Secondary school place offers
Finding out which school your child has been allocated
If you applied for your child's secondary school place by the deadline of 31 October 2024, you will receive an offer of your child’s school place in one of two ways:
- online application – your child’s allocated school place will have been sent via email on 3 March 2025 to the email address used to apply
- paper application – your child's allocated school place will have been sent via a letter posted on 3 March 2025
What happens next
If you are accepting the place offered and:
- the school is within West Northamptonshire – we will assume that the offer is being accepted unless you inform us that it is no longer required
- the school is situated outside of West Northamptonshire – you should contact the school directly to check whether you need to formally accept the place for your child
Parents who have made alternative arrangements for their child's schooling must let us know as soon as possible that the allocated place is no longer required. Email us at [email protected], and let us know the name of the school at which a place has been secured for your child.
If you are not happy with the school place offered
For a small number of families, we regret that it has not been possible to offer a school place at a preferred school. The document below explains how places were allocated at each secondary school (if the local authority is in possession of this information).
| School | Number of places | How places were allocated | Places remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeyfield School | 240 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. April round of reallocations: 4 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil with a sibling continuing at the school, and 3 out of 13 pupils who live closer to the school than any other school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.899 miles from the school. June round of reallocations: 4 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil with a sibling continuing at the school, and 3 pupils who live closer to the school than any other school. A distance tiebreaker was not required. July round of reallocations: 3 places became available. These were allocated to 3 out of 6 pupils who live closer to the school than any other school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.959 miles from the school. | No |
| Campion School | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place.
The pupil allocated a place in the linked area criterion lives 3.492 miles from the nearest alternative school. June round of reallocations: 3 places became available. These were allocated to 3 out of 4 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.820 miles from their nearest alternative school. July round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil living in the linked area, and to 1 pupil with a sibling at the school. The distance tiebreaker was not required. | No |
| Caroline Chisholm School | 219 | 18 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 1 child of a member of staff, 76 pupils with a sibling continuing at the school, 71 pupils living in the linked area, 14 pupils attending designated contributory primary schools, and 39 out of 107 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.029 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were allocated to 2 out of 3 pupils with a sibling continuing at the school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.561 miles from the school. June round of reallocations: 6 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil with a sibling continuing at the school, and to 6 out of 9 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.897 miles from the school. *An additional place was offered over the Published Admission Number to accommodate twins. July round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil with a sibling continuing at the school, and to 1 out of 3 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.924 miles from the school. | No |
| Chenderit School | 180 | 12 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 97 pupils living in the linked area, 38 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, 11 pupils attending contributory primary schools, 16 pupils selected for their aptitude in the visual arts and 6 out of 66 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.236 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 7 places became available. These were allocated to 5 pupils living in the linked area, 1 pupil with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, and 1 out of 41 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.196 miles from the school. | No |
| DSLV E-ACT Academy | 120 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Duston School, The | 278 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information. | No |
| Elizabeth Woodville (North Campus) | 120 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. April round of reallocations: 10 places were available. These were allocated to 3 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school, 3 pupils living in the linked area, and 4 pupils attending designated contributory primary schools. June round of reallocations: All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place | Yes |
| Elizabeth Woodville (South Campus) | 120 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Guilsborough Academy | 238 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Kingsthorpe College | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. June round of reallocations: 3 places became available. These were allocated to 3 out of 4 pupils living in the designated postcode areas using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.987 miles from the school. July round of reallocations: All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | No |
| Magdalen College School | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Malcolm Arnold Academy | 240 | Less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 37 pupils attending Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, 6 pupils based on aptitude for learning music, 61 pupils with a sibling continuing at the school or linked preparatory school, 18 pupils attending a named feeder school, 1 child of a member of staff and 113 out of 136 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.264 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 6 places became available. These were allocated to less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 4 pupils attending Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, and 1 out of 6 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school using the distance tiebreaker. The pupil allocated a place in the sibling criterion lives 0.591 miles from the school. | No |
