The deadline to apply for reception class places in September is days away, parents and guardians are being warned.

The date by which families need to apply is 15 January – a date set nationally, although applications are handled by local authorities.

Primary places tend to be less hotly contested than secondary, with than 90% of families getting their first choice in every local authority in the West Midlands this year (2025-26).

However, late applicants are less likely to be successful councils have warned. Birmingham City Council said most of its schools fill up with “on-time applications that met their admissions criteria”.

Application details can be found on the website of the local council where you liveeven if you want to apply for a school in a different authority.

This year’s process is for children who turn five between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2027.

Councils manage the process across their area, but individual schools set their own admissions policies.

Neighbouring authorities co-ordinate on cross-border applications. For example, the whole of Birmingham and the Black Country, plus Staffordshire, Shropshire and Telford have an agreement between them.

Each authority has its own guide for parents, including information on issues like catchment areas.

For example, most Herefordshire primary schools have defined catchments, but those in Sandwell do not. Either way, you can still apply for any school you choose.

If a school has applications than places available, then children are chosen according to each school’s published oversubscription criteria.

Individual academies may place their rules in a different order, with or fewer in particular schools. A typical list might look like this:

• Children with an EHCP (education, health and care plan)
• Looked after/previously looked after children (those who are in the care of the local authority social services)
• Children with siblings already in the school
• Exceptional medical or social need.
• Distance from the school

The Good Schools Guide describes typical criteria on its page about applying for a primary school place.

Some areas have additional criteria. Several, including Wolverhampton and Shropshire list the children of some school staff as one of their rules, while Solihull prioritises transfers between linked infant and junior schools.

Most local authorities have a list of primary schools on their patch with the specific criteria for each one. In addition, schools are obliged to publish admissions information on their own websites.

The DfE said it had announced £195m to provide both primary and secondary places for 2025, and £520m for places in 2026, to make sure there were enough.

Families will find out on 16 April where they have been offered a place.

The DfE said parents or carers who wanted to appeal should first contact the school’s admission authority – often the governing body – which is responsible for organising an appeal panel.

Parents and carers can find their school’s admission authority by visiting their local council website.

The DfE added the panel was independent and would look at the case presented by the admission authority and the parent.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire areas both have a number of middle schools, typically serving children aged between nine or 10 and 12 or 13.

The application deadline for these is the same as primary schools – 15 January.

However, the standard application process for secondary school places closed in October, with places due to be offered in March.

Parents who missed the application window can still apply, but these are considered after the on-time applications and processes can vary between authorities.