Accepting your offer with a school does not mean your offer cannot change. If you are happy with your offer, you will need to remove your child from the waiting list of higher preference schools.
How waiting lists work
Your position on a waiting list will depend on which priority of the school admission policy your child meets and who else is on the waiting list.
Check a school's admission policy
All schools clear their waiting lists at the end of each academic year. Some schools may clear them on 31 December.
Places are not offered on a first come, first served basis.
Starting primary, junior or secondary school in September
Between offer day and 31 August, if you need to:
- change your reception, junior or year 7 application
- make a first application
You should submit the form within 2 weeks of national offer day to make sure changes are made before our first reallocation of places.
If the school is outside Leeds, you also need to check with the school if there are any extra steps to take to ensure your child is on the waiting list.
The deadline dates are:
- midnight on 17 March 2025 for year 7 applications
- midnight on 30 April 2025 for reception and junior applications
After the above dates, submit the form by midnight on a Sunday for the changes to be made before the following week’s reallocation of places.
If a place becomes available before the first day of school, we will automatically give it to a child on the waiting list for that school. If your child's school changes, we will write to you and let you know.
Waiting lists to move schools
If your child is already at a school, but you want to join the waiting list for a different one, you need to apply to move schools.
If the school you apply to do not have a place, we will add your child to their waiting list.
You can apply to move at the start of the next school year, or during this one. Your child will stay on the waiting list until the end of the school year, unless a school's admission policy says they clear their lists earlier.
Remove a child from a waiting list
If you would like to take your child off a waiting list, please let us know by completing our contact form and in the notes tell us which school waiting lists you would like your child to be removed from.
