Applications can be submitted four weeks in advance of a place being required. You can apply for your child’s admission via the parents’ portal which you can access by clicking the orange ‘Apply for admissions’ button below.

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.

If you wish to apply for a school outside of Reading Borough you will 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.
Please note: 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.

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 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, and we cannot offer a place at one of our schools, you must contact your home Local Authority to enquire about a school place.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Brighter Futures for Children, on behalf of Reading Borough Council, as required by the School Admissions Code 2021 (paras 3.14 to 3.22) has a Fair Access Protocol which assists local authorities to place students in schools.

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.