Applying for Reception places

Apply for Reception places

Quick links

• National Offer Day 
• Making an application
• How Reception places were allocated in 2026 

National Offer Day

National Offer Day: 16th April 2026

Applied online?
You can view and respond to your offer of a school place by logging into the Citizens Portal.

Note: The Admission Portal will be down for maintenance between 7:30-9:30 am on Saturday 18 April 2026.

Applied on a paper form?

• you will receive a letter with your offer of a school place. 
• if you gave a valid email address, we will send you an email with your school offer. 
• you must email admissions.information@newcastle.gov.uk to respond to your offer of a school place.

Frequently asked questions

General advice

• accept the school place you have been offered, even if it is not your first choice. This makes sure your child has a school place for September 2026. 
• if you want your child to be added to a waiting list, you must ask us to do this. Your child will not be added to a waiting list automatically. You can ask to stay on the waiting list for any Newcastle schools on your application that could not offer a place. 
• only turn down the school place if your child already has another confirmed place. If you refuse the offer and do not have another place, your child will not have a secured school place for September 2026.

Waiting list advice

• if you want your child to be added to a waiting list, you must ask us to do this. Your child will not be added to a waiting list automatically. You can ask to stay on the waiting list for any Newcastle schools on your application that could not offer a place. 
• if you haven't been offered a place at a school in another local authority, you will need to contact that local authority to check that you have been added to a waiting list.
• from National Offer Day until the end of August 2026, if a place becomes available at a school your child is on the waiting list for, we will automatically offer your child that place. This means your current school offer will be removed, and the new school will replace it because it is a higher preference.
• if you ask to be placed on a waiting list but later decide you are happy with your current school, you must tell Newcastle School Admissions that you want to be removed from the waiting list.
• if you do not ask to be removed from the waiting list and a place becomes available, your current offer will be taken away and replaced with the higher preference school. You may not be able to get your original school place back.

For more advice and guidance on how to accept your offer or ask to be added to a waiting list, please see our Waiting List Advice PDF

Making a late application
 

Deadline to make a late application or ask to be placed on a waiting list: 23rd April 2026.
Date late applicants hear result of application: 26th May 2026.

If you want to make a new application and add more schools, and your child is already on a waiting list, you must include those schools on the new application form. Make sure you list the schools in the order you prefer. 
You can still make a late application up to 31 August 2026, but you must use the form below. You cannot make a late application using the Citizen’s Portal.

Starting School

Starting school is a big step for children and families, and there are lots of simple ways to help children feel confident and ready. Talking positively about school, practising daily routines, encouraging independence (like dressing and using the toilet), reading together, and giving children chances to play and socialise can all help. If you’re worried about your child starting school, support is available through their new school or the health visiting team.

Useful links

• Reception 2026 application form
• Important information about Reception 
• Legal information - School Admissions
• Key dates in the Reception process
• How reception and transfer places were allocated
• Delaying a child's start to school