Essential Tips for Applying for 2026 School Places in Sefton

Posted on:
school

Starting Primary or Secondary School in September 2026

It is an important decision for many families when considering which schools to apply for when your child is starting school in reception, or transferring to secondary school Year 7 from primary school Year 6. Sefton Council has prepared two guides which provides parents/carers with lots of helpful and important information to guide you through the school admissions process.

It is very important that you read both guidesbefore submitting an application for your child’s school place. To help decide which schools you would like to apply for you should:

  • Read the Parents Guide - applying for school places 2026.

    • View Sefton Primary & Secondary Schools Admissions Information Guide to find schools in your area.

    • Look at the admissions criteria for all the schools you are considering.

    • Think about which criterion your application would be considered under and review the numbers of successful applications in each criterion for previous years. This should help inform your choices and chances of a successful application.

    • Contact the school to enquire about open evenings/days or personal visits. 

    • Look at other sources of information such as school website and Ofsted reports.

    • If applying to a faith school complete the supplementary information forms (which you should request directly from the school) if you want to be considered under a faith criterion. You will see if this is required for your preferred schools by reading the Schools Information Guide.

    • Look at whether you child would qualify for home to school transport for the schools you are considering - this can be found in Section C of the Guide for Parents.

Applying for a primary or secondary school place - Guide for Parents

The Guide for Parents includes information about:  

  • The closing dates and deadlines for applications (also shown below).

    • How applications should be submitted.

    • How the Local Authority processes both primary and secondary applications.

    • What happens if your application is late.

    • What to do if you are moving house during the application period.

    • How and when you will receive your offer of a school place around the national offer days.

Parents guide to School Admissions 2026(pdf 851KB)

Once you have read the Parents Guide you can then view the Sefton Schools Admissions Information Guide.

Sefton Primary & Secondary Schools - Admissions Information Guide

The Primary and Secondary Schools Admissions Information Guide includes:

  • Types of schools within Sefton, including the area in which they are located.

  • Colour coded area maps of all Primary & Secondary schools within Sefton.

  • The contact details for all Sefton schools.

  • The Published Admission Number for 2026 entry for all Sefton schools.

  • The admissions criteria for all Sefton schools for 2026 entry.

  • Catchment area maps are included for the small number of schools that have catchment areas as part of their admissions criteria.

  • Previous admissions patterns for most schools over the last 3 years.

Sefton Schools Admissions Information Guide 2026(pdf 14.57MB)

If you have read both information guides and are ready to apply for your child’s school place you can register & apply online via the Citizen Portal by following the link under the 'Do it Online' section on this page.

Citizen Portal online applications for 2026 entry into Reception and Year 7 will open on 1st September 2025. YouMUSTapply through your home Local Authority regardless of where the school you are applying for is located. As long as you live within Sefton, you apply through Sefton even if your preferred school(s) is outside of Sefton.If you do not live within the Sefton area you must apply through your home Local Authority for a Sefton school. 

If you have not used Sefton's Citizen Portal before you must firstregister by confirming your email address and setting up a password(in exactly the same way as many other websites). You must keep a note of your password as you will need this again to log into the Citizen Portal on Offer Day to view the school place offer.

IMPORTANT: If you have used Sefton's Citizen Portal before please check your details are correct, including your home address byselecting 'My Account' on the homepage before you start a new application.

Please also read thefrequently asked questionsfor further information.

Important Dates for September 2026 Admissions 

You MUST submit your application online via the Citizen Portal by thenational closing dateswhich are:

  • Closing date for applications to start Secondary School is 31 October 2025.

  • Closing date for applications to start Primary School is 15 January 2026.

Please submit your application as early as possible and no later than the closing dates above. 

Frequently Asked Questions for primary and secondary allocation of school places

 Expand all

1. I cannot access the online application (Citizen Portal) or I have forgotten my password?

2. Which school will be offered and when?

3. How is the 'home to school distance' measured?

4. How do I accept the place offered?

5. After a place has been offered how do I find out about other schools with places available?

6. After a school place is allocated, can I change the school preferences?

7. I want my child to be added to a school waiting list, what should I do?

8. How can I appeal when I have been refused a place at a school?