In-year school admissions

An in-year application is any application for a school place made outside the normal admissions rounds (reception, year 7 and (where applicable) also year 3 and year 10). In-year applications are for children who either wish to change schools or who have moved to the area and need to start a new school during the academic year.

Things to consider before applying to transfer schools

• When a child is currently in school, we advise parents to contact their child's headteacher to inform them of their intention to apply for another school place.
• If you are considering moving your child to a different Hillingdon school because of a problem with a particular school, you may be able to resolve the issue with the school rather than changing schools.
• If your child is studying for their GCSEs, other schools may not offer the same options as their current school, or may have a different syllabus or exam board. This could mean that the course work your child has already completed cannot contribute towards their final mark.

If, after full consultation with members of staff, you still wish to transfer your child to another school, you need to apply for an in-year place.

Important: You should not withdraw your child from their current school unless you have secured a place at another school.

How many schools can you apply for?

You can apply for up to 4 community schools on the CAF, which should be ranked in order of preference. 

You can also apply individually to any non-community school (academies, foundation, free, studio, voluntary aided schools and university technical colleges). There is no limit on the number of different in-year applications you can make for non-community schools.

Read the list of local authority schools.

Making an in-year admission application

You can apply for an in-year school place at any state-funded school in Hillingdon using our parent portal.

Apply for an in-year school place

Please note: You will need to register on the parent portal before you can submit an application.

If you apply for a non-community school using this form, the information you provide will be passed directly to the school and it will become their responsibility to process the application and make an offer where appropriate. 

We will process applications for community school places in accordance with the co-ordinated admissions arrangements, and you will receive a decision letter from our school admissions team, giving you the outcome of your application.

You can also apply directly to any non-community school (academies, foundation, free, studio, voluntary aided schools and university technical colleges) in Hillingdon, which may save time.

If you wish to apply for a school that is not in Hillingdon, you will need to apply directly to the school or through the local authority where the school is based. Each authority has its own arrangements for in-year admissions and you will need to check with the borough or county to find out the best way to apply for a school in that area.