You can read more about this in the Admissions to Schools in Suffolk 2025/2026 guide found at the top of the page.
If you're happy with the school your child has been offered
We will assume you have accepted the school place offered to your child if we have not heard from you by 17 March 2025.
This will not affect your chances of getting a place at a higher preference school either:
- from the waiting list
- through an appeal (for any of your preferred schools that your child has been refused a place at)
If your child has been offered a school in another county, you may be required to formally accept the place. Please contact the school directly for details.
If you're not happy with the school your child has been offered
Waiting lists
If we are unable to offer your child a place at any of your preferred school(s), we will automatically add their name to the waiting list for that school(s).
Names are placed on the waiting list in priority order. This is set out in the school’s admissions oversubscription criteria.
The order of the waiting list can change when:
- a new child’s name is added
- the circumstances of a child already on the list changes
This means a child’s place on the waiting list can go up or down, for example, due to withdrawals or late applications.
The waiting lists will close on 31 December 2025 for:
- community and voluntary controlled schools
- voluntary aided schools and academies who have agreed to operate the same policy as Suffolk County Council
You can find out when the waiting lists close for voluntary aided, free schools and academies who do not follow the same policy as Suffolk County Council from the schools directly.
Appealing the decision
You have the right of appeal if your child has been refused a place at any of your preferred school(s).
Find out about the appeals process and download an appeal form.
If you applied on time, you should submit your appeal form to the Education Appeals Office by 31 March 2025.
Appeal forms received by the Education Appeals Office on or before 31 March 2025 will be heard by 18 June 2025.
If they are received after these dates they may be heard later. In some cases, appeals may not be heard until after the beginning of the new school year.
If you want to apply for a different school(s)
You must submit a paper application (CAF1) if you wish to apply for a different school(s) after receiving an offer of a school place. Please see Step 5 'Apply for a school place' for further information.
However, the new application will supercede your previous application.
This means that you must include any schools from your first application above your new preferences on your second or subsequent application if you would like them to remain as a live preference and you still want:
- the right to appeal
- your child’s name to remain on the waiting list