Choosing schools: how to read admissions criteria

Key takeaways

• →In 2026, 95.0% of children in England got one of their top three secondary schools, and 83.6% got their first preference.
• →Every state-funded school must give top priority to children in care or who have previously been in care.
• →Other common criteria are siblings, distance or catchment, faith, an entrance test and feeder primary schools.
• →Read the criteria in order, find the tie-breaker, and ask how far away the last place offered was last year.

1. Why this week

Secondary applications close on 31 October. Before you rank your schools, read each one’s admissions criteria: the rules for who gets a place when there are more applicants than places.^[3]

2. What the numbers say

In 2026, 83.6% of children in England were offered their first-preference secondary school, 95.0% got one of their top three, and 96.4% got a school they had listed.^[1]

So most families get a school they chose. The criteria decide which one.

3. What schools can prioritise

Every state-funded school must give top priority to children who are in care or have previously been in care. After that, schools or councils set their own criteria.^[2]

4. How to read a policy

Criteria are listed in priority order, and every policy must have a tie-breaker, often distance and sometimes a random draw. Read them in order, then find the tie-breaker.^[3]

Ask your council or the school how places went last year, such as how far away the last child offered a place lived. Check for extra forms too: faith schools often need a supplementary form with its own deadline.

Read the criteria, then rank.

5. How you can help

List schools in your true order of preference, because councils use an equal-preference system. Include at least one school where your child clearly meets the criteria. Our open evenings checklist has the questions to ask on visits.

Ready for secondary: Our qualified teachers help children get ready for Year 7, one-to-one, online or in person. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

1. 1. Who gets top priority at every state-funded school?

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2. 2. What is a tie-breaker?

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3. 3. What share of children got one of their top three secondary schools in 2026?

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Your next steps

• Read each school’s admissions criteria in order.
• Ask how far away last year’s last offer lived.
• Check for supplementary forms and their deadlines.