply to all schools in Halton (Academy, Free Schools, Voluntary Aided, Community, and Voluntary Controlled). The documents are linked below:

Anyone wishing to make an objection to Halton’s determined admission arrangements must contact the Schools Adjudicator by 15th May 2025 to register their objection. Details regarding the admission arrangements for Academies and Voluntary Aided schools in Halton can be found on the school’s own website, along with details of how to formally object.

HALTON BOROUGH COUNCIL DETERMINED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS AND COORDINATED SCHEMES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2025 INTAKE

Following consultation, the Council’s Executive Board at the meeting held on 18th January 2024 determined the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in Halton, and the Coordinated Schemes for both Primary and Secondary schools for the September 2025 intake which apply to all primary and secondary schools in Halton.

Should you wish to object to the arrangements, objections must be made to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator by 15th May 2024. A link to the OSA website is here: Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Statutory Consultation – September 2027 School Admissions Intake

As statutorily required, the LA is consulting on its proposed admissions criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools for the September 2027 intake, together with the Proposed Coordinated Admissions Schemes for both Primary intakes and Secondary Intakes for the September 2027 admissions round. The coordinated schemes, following consultation and approval by the Council’s Executive Board, will then apply to all Halton schools (community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, and academy schools) for the September 2027 intake. Please be aware that own authority schools (voluntary aided and academy schools) may also be consulting on their own admissions arrangements for the September 2027 intake, so please visit the school’s own website for those arrangements.

If you wish to comment on the consultation, please submit your response to schooladmissions@halton.gov.uk by no later than 5pm on Friday 14^th November 2025. You will not receive an individual response to your consultation response.

Primary Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme

Secondary Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme

Halton LA Report to the Schools Adjudicator

Halton Local Authority’s Annual Report to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator 2025. Office of the Schools Adjudicator annual report is also available.
Halton Local Authority’s Annual Report to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator 2024

School Place Planning Strategy

School Place Planning Strategy 2023-2028

Data Protection

Halton Borough Council is the Data Controller for the personal information you provide.

We collect and hold information about you in order to process your school admissions request, including applications to primary, junior and secondary schools, in-year transfer applications and school admissions appeals.

For further information regarding data protection please visit our Data Protection and FOI web page

​Halton Local Authority's Admissions