| Moulton School and Science College | 240 | 7 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 150 pupils living in the linked area, 30 pupils attending designated contributory primary schools, 1 child of a member of staff, 18 pupils with a sibling continuing at the school, and 34 out of 71 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.335 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were allocated to less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, and 1 out of 10 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.442 miles from the school. June round of reallocations: 6 places became available. These were allocated to 6 pupils living in the linked area. The distance tiebreaker was not required. July round of reallocations: 5 places became available. These were allocated to 1 pupil living in the linked area, and to 4 out of 9 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.673 miles from the school. | No |
| Northampton Academy | 300 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information. | No |
| Northampton International Academy | 240 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Northampton School | 222 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information. | No |
| Northampton School for Boys | 230 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information. | No |
| Northampton School for Girls | 270 | The allocations below refer to pupils who sat the common ability test and fell within criteria 1-3 of the schools oversubscription criteria or fell within criteria 4 and were placed into ability bands. No places were allocated to children who did not sit the common ability test at the school. 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked after/Previously looked after children, 37 pupils with an older sibling at the school, 2 children of a member of staff. All other pupils who sat the common ability test were placed into 5 equal ability bands based on the results of that test and places were allocated within each band using random allocation:
April round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were allocated to 2 out 3 pupils with an older sibling at the school using the random allocation process. June round of reallocations: 1 place became available. This was allocated to a pupil with an older sibling at the school. | No |
| Parker E-Act Academy, The | 210 | 14 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, less than 5 pupils with a compelling social/medical circumstance, 65 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, less than 5 pupils who are children of staff, and 129 out of 141 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.993 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 6 places became available. These were allocated to less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, and 5 out of 6 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.99 miles from the school. | No |
| Sponne School | 232 | 7 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 5 pupils who are children of staff, 85 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, 127 pupils living in the linked area, less than 5 pupils attending contributory primary schools, and 7 out of 22 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 5.726 miles from the school. April round of reallocations: 1 place became available. This was allocated to 1 pupil with an older sibling continuing at the school. June round of reallocations: 1 place became available. This was allocated to 1 out of 3 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.112 miles from the school. July round of reallocations: 2 places became available. These were reallocated to 2 out of 4 pupils living in the linked area using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.694 miles from the school. | No |
| Thomas Becket Catholic School | 180 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. April round of reallocations: 8 places were available. These were allocated to less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 6 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school, and 1 out of 2 pupils who attend a designated feeder school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 0.384 miles from the school. June round of reallocations: All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | No |
| Weston Favell Academy | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. April round of reallocations: 6 places became available. These were allocated to 6 out of 9 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.21 miles from the school. June round of reallocations: 5 places became available. These were allocated to 3 pupils with an older sibling continuing at the school, and to 2 out of 17 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place in the ‘other pupils’ criterion lives 0.677 miles from the school. July round of reallocations: 4 places became available. These were allocated to 4 out of 17 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place in the ‘other pupils’ criterion lives 0.973 miles from the school. | No |
| Wootton Park School | 120 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is a Free School, please contact the school for further information. | No |
There are 3 options available to parents:
Parents can add their child's name to a waiting list for any school at which they have been refused a place. The must have been listed as a preference on their original application.
Parents can either:
- email [email protected]
- write to: School Admissions, West Northamptonshire Council, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE
Parents should not call us – they will be asked to put their request in writing.
The child's name and date of birth must be included on all correspondence. Failure to do so will cause a delay in the request being processed.
What happens if a place becomes available at my preferred school?
Any places that become available after National Offer Day (3 March 2025), or places still remaining on National Offer Day, will be reallocated within the additional rounds of reallocation taking place between April and July 2025.
All of those who:
- are on the waiting list
- have submitted late applications
- have submitted an appeal
Will be considered for available places against the oversubscription criteria for the school.
Parents of children who are successful in gaining a place during these rounds of reallocation will be notified in writing at the end of each round. Parents do not need to contact us.
How long will my child's name stay on the waiting list?
Waiting lists will be held until 31 December 2025. If parents want their child to remain on a waiting list after this date, they will need to renew their interest termly (by 31 December 2025 and 31 March 2025). For schools that manage their own in year applications, they will also manage their own in year waiting lists.
