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Transfer to Secondary School or from Middle to High School, September 2026

The online facility to respond to your child’s school offer for Transfer to Secondary School and Middle to High School for September 2026 has closed.

If you submitted a waiting list request by midnight, 16 March 2026, it will be processed in the second round of admissions and you will be notified of the outcome of your request by letter by 6 April 2026.

IMPORTANT

  • If we are able to offer your child a place from any of the waiting lists in the second round of admissions, then your original offer will be withdrawn and the new school allocated in its place
  • We’re currently compiling waiting lists and are therefore unable to provide parents/carers with information regarding their child’s position on any waiting list(s) at this time. If your child is not allocated a new school from your waiting list request in your letter in April, you can then contact us for your child’s waiting list position
  • If you have moved address, please inform us and provide proof of the new address
  • If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, please contact your child’s case coordinator with any queries

Waiting list requests can still be submitted now, using the methods below, but they will be classed as late for the second round of admissions. Late waiting list requests will only be processed after all on time requests have been administered. You may not receive an outcome to your late waiting list request until late-April/early-May 2026.

To submit a late waiting list request, please complete the Secondary Reply Form. Or, if you are: 

  • A Gloucestershire resident applying for the first time
  • An Out of County applicant requiring a Gloucestershire School (even if you have previously applied but want your child’s name added to a waiting list)

Please complete the Secondary 2026 Waiting List CAF available as a download in the Related Documents column.

Grammar Test Information for September 2026 Intake

The Entrance test and the Late Entrance test for the grammar schools have both been sat and therefore if your child has not sat either test, you cannot apply for a grammar school place. Please speak with the grammar school/s of your choice to inquire if there are any options.

If your child has previously taken the test but you did not request the test score to be shared with other schools, you can now do so by listing the school/s on your reply form.

If your child has previously taken the test but did not achieve a qualifying score, you cannot request to be on the waiting list for the grammar school. However, you do have the right to appeal. To submit an appeal for a grammar school, please contact the school/s directly for their appeal forms.

Appeals

Every parent has the legal right to appeal for a school their child has been refused a place at. Appeals are heard by a panel of three independent people who hear your reasons for wanting a place at the school and the school’s reasons for being unable to admit any further children. This panel has the authority to allocate your child a place in the school over the school’s admissions number, if they feel the personal circumstances outweigh the school’s reasons.

To submit an appeal for an academy or foundation school, please contact the school directly for their appeal forms which must be completed and submitted back to them. To submit an appeal for a community school, please contact school.admissions@gloucestershire.gov.uk for the appeal forms.

Please note that the only community school in Gloucestershire is Archway School; all other schools are academies or foundation schools.

The schools will have set an appeals deadline and all appeals submitted by the deadline will be heard in time for the start of the academic year. You may be able to find the details of appeal timelines on the schools’ websites, if not please contact the school directly.

 Key Dates

From noon 19 May 2025 to noon 27 June 2025 Online registration period for Grammar Entrance Test

3 September 2025

 Online application facility opens

13 September 2025

 Grammar School Entrance Test Day
Prior 31 October 2025 Grammar School Test results sent out

Midnight, 31 October 2025

 Closing date for applications

31 January 2026

 Late Grammar School Entrance Test Day
2 March 2026 Allocation Day & parents/carers will receive the results of the late grammar school entrance test from the grammar schools directly
Midnight, 16 March 2026 Closing date for acceptances/declines and waiting list requests

By 6 April 2026

 Outcome of waiting list requests sent out

10 April 2026

 Closing date for waiting list round responses

May to July 2026

 Appeals

For Information and guidance regarding Middle to High School transfer, please visit the relevant authority's website.

Grammar School Entrance Test Information for September 2027 Intake

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test registration window for 2027 intake will be open from noon, 18 May 2026 to noon, 26 June 2026. The schools are planning for the Entrance Test to take place on Saturday 12 September 2026.

Please be advised that the registration for and administration of the Admissions Entrance Test is all carried out by the Gloucestershire grammar schools themselves and therefore any queries in reference to the Entrance Test should be directed to the grammar schools. After the test, every grammar school you have opted to share your child's score with will send you confirmation of whether your child has achieved a qualifying score for that school or not. Again, this is carried out by the Gloucestershire grammar schools and the Co-ordinated Admissions Team does not have access to this information.

It is important to note that obtaining a qualifying rank on the Entrance Test is not an automatic offer of a place in the grammar school(s). Parents/carers must also list the grammar school(s) on their secondary school application form to their home local authority between September 2026 and the closing date of 31 October 2026.

Please note - your child will not be offered a place in a grammar school if it has not been listed on your secondary school application form.

An application must be made to the county council for every child starting at secondary school in September.

Applications can be made online 24 hours a day, seven days a week from September until midnight, 31 October or a paper form which can be downloaded from this webpage and returned to the team.

Full information on the admissions process and information about individual schools is available in Information and Guidance booklet available online. It is important to read this information before applying for a school place.

