The closing date for primary or junior/middle school applications is this Saturday 15 January 2022 and all applications must be made before the closing date to receive a school place offer on 19 April 2022 (national offer day).
This information only applies if you want to apply for your child to start school for the first time (children born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018) or infant school children moving up to junior/middle school in September 2022 (children attending an infant school who were born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015).
Please note – If your child attends a lower school in a neighbouring area and you live in Milton Keynes you can apply here for a middle school place.
Before applying
It is VERY important that you read a guide for parents and carers which gives you all the information you need about the application and allocation process.
Research the schools that you are interested in applying to:
Visit schools you are interested in, most have open days you can go to (check the schools website for details).
Find your catchment area school. There is no guarantee that your child will be offered a place at your local school. This will depend on how many applications are received for the places available.
Understand the admission criteria for your preferred schools (read section E of the guide for parents and carers or visit the schools website for details). This information should give you an indication of how likely your child is to be offered a place, especially for those schools that are oversubscribed.
Read the schools Ofsted reports, or visit school websites for information.
Applying for a school place
Applications are made online via the Citizen Portal and need to be completed by midnight on Saturday 15 January 2022. Important things to remember when applying:
We advise you to use all four preferences. Listing a school more than once or only listing one school will not increase your chances of receiving an offer.
Ensure all information has been completed correctly and no information missed. Any mistakes could affect your application.
You are advised to choose your catchment school as one of your preferences, should higher preferences not be available.
Ensure your school preferences include a school(s) that your child is most likely to meet the admission criteria.
If you apply after the closing date you are far less likely to get a place at one of your preferred schools.
If you are moving house during the application process, refer to Applying for a school places whilst moving home.
If your preference is to attend a school outside of Milton Keynes, you are still required to apply via Milton Keynes Council.
If you are unable to apply online, contact the Education Access team at primaryadmissions@milton-keynes.gov.uk for a paper application form.
Processing of applications
Between January 2022 and April 2022 the council will be processing applications. Your child’s information is passed to all schools that you have applied to. Foundation schools, Catholic schools and academies will then rank all applicants in order of the oversubscription criteria to enable us to allocate places in readiness for national offer day on 19 April 2022.
If you have applied for a school place outside of Milton Keynes, we will pass your child’s details onto the relevant local authority that will then apply their procedures and advise us if a place can be offered.
Watch this short video that explains the process for primary school admissions in Milton Keynes below.