Secondary school admissions - September 2026

If your child has special educational needs - but does not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) you should apply in the normal way. All schools should be able to support children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The School Admissions Code of Practice requires children and young people with SEN to be treated fairly. Admissions authorities:

• must consider applications from parents of children who have SEN but do not have an EHC plan on the basis of the school’s published admissions criteria as part of normal admissions procedures
• must not refuse to admit a child who has SEN but does not have an EHC plan because they do not feel able to cater for those needs
• must not refuse to admit a child on the grounds that they do not have an EHC plan

When researching schools, learn about their support for special educational needs. Look at their local offer and SEND policies.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may choose either a mainstream school or a special school. But only children with an EHCP will be considered for a specialist educational setting.

• All governing bodies are required to admit to the school a child with an education health and care plan that names the school.
• Schools must admit such children whether they have available places or not.
• The Equality Act 2010 prohibits schools from discriminating against disabled children and young people in respect of admissions for a reason related to their disability.

Further information can be found on the SEND Information Hub

Contact our SEND Information Advice and Support Service - SENDIASS

During your EHCP annual review meeting, you will discuss your child's needs and your school preferences. The annual review process will determine which school is named on your EHCP. Please contact your EHCP co-ordinator for further advice.

• If your child is awaiting an EHCP assessment, please contact your EHCP co-ordinator for advice.
• If your assessment for an EHCP has not been finalised, you should apply for a school place using the standard admissions process. This will ensure they have a school place if the EHC plan is not agreed.

Your child will be given a high priority within every Peterborough school’s criteria if they:

• were looked after (in care) and has since been adopted
• are now under a special guardianship or residency order (now known as a child arrangement order)

The Admissions Team can't see public care records. It is your responsibility to provide evidence to support your application:

• an adoption certificate or special guardianship.
• a residency order.
• a child arrangement order.

You will also need to provide contact details for the social worker assigned to the child.

We have information and our policy available on our deferrals, accelerations and delays page.

If you have more than one child going through the process at the same time, you must make a separate application for each child. Please ensure that you refer to each child on all application forms. The Local Authority will make every effort to offer places together for these children.

Many schools give priority to brothers and sisters. When applying you need to provide the names and birth dates of siblings who are enrolled in the school when your child starts. A sibling is a brother or sister, including half, adopted, or step siblings. They must live in the same family unit at the same address.

Every effort will be made to ensure that twins and those from multiple births can attend the same school. If you are applying and your child is a twin or multiple birth, please state this on each child's application form.

Please provide any two of the following:

• A copy of a current tenancy agreement signed by all parties and arranged through a letting/estate agency
• Current private tenancy agreement (not arranged through a letting/estate agency) must be supported with three copies of utility bills.
• A letter from your solicitor confirming exchange of contracts on your new property you are purchasing stating a full postal address and including a completion date
• A copy of your Council Tax bill for the current year
• A copy of a recent utility bill for your home address, showing usage - Gas, Electricity, Water, Telephone (Not mobile phones)
• A copy of your driving licence
• A copy of your rent book for a current Council tenancy
• A copy of a letter from a Housing Association confirming that you and the child are living at the address
• A copy of your house insurance dated within the last 12 months
• HMRC Tax notification documentation
• Credit Card Statements dated within the last three months
• Bank / Building Society / Statement dated within the last three months
• TV Licence (valid for the current year) with the name and address
• Letter from National Asylum Support Service (NASS) OR UK Border Force (UKBA) confirming placement at the address

To apply, you must live in Peterborough. If you are moving from overseas or out of area, you cannot apply based on a future house move.

When you apply may affect when your application will be processed. Please email admissions@peterborough.gov.uk for advice. You may need to provide evidence of a previous application to the local authority.

To have the school offer based on a future house move, include it on your application form along with supporting evidence. You must prove to the school your child lives at this address before September start date.

If you change your address after you have submitted your application, you must tell the Admissions Team right away. You must complete an amendment form on our website. 

If you have recently moved, and your current address is not the same as the one on your application, you need to provide evidence. You must provide proof that you were living at the address at the time of application with either:

• a closing Council Tax bill, or
• a closing utility bill for gas, water or electricity.

You will also need proof of your new address. To use an address, you must live there permanently and prove you have no connection to your old address. We will investigate all address changes to make sure they are permanent, not temporary for a preferred school. We cannot consider a temporary address. This includes:

• other property owned by the applicant
• temporary rental agreements
• temporary moves to live with friends or family.

We can only accept one application per child. We can only consider the application from one home address.

When parents share responsibility for a child, the child's residence is where they spend most school nights. (Sunday – Thursday).

Where residency is equally split, we will consider the 'residence' as the home where:

• the child is registered with their GP or health professional.
• child benefits are paid.

Please email admissions@peterborough.gov.uk for advice.

A mother automatically has parental responsibility (gov.uk) for her child from birth.

A father usually has parental responsibility if he’s either:

• married to the child’s mother

• listed on the birth certificate (after a certain date, depending on which part of the UK the child was born in)

You can apply for parental responsibility (gov.uk) if you do not automatically have it.

Examples of documents that denotes parental responsibility include:

• The child's Birth Certificate;
• Marriage Certificate;
• Parental Responsibility Agreement entered into by birth parents.
• Copy of a Court Order giving father parental responsibility
• Child Arrangement Order in respect of the child
• Adoption Order
• Formally appointed guardian of the child

We can only accept applications from a person who is legally responsible for the child. When a child lives with relatives instead of their parents, you will need proof like a Will or Court order. A private fostering arrangement will not give parental responsibility.

Please let us know if a parent who lives elsewhere should get updates about their child's application progress and result.

When parents are not living together but share responsibility for a child, they should talk and decide which schools to apply to. If we receive different applications or if the Admissions Team is told about a dispute between two parents, we will put all applications on hold. We will not process them until:

• one joint application is made, signed by all parties: or
• written agreement is provided from both parents; or
• a court order is obtained confirming which parents’ application carries precedence.

If multiple applications are received, you risk your child not being considered for a school place or an offered place being withdrawn.

If one parent has custody and needs to change schools due to moving, the application can proceed based on that parent's preference. If a child isn't getting an education, both parents with parental responsibility can be prosecuted.

Disputes

Parents are expected to discuss and agree upon important decisions relating to their child’s education together. However, sometimes parents do not agree, or one parent makes a unilateral decision on a child’s schooling without the other’s consent.

If you feel you have tried everything and cannot reach an agreement, then it might be time to seek legal advice. If this happens, your application will be paused.