Changing schools - advice to parents
You will need to make an in-year application if you want your child to move schools during the school year.
This includes:
Changing schools if your child already attends a West Northamptonshire school
Moving to West Northamptonshire from another local authority area or abroad
Living in a neighbouring authority but wanting to attend a school in West Northamptonshire
Learn more about the schools you are applying for
You can apply for up to 4 schools on your application and should list them in your preferred order.
To help you make your application we advise you to:
- familiarise yourself with schools in the local area. You can find your closest school by selecting "Location" and then entering your postcode. Please note the measuring system used is different to the mapping system used by WNC when we apply oversubscription criteria, so distances may not be the same
- use the WNC public web map
- check the admission arrangements for the schools you are interested in to see how places are allocated
What happens after applying
We will follow the process outlined in our in-year co-ordination scheme and will approach all the schools on your application to see if a place can be offered.
- If a place can be offered you will be sent an offer email confirming the name of the school that can offer a place (this will be the highest available preference)
- If a place cannot be offered at any of your preferred schools and your child already attends a local school, you will be informed by email and advised of your right of appeal
- If a place cannot be offered at any of your preferred schools and your child is not currently attending a local school, you will be offered an alternative school. This will be the closest school to the child’s home address that has a place in the child’s year group at the time
It is expected that your child will start attending the allocated school within 10 school days of receipt of the allocation letter. Your child should continue to attend their current school (where possible) until a school place at an alternative school is offered and a date has been arranged for admission.
Waiting lists
If it is not possible to offer your child a place at your preferred schools, you can request that they be added to the waiting list.
School waiting lists do not operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead they are ranked according to the school’s individual oversubscription criteria which can be found in the information above. When a place becomes available at a school, the child at the top of the waiting list at that point will be offered the place.
Waiting lists at all schools except those managing their own in-year applications are cleared termly. You must contact the School Admissions Team by 31 December and 31 March with your child’s name, date of birth and name of the school if you want them to remain on the waiting list.
A new application will be required for a new academic year.
Fair Access Protocol
All local authorities have a Fair Access Protocol (FAP). This ensures that ‘unplaced’ children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a school place as quickly as possible.
The operation of FAP is triggered when an eligible child has not secured a school place under normal in-year admission procedures. The FAP ensures that no school - including those with available places - is asked to take an unfairly large number of children who have been excluded from other schools or who have challenging behaviour.
There is no duty for us or other school admission authorities to comply with parental preference when allocating places through the FAP. However, parental preference will be considered.
Parents are encouraged to complete the questions on the in-year application, providing as much information as possible regarding the child’s previous history. This enables us to identify whether a child meets the criteria of the Fair Access Protocol or whether additional support may be required in school for a successful reintegration.
Special Educational Needs
If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, there is a different process for these applications.
Find out about the EHC Plan admission process.
Schools managing their own in-years
We co-ordinate in-year applications for the majority of schools in West Northamptonshire. In-year places at these schools are allocated according to our in-year co-ordination scheme.
Own admission authority schools (academies, free, voluntary aided and foundation schools) can choose to manage their own in-year applications.
See the list of the schools that manage their own in-year applications.
In-year applications for places at these schools should be made directly to the school.
Last updated 23 October 2025