Parents of children who live in Nottingham City and who are due to start secondary school in September 2019 should now be applying for their places.
Applications for children going into Year 7 – for children born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 – can be made online until the closing date of 31 October 2018.
The process is simple and all of the instructions and the form are available at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/education-and-schools/school-admissions/transfer-to-secondary-school-in-year-7.
Parents and carers are strongly advised to make four preferences, and this should include the school that they will meet the highest criteria for, i.e. if they live in the catchment area of a school. Otherwise, if they are not successful in their preferences then a place may be allocated at a school that may not have been previously considered.
A decision will be made on all on-time applications on National Offer Day, which for secondary schools is 1 March 2019.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills at Nottingham City Council, said: “Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions a parent can make, especially with the transition from primary to secondary school.
“Our admissions team works tirelessly to match as many children to their first-choice school. Parents and carers can help us by ensuring they get their application in before the 31 October deadline in order to make the opening round of admissions, giving them the best chance of getting the school they want.
“We’ve made the application process as simple as possible, so please read the requirements carefully, use all your available preferences and make sure we receive it on time.”
Nottingham City Council has been working to increase capacity in city schools since 2009 to help more parents get a place at their preferred school. Around £42m investment in schools has added around 5,000 extra places.