How to apply

If your child was born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August  2023, you must make an application for him or her to start in a school Reception class in September  2027.

If you do not, or if your application is late, it may not be possible to offer a place at your preferred school.

You must complete an application form even if you have an older child already at the school or if your child already attends the nursery class at a primary school. Children in the school nursery do not transfer automatically to the school and are not given priority.

If you live in Bexley, you should complete the Bexley Primary Common Application Form online. If you do not live in Bexley, you must apply via your home Local Authority’s application form. You can apply for schools in Bexley on that form.

Apply online

Evidence of address and the child’s date of birth must be attached to all applications and supporting evidence if you have requested a special priority.

You can list up to six schools in order of preference on the reception application form and three on the junior application form. This will help the Council to offer you acceptable alternatives if it cannot offer your child a place in your preferred school. Your preferences should include all the schools you would like to apply for, including community schools, voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools, Academies, free schools and schools outside Bexley.

If you include any voluntary aided (Church) schools among your preferences, you will also need to complete a Supplementary Information Form in addition to the Primary Common Application Form. The supplementary form can be obtained from the school itself or from Primary schools your child can go to, and should be returned directly to the school by 15 January 2027. The supplementary form will ask questions about baptism, regularity of Church attendance, etc. If you apply for a voluntary-aided school but do not return the supplementary information form, your application will be considered after all those who do submit the supplementary form.

The Council will offer your child a place at your preferred school unless the school you apply for is oversubscribed and other children have higher priority under the admission arrangements for the school.

Deciding which school you would like your child to attend

To help you make a decision about the school you would like your child to attend, a list of all the schools within Bexley is available at Primary schools in Bexley. This includes community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, Academies and free schools. If any of your preferences are schools outside Bexley, you should include those schools on the same Bexley Primary Common Application Form. Before you make a decision about the school you wish your child to attend, you are strongly advised to visit schools. Head teachers will be able to answer any specific questions you may have and give you school brochures which set out information about the school, curriculum, pastoral care and other details of the schools.

Completing the application form

This is a checklist for parents when completing the online form:

• complete all the sections as fully as you can and provide all the requested evidence at the time of application and by the closing date of 15 January 2027
• the child’s home address must be where he or she is permanently living with the parent or carer entitled to receive child tax credit or child benefit. Upload a copy of your Council tax bill or tenancy agreement. We will check your address against records and may ask for further evidence
• if you are not the parent or legal carer, or if your child is living at a different address from you, you must explain the reasons for this with the application. We may ask for further evidence of your circumstances
• make sure your preferences are in the right order - you will be offered the highest possible preference of those on the form that can offer your child a place unless none of them can be offered
• give the name, gender and date of birth of any siblings already attending one of your preferred schools. A sibling is normally a full, half, step or adopted brother or sister living at the same address as the applicant. Check the school’s admission criteria for exact details
• give details and provide supporting evidence with your application if you are asking for priority because of medical conditions or a disability against each preference to which they are relevant. These must be provided by the closing date.
• if you are applying for a child who is looked after (in public care) or has previously been looked after but subsequently adopted or subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order, you must include evidence with the application such as a letter from the social worker or copy of a court order
• some schools may give priority to children of staff working at the school
• if you write a reason for your preference in the box provided, you must provide supporting evidence with the application form if it is a request for a particular priority, such as for medical conditions
• you can scan and upload copies of supporting evidence to the eAdmissions website or send paper copies to the School Admissions Team clearly marked with your application reference number and your child’s name and date of birth
• remember to submit your application. Submission of your online application means you are declaring that the information on the form is correct and that you understand that an offer of a place may be withdrawn if fraudulent or incorrect information is given
• check whether the school(s) you list as preferences require you to complete a supplementary form. Supplementary information forms, where required, should be returned directly to the school, and not to the Local Authority.
• apply online or submit the paper CAF by 15 January 2027. If your form is late, it will not be considered until after all on-time applications, and your child may miss out on a place at your preferred schools. Remember you must make applications for a sibling, as they are not automatically offered without an application.
• ensure you press the 'Submit' button on your application even if you make amendments before the closing date
• if you already have a sibling at your preferred school, who will still be there when your younger child starts school, ensure you make an application
• remember that there is no provision for children in a nursery school to automatically be offered a place at that school. You must make an application, but there is no guarantee that a place will be offered, as all schools must offer places in line with their published admission arrangements and children in the school nursery is not a standard for admission.

You can apply for up to six primary schools, in order of preference. The preferences can be for schools of any type (except private or independent) and in any area.

You will not increase your chance of being offered your preferred school by listing only one preference. You will be offered a place at the highest preference school for which your child qualifies. If, for example, you list four schools and your child qualifies for your second and third preference schools, the offer will be for the second preference school only. You will not be offered both the second and third preferences and be asked to accept one and decline the other.

Where there are medical grounds supporting your application, you should obtain a letter from your family doctor or hospital consultant and upload it with your application.

Just under 92% of children were offered their first preference school in 2026, and 1.5% were not offered any of their preferences. You should list up to 6 schools to ensure the best chance of being offered a school that you are happy with, including the schools closest to your home.