In-year admissions

Please note: The Admissions team have moved to a new system and therefore will not be able to quote waiting lists during the month of September. Please do not contact the team about waiting list positions as they will not be able to answer your request.

An In-year application should be submitted for children of school age requiring admission to a school in Reading.

You can apply for In-Year admission if your child is new to the country or returning to the UK, moving into Reading or if your child is already in a school but you are requesting a move to a new school.

In-year applications can take 15 school days to process but there may be a delay processing the application due to the volume of application that are currently being processed. The school admissions team will notify you of the outcome to your application as soon as possible.

Please note: You need to be aware that there are areas in Reading that are heavily oversubscribed. It is therefore not always possible to offer children a place at their preferred school during an academic year.

Children will be admitted into the year group appropriate for their age group.

National Curriculum Year Groups – from September 2022 
Reception 1/9/2017 31/8/2018 Primary 
Year 1 1/9/2016 31/8/2017
Year 2 1/9/2015 31/8/2016
Year 3 1/9/2014 31/8/2015
Year 4 1/9/2013 31/8/2014
Year 5 1/9/2012 31/8/2013
Year 6 1/9/2011 31/8/2012
Year 7 1/9/2010 31/8/2011 Secondary
Year 8 1/9/2009 31/8/2010
Year 9 1/9/2008 31/8/2009
Year 10 1/9/2007 31/8/2008
Year 11 1/9/2006 31/8/2007 

Please read the In-Year Admissions Guide for more information on the process. The Primary School Admissions guide 22/23 and Secondary School Admissions guide 22/23 are the relevant guides to refer to for any in-year admission during 2022/23. Please do not refer to the 2023/24 guides.

How to apply

Applications can be submitted four weeks in advance of a place being required. You can apply for your child’s admission using the In-Year application form.

You can list up to four schools, in order of preference. Our schools are popular so it is likely that a preferred school may be full. It is recommended that parents express more than one preference in order to maximise the extent to which preferences can be met.

You can choose any state school, even if it isn’t in our borough. If you wish to apply for a school outside of the borough you will also need to contact the relevant local authority and apply using their form.

You can find your catchment area school (also known as a designated area school) by visiting the My Reading website.

NB: Not all addresses have a catchment area school.

If you want to apply to an independent school you will need to apply to the school directly. We will not process admission for independent schools.

Moving address

If you have moved to the area or are moving to a new address within Reading and would like your child to attend a new school you must make sure you provide the appropriate evidence in order for us to process the application from the new address.

Please refer to the In-Year Admissions Guide.

If your child is new to the country, please make sure you read the In-Year Admissions Guide and guidance for applications for overseas children to check your eligibility to apply. Please also read the latest guidance from the Department for Education. If you do not provide the necessary evidence with your application there is likely to be a delay in processing your application.

If your child is new to the country and arrived on the Home for Ukraine scheme or Ukraine family scheme, please read the ‘Guidance for parents/carers and sponsors- for Ukraine Nationals arriving on Government schemes’.

If you are sponsor or family member wishing to support a family, please email us at admissions@brighterfuturesforchildren.org with details on the child requiring a place and we will respond with a personalised response.

If you are moving out of Reading or want to change your child’s school to one outside Reading, you should apply to that local authority and let your child’s current school know.

If you are a resident in Reading and your child is without a school placement, we will monitor your application until a place is secured. If you live outside of Reading you should contact your home Local Authority for further advice.

Not moving address

If you are not moving house, but want your child to change schools for other reasons, you can apply using the online in-year admissions form.

If your child is attending a local school and the preferred school is unable to offer a place, your child will be added to the waiting list. Please refer to the In-Year Admissions Guide for information on waiting lists.

If you want to move your child to a different school because of a problem with their current school you should try to resolve the issue with the school first.

If your child is attending a local school and you have not moved home, you will normally be offered a school place from the start of the new term.

Additional forms

Some schools ask you to fill in a supplementary form in addition to assess where you rank in accordance with their oversubscription criteria. You do not have to complete this, but it may affect your place on their waiting list.

Ranking considering Pupil Premium

Your child(ren) may receive priority for some schools if their current school receives Pupil Premium for them. More information about Pupil Premium.

All community schools within Reading Borough give priority to children in receipt of Pupil Premium. You will need to complete the In-Year Supplementary Form and submit this with your application.

Maiden Erlegh Reading also takes Pupil Premium into account as part of the admissions process, and you should use the separate Maiden Erlegh Reading Supplementary Information Form.

You will need to get your child’s current school to confirm they are eligible for Pupil Premium by stamping the supplementary form. Please contact the school if you are not sure whether they get this funding for your child.

If you declare your child to be in receipt of Pupil Premium on their application but do not submit the form, it cannot be ranked accordingly.

Ranking considering religion

The following schools take into account religious affiliation in their oversubscription criteria. Please complete the SIF (if you think it applies to your child) and return it directly to the school in question.

All Saints Infant School Supplementary Form

English Martyrs Supplementary Information Form

St Anne’s Catholic Primary School In-Year Supplementary Form

St Martin’s Catholic Primary School Supplementary Form

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School Supplementary Form

Schools you must apply directly to

If you would like a place at the following schools, please apply directly to them.

If you list one of these schools on your application, it will not be processed by the School Admissions team.

Primary:

Secondary:

Fair Access Protocol

Brighter Futures for Children, on behalf of Reading Borough Council, as required by the School Admissions Code 2014 (paras 3.14 to 3.22) has a Fair Access Protocol which assists local authorities to place students in schools.

Appeals

If you are not offered a place at a school then you will be advised of your right of appeal.

Should you have any further queries, you can call our contact centre team on 0118 937 37 77 or email the school admissions team via at admissions@brighterfuturesforchildren.org.