When Do Secondary School Places Come Out in 2024?

Secondary school offers education after primary school and before college. I’m sure you know this. But what you may not know is when its places are announced. It is common not to know the exact date. This also happened with one of my cousins in the previous year. She had applied to multiple schools but was unsure when secondary school places come out. As she was worried, I helped her to know the exact dates when they came out. Like her, you may have also been waiting for secondary school places to come out.

Stop thinking much. I’ve done my research on it, and I know when you will get the results. Read the guide and relax your mind from this stress.

Quick Takeaways

• Secondary school places will be offered nationally on 1 March 2024. 
• The official deadline to apply for secondary school is 31st October of the previous year.
•  You must write down at least six schools to which you want to apply.

When will secondary school places come out in 2024?

The date for the place offered for secondary school is 1st March 2024. This data is also known as National Offer Day. However, if this date comes on a weekend or a bank holiday, the offers are released on the next working day. You can make your acceptance decision by 15 March 2024.

What is the last date for applying to secondary school?

Generally, you must apply for a secondary school in September and October of the preceding year. This means that the official deadline to apply for secondary school is 31st October 2023 if you want to study in secondary school in 2024.

What happens after the closing date?

Although you know when the places come out, you can expect the following things after the national offer day-

• The applications that they have received are processed and the addresses are checked.
• Offers are generally prepared and drafted for students.
• All the offers made by the secondary school are listed and the highest possibility matches.
• The files and the data are exchanged with the local authority outside the area of the school.
• All the applications are checked by the schools and ranked accordingly.
• After the offers are finalized, outcomes are ready by the national offer day.

When should you start looking at secondary schools?

Secondary school opens their applications for students in year 5. However, if you have grammar schools in your area, you must try to look at the schools in year 5. It will help you decide whether your child should sit for the 11+ exam at that school or not. However, if you have already decided where your child should attend secondary school, you should start looking when they are in year 6.

The open days of a school are advertised many times. They will provide all the information and the learning culture of their schools. It will help you in deciding the school you want to reply to.

How many schools should you apply to?

When you are completing your application form, you may see a section in which they would ask for your preference orders. According to the government website, you must write down at least six schools to which you want to apply. This is because if you have listed 6 schools, it is a possibility that you will get selected for one of the schools on your preference list. It will also help you to get safe from the school that is randomly given to your child by the council.

However, you must check on each school’s admission policies so that you can have an idea of if your child will get an offer or not. Another important factor you should consider is the tuition fee of the school.

How do you choose a secondary school?

Applying to the right school is important. But many people do not know how to choose the right one. Thus, the following are the tips that you should consider while applying to secondary school–

1. Trusting your instincts

As a parent, you know what is best for your child. Therefore if you think that that particular school is best for your child’s skills and interests then you should apply to that secondary school.

2. Looking for admission criteria

The next step is to check for the admission criteria. If your child does not meet the admission criteria of the school, there is no point in wasting your time. Look for other schools where your child may fit in proper admission criteria.

3. Select more than one school

As mentioned earlier you should select at least more than one school for your child. Select a minimum of 6 schools to get admission according to your preferences. You must consider which school you want to send your child to. You can neither send them to the faith school nor the grammar school.

4. Fill out the form properly

The application form you fill out is the last option for sending your child to secondary school. Therefore, you must fill it out appropriately. Try not to leave any questions blank as it may reduce the chance of getting your child selected.

5. Check for the documents

Giving them the right documents is what you should do. You must check that the documents that you are submitting are correct. Check whether all the details that are mentioned in the documents are correct or not. It would be best to remember that providing the wrong documents may again decrease the chances of getting selected for secondary school.

Conclusion

The secondary schools will officially announce their plans on 1st March 2024. This data is also known as the national offer date and if this date is on any holiday, the plans are offered on the next working day. You can apply for secondary schools till 31st October of the previous year. Remember you must apply to six secondary schools to get the school on your presence list. When you apply to secondary school you must consider the application requirements and fill the form properly. You must also recheck documents before submitting them with the application form. The date for accepting the offer is 15th March 2024.