Primary school in-year admissions guidance

How to apply for an in-year admission

An in-year admission is when:

• you apply for a school place in an existing year group (outside of the normal admissions round)
• your child should already be attending school

You must apply online for an in-year school place. You can list up to 6 schools. 

Some schools manage their own in-year admissions. These are:

• Ark Oval Primary Academy
• Castle Hill Academy
• Harris Primary Academy Benson
• Harris Primary Academy Croydon
• Harris Primary Academy Haling Park
• Harris Primary Academy Kenley
• Harris Primary Academy Purley Way

Contact these schools to apply.

Read our in-year admission to primary schools 2024-25 prospectus for guidance on the application process and schools.  

Moving to a school outside of Croydon

To apply for schools outside of Croydon, you must contact the school admissions teams in the school's local authority.

Finding your nearest school

Use the primary school directory to find schools in Croydon.

Sibling priority

A sibling is defined as a:

• brother or sister
• half brother or sister
• step brother or sister
• foster-brother or sister
• adopted brother or sister

The sibling must live at the same address as the child you are applying for.

Sibling priority does not include children with siblings in:

• the nursery of the school
• the nursery of the linked infant school, if it has one

Applying from abroad

You must check your child's immigration status before applying. They must have either:

• a right of abode
• visa conditions that allow them to attend a state-funded school

You cannot use a 6-month visitor visa or a 6-month short-term study visa to enter the UK to attend a school.

If you are moving or returning to the UK, you should provide evidence of your UK address so that the distance criteria can be applied.

If you do not provide this evidence, your child's application will be assessed from your current address. If this is abroad, your child will have lower priority for most schools.

If you are eligible, you must apply online for an in-year place.

When you will get a school offer

We aim to tell you the outcome of your application within 20 school days. 

If you apply to a school that manages its own in-year admissions, the school will contact you.

If your child is not offered a preferred school

If your child is out of education, we will try to find:

• the nearest school with a vacancy
• another suitable education provision

Waiting lists

Check your child's waiting list position for in-year admissions. 

We do not hold waiting lists for:

• Ark Oval Primary Academy
• Castle Hill Academy
• Church of England, Catholic or Greek Orthodox schools
• Harris Primary Academy Benson
• Harris Primary Academy Croydon
• Harris Primary Academy Haling Park
• Harris Primary Academy Kenley
• Harris Primary Academy Purley Way
• Park Hill Junior School
• St Peter's Primary School

Contact these schools for waiting list information. 

Alternative school offers

If your child lives in Croydon, and we cannot offer a preferred school, we will try to offer the nearest school with places. 

This usually happens if either:

• your child is out of education
• you have moved and your child's current school is too far to travel to from your new address

Staying on waiting lists after accepting a place

If your child accepts a lower preference school

You child will not be placed on the waiting list for higher preferences.

If your child accepts an alternative school

Your child will stay on the waiting list for other preferences until either:

• the end of the academic year
• they are offered a place at one of those schools

Changes in waiting list position 

Waiting lists are ranked according to each school’s admission criteria. 

Your child’s position may move up or down if other children join the list who meet the criteria more closely than your child.