Key dates in the Reception process

Date	Event
1 September 2025	Application process opens online for 2026/27
15 January 2026	Closing date for all application forms to be received by the LA
29 January 2026	Last date for any late applications to be submitted and considered as exceptions
16 April 2026	National offer day for places
23 April 2026	Deadline for late applications and late changes to be considered in the late offer process
30 April 2026	Date for parents to accept or refuse the offer from offer day
18 May 2026	Deadline for appeal forms to be submitted for them to be heard in the first round of appeals
26 May 2026	Late offer process will be run to allocate places that have become available. Late applicants and late changes will be included, along with children known to the LA where no application has been submitted
June – 31 August 2026	Late offers made recurrently
June onwards	Appeals are heard
September	Your child starts school. If your child was not offered a place in your first preference school, they will remain on waiting lists for the schools you have requested until at least 31 December. If the school clears the waiting list after this date, they will contact you. If you want to change your school preferences from 1 September, you must complete an in-year application.

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