Parents should check with the school directly for their waiting list policy.
To find out which schools have places available see Breakdown of School Places above.
How do I apply?
Parents of children who wish to be considered for a place at a school which still has places available or be added to the waiting list for a school for which they have not yet applied, will need to make a new application.
Making changes to an application
Parents who have already received a school offer and choose to submit an additional application, will not be contacted before the application is processed. Any new school place will automatically be allocated and any original school place offer will be reallocated to another child.
Parents wishing to withdraw an unprocessed application prior to a reallocation round should email [email protected] to advise of this, providing their child's full name, date of birth and details of the application they wish to withdraw.
How will places be allocated?
Any available places will be reallocated within the additional rounds of reallocation taking place between April and July 2025.
Places are not allocated on a first come, first served basis.
If there are more requests than there are places available, places will be allocated using the school’s oversubscription admission criteria. There is no guarantee that a place will be allocated just because there were places available on National Offer Day (3 March). Parents should not decline their existing offer of a place on the basis that they have submitted a new application.
When will I be notified?
Each round of reallocation can take several weeks depending on how many applications are received.
Parents do not need to contact us after completing a new application. We will contact parents at the end of the reallocation round in which their application was considered.
Parents have the right to appeal against the decision not to offer their child a place at any of the schools where they have been refused a place. Parents choosing to appeal will need to complete an online appeal form or request a paper appeal form in writing from the Admission Authority of the relevant school (see below).
Appeals may be submitted for more than one school but parents must have applied for and been refused a place for their child at the school in the first instance.
Academies, Foundation and Free schools where WNC co-ordinates the appeals
WNC co-ordinates appeals for the following schools:
- Chenderit School
- Duston School, The
- Elizabeth Woodville School
- Guilsborough Academy
- Kingsthorpe College
- Magdalen College School
- Malcolm Arnold Academy
- Moulton School and Science College
- Northampton Academy
- Northampton School for Girls
- Parker E-ACT Academy
- Sponne School
- Wootton Park School
Parents should visit our appeals page for more information and complete the online appeal form.
Please note: appeals forms must be submitted to the Appeals Team by 5pm on 28 March 2025.
Academies, Free and Foundation schools where WNC does not co-ordinate appeals
The following schools co-ordinate their own appeals:
- Abbeyfield School
- Campion School
- Caroline Chisholm School
- DSLV E-ACT Academy
- Northampton International Academy
- Northampton School
- Northampton School for Boys
- Thomas Becket Catholic School
- Weston Favell Academy
Parents should visit the schools website to find out how to appeal. Or alternatively, write to The Clerk to the Governors, c/o the school for which they would like to make their appeal.
Find school addresses on the Gov UK online Schools Directory.
Parents can also visit the schools’ own websites for more information.
Schools outside West Northamptonshire
If parents wish to appeal against the decision not to offer their child a place at a school which is in another local authority (LA), they should contact the LA concerned to find out how they can appeal and/or request an appeal form.
I have submitted a late application - when will I find out which school my child has been allocated?
Late applications are applications received after 31 October 2024 and are dealt with in reallocation rounds. The date on which parents submit their late application will determine which round it will be processed in. Each round can take a number of weeks depending on how many applications are received.
Emails will be sent at the end of each round to all late applicants who apply online by the deadline for the round, letting them know which school has been allocated.
Parents of children on a waiting list will only be informed if it has been possible to offer a place. Otherwise, their child's name will remain on the waiting list for the next round.
Parents do not need to contact us after completing a late application form, or on the allocation round’s processing start date. Parents will be contacted once the round of reallocations is complete.
| Allocation round | Applications received by | Process start date (can take up to 4 weeks to process and send offers to parents) |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 4 April 2025 | 15 April 2025 |
| Round 2 | 23 May 2025 | 2 June 2025 |
| Round 3 | 27 June 2025 | 7 July 2025 |
Applications received after 27 June 2025 will be processed as and when received throughout July and August 2025. From the end of August applications will be processed according to our in-year co-ordination scheme.
Last updated 25 July 2025