How Suffolk parents can now apply for school places

The deadline for secondary school applications is Thursday, October 31 2024, and for primary school places, including infant and junior schools, is Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND said: “Parents and carers need to carefully consider which schools to apply for on behalf of their child.

"To make sure they have the best chance of getting a place at one of their preferred schools, they need to make sure they complete and submit their application by the relevant closing date.

Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND (Image: Archant) "We recommend that parents and carers apply for more than one school, and they can list up to three schools on their application.”

“I would strongly advise that parents and carers think about how their child will travel to school before they apply for a school place.

"It is important that parents and carers check which is their child’s nearest suitable school on our Nearest School Checker because this might not be their catchment area school."

Suffolk County Council says all applications received by the closing dates will be processed at the same time. School oversubscription criteria will be used where necessary to prioritise applications and late applications will be processed last.

94.7% of applicants received offers for their first preference school and 98.5% of applicants received an offer for one of their top three preferred schools in their application.