When applying for a Year 7 secondary school place in England, parents submit one online form to their local authority — often called the Common Application Form (CAF). This form covers all your school preferences. You do not apply directly to individual schools, and it is submitted just once, regardless of how many schools you want to include.
What is the Common Application Form?
The Common Application Form is the standardised admissions application managed by your local authority (LA). It is submitted online through the LA's website, usually from early September to 31 October of the year your child is in Year 6. Each LA has its own version of the form, but the core elements are the same:
- Your child's personal details
- Your current home address (this is critical for distance and catchment calculations)
- Your list of school preferences, in ranked order
- Any additional information required by the specific schools you are listing (see supplementary forms below)
The form is submitted once per child. Most LAs allow parents to change their preferences up until the closing date without resubmitting; after 31 October, changes are treated as late applications.
How many school preferences can I list?
The number of preferences you can list varies by local authority — typically between three and six. Each LA sets its own number. You should find this information on your LA's school admissions page. If you live near a boundary between two LAs and want to include schools in both, you still submit through your own LA, but you can name schools in other LA areas as preferences.
A strong strategy is to:
- Name your genuine first-choice school as your first preference
- Include at least one school you are confident your child will meet the admission criteria for
- Research and include any additional preferences that represent realistic options
If you use fewer preferences than the form allows, you are not penalised — but leaving a slot empty that could have been used for a local "safety" school may mean the LA has to offer you whatever school has a vacancy, which may not be your preference at all.
How does the equal preference system work?
This is the most widely misunderstood aspect of secondary admissions. The equal preference system means that the order in which you rank your preferences does not affect how each school assesses your child's eligibility — it affects only which offer you receive at the end.
Here is how it works in practice:
- You submit your form with preferences ranked 1, 2, 3 (or more)
- Each school on your list receives your child's application and applies its oversubscription criteria independently, without knowing your ranking
- The school does not know whether it is your first choice or your third choice
- The LA collects all the offers your child qualifies for across all schools
- The LA offers you the place at whichever school ranks highest on your preference list among those that are able to offer a place
The crucial implication: ranking a school first does NOT increase your chances of being offered a place there — it simply means you will be offered it instead of a lower-ranked school if you qualify for both. And ranking a school second or third does NOT reduce your chances of getting your first choice if you qualify for it.
What is a supplementary information form?
Some schools — particularly faith schools and grammar schools — require parents to complete an additional form alongside the LA's CAF. This is called a Supplementary Information Form (SIF). Examples include:
- A faith school's SIF asking for the child's baptism certificate, confirmation date, and attendance record at a specific place of worship
- A grammar school's requirement to register for the 11 plus entrance test (a separate process with its own deadline, usually in the summer before Year 6)
- An oversubscribed school asking for information about siblings, looked-after status, or a medical/social circumstance supporting the application
Submitting the CAF without also submitting any required SIF means the school cannot apply its criteria properly to your child's application — it may treat the application as incomplete. Check each school's admissions information carefully for any additional requirements.
What happens if I miss the 31 October deadline?
Late applications are processed after all on-time applicants have been considered for every school. In practice, this means that for oversubscribed schools — where there are more applicants than places — late applicants are very unlikely to receive a place on National Offer Day (1 March). They are typically placed on the waiting list for preferred schools and offered whatever place remains available.
If you have a genuine reason for missing the deadline (for example, a recent house move or a family emergency), contact your LA immediately and explain the circumstances. Some LAs exercise discretion for very recent arrivals to the country or other exceptional circumstances.
What is the difference between applying in different parts of the UK?
The CAF process as described above applies to England. Arrangements differ in other nations:
- Wales: similar coordinated admissions system, managed by local authorities, but with different school types and policies
- Scotland: the process is managed through local authority placing requests, which operate somewhat differently from the English coordinated system
- Northern Ireland: a separate transfer procedure applies, with a different test system and its own timetable
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for schools in a different local authority to where I live?
Yes. You submit the form to your own LA but can name schools in other LA areas. Your LA will pass your application to the relevant school's LA for consideration. This is common near authority boundaries and is a standard part of the coordinated admissions system.
What if I move house after submitting the form?
Contact your LA immediately. For applications where address is a criterion (distance, catchment), the address used is typically the one at the time of the LA's assessment — usually January. Some LAs use the address at the closing date. Moving to a new address that is closer to a preferred school after the deadline may or may not improve your chances, depending on the LA's rules. Do not falsely register at another address — this constitutes fraud, and places offered on that basis can be withdrawn at any time, even after the child has started at the school.
If I get my first-choice school, do I still have to accept?
Yes — receiving an offer does not automatically enrol your child. You must accept the offer by the date specified (typically mid-March). Failure to accept by the deadline may result in the place being withdrawn and offered to the next child on the waiting list. Accepting one offer does not prevent you from remaining on the waiting list for a higher-preference school, or pursuing an appeal.
What is a Supplementary Information Form and where do I get it?
Each school that requires a SIF will publish it on its own website and/or provide it at open evenings. The LA's admissions guidance for your area will list which schools have additional requirements. The SIF is submitted directly to the school, separately from and usually at the same time as the LA form. The school does not share this information with the LA — it is used solely to apply the school's own admission criteria.
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