Starting secondary school (Year 7)
Children currently in Year 6 at a primary or junior school, or born between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012, are able to start Year 7 in a secondary school in September 2023.
Applications for September 2023 are now closed
If you would still like to make an application, please visit our late applications page for more information.
Apply for a school place - UNDER REPAIR
Late applications
All applications received after 23:59 on 31 October 2022 will be considered late applications and will not be processed until after the on-time applications.
Late applications are made, with limited exception, via a form on the Southampton City Council website. Please visit our late applications page for more information.
If you applied late (after 31 October 2022), you will receive an offer according to the timetable below:
| Application received between | Offer made |
|---|---|
| 1 November - 31 December 2022 | w/c 13 March 2023 |
| 1 January - 28 February 2023 | w/c 8 May 2023 |
| 1 March - 30 April 2023 | w/c 26 June 2023 |
| 1 May - 31 June 2023 | w/c 24 July 2023 |
| 1 July - 31 August 2023 | Rolling offers throughout the period |
Secondary schools provide education for children between 11 and 16 years of age. The National Curriculum organises the year groups as follows:
| Age | School year | Key stage |
|---|---|---|
| Between 11 and 12 | 7 | 3 |
| Between 12 and 13 | 8 | 3 |
| Between 13 and 14 | 9 | 3 |
| Between 14 and 15 | 10 | 4 |
| Between 15 and 16 | 11 | 4 |
An important part of this process is enabling them to get the best possible results at key stage 3 of the National Curriculum and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) - the examination courses taken during years 10 and 11.
For main round applications, the school place offered will be for a full time place starting from 1 September 2023. Find out more about how to apply for a school place.
If you want to change schools part-way through the academic year, you will need to complete an in-year transfer application.
2023/24 admissions
You can now read information on the process for 'mainround' admission into Year 7 for the 2023/24 academic year:
- How places were offered at oversubscribed secondary schools 2023
- Coordinated Scheme for Entry Into Year 7 at Secondary Schools (2023/24)
- SCC Secondary Admissions Policy (2023/24)
- Supplementary Information Form (SIF) (2023/24)
Other useful information
