1
Overview
This information only applies if you want to apply for your child to start in Reception at primary or infant school in September 2025.
If your child has an EHCP, you cannot apply using this form. You should already have received information from the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) in Chichester. Please contact them if you have any questions.
If you live outside West Sussex, you cannot use this site to apply. You must apply via your own council. This will be shown on your Council Tax documents. Please contact them for further advice.
Any applications from outside West Sussex will not be processed.
If your child needs a school place in a different year group or at another point in the year, you need to apply to move schools.
2
Find your catchment area school and other local schools
Before applying for your child's starting school place:
3
Before you apply
You must read the information for parents booklet, the appendix and the additional guidance pages before applying.
It is the responsibility of parents or carers to apply for a school place. You do not need to have a letter from the county council.
Follow our checklist to ensure you have completed all the necessary steps before applying.
Places for all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes have a limit of 30 pupils per teacher. If the 30th child given a place is a twin (or a child from a multiple birth) the other siblings may also be given a place, as permitted exceptions.
5
Apply for a place
Applications closed on 15 January 2025. To apply after this date you will need to complete a late application, which is available on the ‘Applying after the closing date’ tab.
If you have already applied and wish to amend your preferences or your address, or other details, information is available on the ‘Applying after the closing date’ tab.
6
Offer dates
You will be notified of the outcome of your application by email or letter, depending on how you applied. No information will be provided over the phone.
Applications received before 11.59 pm on 15 January 2025
- If you applied online we will email you the outcome of your application on Wednesday 16 April 2025. Emails will be sent throughout the day so we can't give you an exact time.
- If you applied by paper form you will be emailed the result later this day if an email address was provided with the application. The admissions office will contact you to request an email address if one is not specified on the form.
- If you do not have an email address you will receive a letter by second class post.
Applications received after 11.59pm on 15 January 2025
- If we received your application out of time (between 16 January and 12 February 2025) we will consider your preferences after reviewing all the applications we received on time.
- If you applied online we will email you the outcome of your application on Wednesday 16 April 2025, as long as you provided an email address in your application. Emails will be sent throughout the day so we can't give you an exact time.
- If you applied by paper form you will be emailed the result later this day if an email address was provided with the application. The admissions office will contact you to request an email address if one is not specified on the form.
- If you do not have an email address, you will receive a letter by second class post.
- Applications received on or after Thursday 13 February 2025 are late and outside the normal admissions round. They will not be processed until after 14 May 2025. You will be contacted after this date.
7
Applying after the closing date
On-time applications closed on 15 January 2025 and the processing deadline was 12 February 2025.
If you have not made an application, to apply now you will need to complete the late application form below. Be aware that these applications will not be processed until after 14 May 2025.
You will need an email address. All applications require a new account to be set up on the Parent Portal unless you have already set up an account, in which case you will need to log in.
Late application for a school place
(external link)
You can save your application and return to it to make amendments before submitting it.
If you began your application after the processing deadline date of 12 February 2025 you can edit your child’s details or make any other changes after you have submitted until the application has been loaded to our system. You must ensure you re-submit the application.
Be aware that these changes will not be processed until after 14 May 2025.
If you submitted your application before the processing deadline date of 12 February 2025 it has been loaded to our system. You can amend your preferences or your address, or other details, using the form below. You will need your application reference number from The Portal.
Be aware that these changes will not be processed until after 14 May 2025.
Change of application details form
(external link)
Do not use any of these forms if you want to move your child in a different year group or at another point in the year. In these instances, you need to apply to move schools.
Applying using a paper form
If you are not able to apply online:
8
After you get your school offer
Why an application may have been unsuccessful.
To help you understand the 2025 intake, you'll find details below about the total number of places offered, the last criteria/category and furthest distance offered within that criteria/category for each school in West Sussex.
- Starting school allocation day statistics 2025 (PDF, 91KB) - currently unavailable
You will need to cross-reference it to the relevant policy available in the Information for parents booklet and appendix.
If you did not get the school place you wanted, your child will be placed on a waiting list and you may want to appeal.
Find further information about waiting lists and appeals.