Parents/carers are encouraged to list five preferred schools on their form as school places cannot be guaranteed - failing to include second, third, fourth and fifth preferences could lead to students being allocated a school that their parent/carer would not have listed.

Parents/carers will find out which school they have been allocated on 2 March and will need to return the reply form by 16 March. Parents/carers who have requested to go on a waiting list, requested an alternative placement or have made a late application will receive the result by 6 April.

An application must be made to the county council for every child starting at secondary school in September.

Applications can be made online 24 hours a day, seven days a week from September until midnight, 31 October or a paper form which can be downloaded from this webpage and returned to the team.

Full information on the admissions process and information about individual schools is available in Information and Guidance booklet available online. It is important to read this information before applying for a school place.

Parents/carers are encouraged to list five preferred schools on their form as school places cannot be guaranteed - failing to include second, third, fourth and fifth preferences could lead to students being allocated a school that their parent/carer would not have listed.

Parents/carers will find out which school they have been allocated on 2 March and will need to return the reply form by 16 March. Parents/carers who have requested to go on a waiting list, requested an alternative placement or have made a late application will receive the result by 6 April.

In certain circumstances your child may get help with the cost of transport to school. We need to know how many students need transport several months before they start school in September. You therefore need to apply as soon as you know which school your child will be going to and ensure the transport application is submitted no later later 30 April 2026, to allow time to assess eligibility and arrange transport for September 2026.

You can find out how to apply on our school transport pages.

In certain circumstances your child may get help with the cost of transport to school. We need to know how many students need transport several months before they start school in September. You therefore need to apply as soon as you know which school your child will be going to and ensure the transport application is submitted no later later 30 April 2026, to allow time to assess eligibility and arrange transport for September 2026.

You can find out how to apply on our school transport pages.

If you only put one preference, you will be allocated that school.

No, you could disadvantage yourself by not using all your preferences. If you only name one, you will only be considered for that school and if you don't get a place, you could be allocated a school far away.

If you name the same school in all five preferences, you are considered five times for that school.

No, this is the same as only naming one school.

Schools will only look at those students who have named them as first preference.

No, schools do not know in which order they have been named. An equal ranking system is used to allocate places.

If I think my preferred school will be oversubscribed, there is no point applying.

You should list your preferences in your preferred order (the order you which you want them considered) as demand for places changes every year.

I am guaranteed a place at my local school even if I don't name it as a preference.

No, you must name your local school if you want to be considered for a place there. If we cannot offer any of your preferences and you have not applied for your local school, it is unlikely you will be offered a place there.

I do not need to apply as I have an older child already attending the school.

No, you do still need to make an application for your younger child to join the school. If you do not, the school’s spaces may be filled with parents who did apply and your child may not be allocated a place.

If you apply late, you will still be allocated one of your choices.

No, if your application is late (or you do not apply) you will be offered a place at the nearest school to your home address that has space available. This may not be your nearest school, or a school of your choice, and you will be responsible for transport costs.

If you only put one preference, you will be allocated that school.

No, you could disadvantage yourself by not using all your preferences. If you only name one, you will only be considered for that school and if you don't get a place, you could be allocated a school far away.

If you name the same school in all five preferences, you are considered five times for that school.

No, this is the same as only naming one school.

Schools will only look at those students who have named them as first preference.

No, schools do not know in which order they have been named. An equal ranking system is used to allocate places.

If I think my preferred school will be oversubscribed, there is no point applying.

You should list your preferences in your preferred order (the order you which you want them considered) as demand for places changes every year.

I am guaranteed a place at my local school even if I don't name it as a preference.

No, you must name your local school if you want to be considered for a place there. If we cannot offer any of your preferences and you have not applied for your local school, it is unlikely you will be offered a place there.

I do not need to apply as I have an older child already attending the school.

No, you do still need to make an application for your younger child to join the school. If you do not, the school’s spaces may be filled with parents who did apply and your child may not be allocated a place.

If you apply late, you will still be allocated one of your choices.

No, if your application is late (or you do not apply) you will be offered a place at the nearest school to your home address that has space available. This may not be your nearest school, or a school of your choice, and you will be responsible for transport costs.

For information and to apply for a place at SGS Berkeley Green UTC please visit their website www.berkeleygreenutc.org.uk.

For information regarding UTC's outside Gloucestershire please visit the websites for these establishments and follow the procedures outlined in their policies.

For information and to apply for a place at SGS Berkeley Green UTC please visit their website www.berkeleygreenutc.org.uk.

For information regarding UTC's outside Gloucestershire please visit the websites for these establishments and follow the procedures outlined in their policies.

To apply for a school place if you move to the area during the school year or your child needs to move school for other reasons go to our in-year admissions page.

To apply for a school place if you move to the area during the school year or your child needs to move school for other reasons go to our in-year admissions page.

Contact us

If you have not managed to find an answer to your question in the information above or in the booklets, contact us on 01452 425407 or school.admissions@gloucestershire.gov.uk