Waiting lists for primary school places

How to add your child to a waiting list for a place at an infant, junior or primary school.

About school waiting lists

If you have applied for a school for the first time, or to move up to junior school, and you don't get offered a place at a community infant, junior or primary school you listed as your first preference in your school application, your child will be automatically added to the waiting list for that school.

If you want your child to be added to a waiting list for another school you listed as one of your three school preferences, please email the school admissions team at schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

You can accept a school place you've been offered, even if you want your child to go on a waiting list for another school.

How waiting lists work

When a place becomes available at a school the child at the top of the waiting list is offered the place.

You can email schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk to check your child's place in the waiting list.

Moving up or down the list

A list of five rules, called admission priorities, is used to decide how children are added to the waiting list. The same rules are used to move children up and down the list.

For example, if a child has a brother or a sister at the school, they could be added above another child already in the waiting list.

If you apply late for a school place, we will add your child to the waiting list once we've looked at your application.

If you change your school preferences and reapply for a school place, we will add your child to the waiting list for the new school you listed as the first preference from July onwards.

Staying on the waiting list

Your child will stay on the waiting list until 31 December, or until a place becomes available at the school if this happens sooner. 

To keep your child on the list please email schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk at the end of every school term.

How waiting lists are managed

Waiting lists for community, council-run schools and the Bilingual Primary School are managed by the school admissions team.

Church voluntary aided schools and academies manage their own waiting lists.

More information

View our school application guides for more information.