Apply for a secondary school place

Children who are born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 will start secondary school in September 2021. To obtain a school place for your child you will need to complete an application form.

When to apply for a secondary school place The deadline to apply for a secondary school place for September 2021, was 31 October 2020. If you didn't make an application before the deadline and still need a school place for your child, you can make a late application. Late applications will be processed after 1 March 2021.

You can read information on how to apply for a secondary school place and details of school admission arrangements for each school in our Guide to secondary schools 2021-22.

Children moving to the UK

Please read the guidance on applying for a school place for a child who is moving to the UK.

Supporting documents

If you do not pay Council Tax in Harrow you will need to submit documents to confirm your address.

Apply

When you complete your application you can choose up to six schools for your child to attend. To help you to choose a suitable school you can:

• find your nearest secondary schools
• find out how secondary schools places were allocated in previous years

Apply for a secondary school place

If it is your first time making an application, you will need to create an account before your begin the application form.

If you are not a resident in Harrow, you will need to make an application with your local council.

Applying for a place at a selective school

In response to a range of Covid-19 related issues which make early autumn admissions testing undesirable and impractical, many schools which test for a child’s ability or aptitude have decided to postpone admission tests until later in the autumn term, which may mean that you will not receive the outcome of the tests before the closing date for secondary school applications on 31 October 2020.

When you receive the results of the test, you can make changes to your application preferences (such as to add or remove a selective school).

To make a change you will need to email [email protected]  and quote your child’s application reference number by 10 December 2020. You will receive confirmation of  your changes via email and you will not be required to complete another application.  

We do not have any selective schools in Harrow. However, you may choose to apply for a selective school in other local authorities. If you are applying for a place at selective school, please check the school’s website for the most up to date information about the date of the test and when the outcome will become available.

Despite these changes, you should still register your child for tests by published deadlines and have submitted your application for a secondary school place by 31 October 2020. Failure to submit your application on time may mean that it is considered after places are offered on 1 March 2021 and your chances of gaining a place at one of your preferred schools will be greatly reduced.

Please ensure you have read the oversubscription criteria of the schools that your applying for and understand the likelihood of your child being offered a place.  In Harrow, you can apply for up to six preferences and we would recommend that at least one of these preferences is used to apply for a place at a local school. Please ensure you rank your application in the correct order of preference. We advise parents to read the school admissions guide for further information on how to complete your application form.

Applying for a faith school

If you are applying for a faith school/academy, you will need to fill in a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return it directly to the school before the closing date. For some schools you will also need to complete a Priest Reference form for more information see the school admission arrangements page.

Secondary school open evenings 2020/21

All high schools expect that school open evening events are likely to be held online or via resources available from the school website. Please check individual school websites for information.

Key dates

View the table below for key dates for secondary school applications: