Secondary transfer: what you need to know

Key dates

Apply by 31 October 2026
National Offer Day is Monday 1 March 2027

Before you apply

You can list up to six schools on your application.

We strongly recommend using as many preferences as possible. Listing only one or two schools does not make those schools more likely to offer you a place. This is a high birth rate year and demand for school places is expected to be high.

Living in a catchment area, having a sibling at a school, or meeting another priority criterion may improve your chances of getting a place, but it does not guarantee admission.

Before applying, make sure you understand how admissions work. Read the admission booklet for 2027-28 (PDF) and speak to the Admissions Team if you are unsure.

Apply on time

The closing date for applications is 31 October 2026.

Applications received after this date are treated as late applications and will be processed after National Offer Day. By this stage, many schools may already be full, which could reduce your chances of securing one of your preferred schools.

Supplementary forms and supporting evidence

If you are applying for St Edmund's Catholic School, you must also complete the school's supplementary information form and provide any evidence requested by the school.

If you are applying for a school outside Portsmouth, check whether a supplementary form is required by contacting the school or visiting its website.

If you are applying under a school's medical or social need criterion:

select the medical/social need option on your application
provide evidence from a professional involved with your child or family
explain why the particular school is the only suitable school

Not all schools include medical or social need within their admission criteria. Full assessment reports alone are not usually considered relevant supporting evidence.

National Offer Day

National Offer Day is Monday 1 March 2027.

If you applied on time, we will email your offer on 1 March 2027. If we do not hold a valid email address, we will send a letter by second-class post.

Please check your spam, junk and trash folders if you have not received your email. Offers cannot be given over the phone.

Waiting lists and appeals

If you are not offered one of your preferred schools, you should accept the school place offered. If you decline it, your child could be left without a school place for September.

Your child will automatically be placed on the waiting list for any school you applied for but were not offered. Waiting lists are ranked according to each school's admission criteria, so positions can move up or down as applications change.

You have the right to appeal if you are refused a place at a school. Successful appeals are uncommon and usually involve significant and exceptional circumstances that demonstrate why a particular school is necessary and why alternative schools are unsuitable.

Parent checklist

Before submitting your application, check that you have:

researched your preferred schools
used as many school preferences as possible
completed any supplementary forms required
provided supporting evidence where needed
submitted your application by 31 October 2026
made a note to check your email on 1 March 2027
understood that you should accept any school place offered, even if you plan to appeal or remain on a waiting list

Need help?

For more information, read the admission booklet for 2027-28 (PDF).

Contact the Admissions Team:

Email: admissions@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Call 023 9268 8008

Apply to move to secondary school