You can read Suffolk County Council's statement on our website.
![Councillor Peter Gould](/image-library/peter-gould-ws-hr-1.xb6cb8b20.jpg?width=470&height=256&fit=crop&quality=75&format=webp)
You can read Suffolk County Council's statement on our website.
Parents and carers can make an in-year application for their child to go to a new school:
How you make an in-year application depends on which school or schools you want to apply for:
The list of schools' details, admissions policies and Supplementary Information Forms for the 2023/2024 school year shows where you need to apply to for each school.
Please be aware: You must consider how your child will travel to and from school before you apply for a school place. Your child might not be eligible for funded school travel to their catchment area school if this is not the nearest suitable school.
If your child is changing schools, you need to think about:
Please note: You can still apply for a place at a school even if the year group is full or oversubscribed. If the school is unable to offer your child a place, they should inform you of your legal right to appeal.
Please read the following guidance if you are thinking about transferring your child to another school in Suffolk, but are not moving house:
You can apply for a place for your child at any time to any school outside of the normal admissions round.
Applications will not normally be considered more than one term ahead of the date when you want your child to start at the school.
Some voluntary aided, free schools and academies may have different arrangements. You should contact them directly for more information.
We strongly recommend that you check which school is your child's nearest suitable school on our Nearest School Checker.
You can find out which are your child's three nearest Suffolk schools (based on the statutory walking distance including Public Rights of Way) by putting their postcode into our Nearest School Checker.
We update this each year to include new roads and developments.
A catchment area is the geographical area served by a school. The catchment area school may not be the nearest school to your child’s home address.
Some voluntary aided, free schools and academies do not operate catchment areas to prioritise applications to their school. Please check the school's admissions policy for details.
Use the school catchment area lists and maps to find out if your child's address has a catchment area school.
We will only provide SCC funded school travel to your child’s catchment area school when it is the nearest suitable school to their home that would have had a place available for them and they meet the distance criteria. Please see Step 4 for further information.
If you live near the border with Cambridgeshire, Essex or Norfolk you may wish to apply for schools in those local authorities. You can visit their websites for details about the schools in their areas.
You can find information about schools in Suffolk from their website, prospectus and open days.
Search the list of schools' details, admissions policies and Supplementary Information Forms to help you to understand how places are offered for each school you are interested in, as they may be different from one another.
Check with the Admissions Team or the school on the availability of places for your child’s year group. You need to be:
Read advice and tips for parents choosing a school for a child with SEND.
Please be aware: You must consider how your child will travel to and from school before you apply for a school place.
The following information is very important:
Full details about SCC funded school travel, including the School Travel Policy, additional arrangements for low income families and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), can be found at Suffolk on Board.
If you wish to make an in-year application to a Suffolk community and/or voluntary controlled school, download and complete either version of the in-year application form (CAF2)* below.
Please send any applications, evidence or supporting information by email to admissions@suffolk.gov.uk. If you don’t have access to a scanner, you can take photos of your application form, evidence or supporting information and attach these to your email.
If you are unable to send us your application or supporting evidence by email, you may wish to get proof of posting when you send your application. We are not responsible for forms lost in the post and we do not acknowledge receipt of paper applications.
*If you don't have a printer please contact us on 0345 600 0981 (local rate) and we will send you a paper application form in the post.
If you live in Suffolk and wish to make an in-year application to a school outside Suffolk, please contact the relevant local authority to find out how to apply.
If you want to use your new address as your child’s ordinarily resident address you must send us written evidence that you are legally committed to the move with your application form. The evidence must be one of the following:
Please note that a sale memorandum, an unsigned tenancy agreement or a letter from your solicitor confirming exchange of contracts will take place soon will not be accepted.
If there are more applications than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools will be applied and the applicants will be ranked. The applicant(s) with the highest criteria will be offered a place(s).
View the list of schools' details, admissions policies and Supplementary Information Forms to help you to understand how places are offered for each school you are interested in, as they may be different from one another.
The Admissions Team aims to notify you of the outcome of your application in writing within 10 school days of receiving it. However, we will notify you in writing of the outcome within 15 school days.
If you have provided an email address on your application form, we will notify you of the outcome by email. If you haven’t provided an email address, we will send you a letter in the post.
If you have not received an email or letter after 15 school days of sending your application, please contact us by emailing admissions@suffolk.gov.uk or by calling us on 0345 600 0981.
The Admissions Team cannot give you the outcome of your application over the phone.
If your application is unsuccessful then you will be given the right of appeal.
You may also wish to make another application for a different school.
If your child does not have a local school place, we will offer a place at an alternative community or voluntary controlled school, or notify you of an alternative school in your area.
We do not hold waiting lists for in-year applications to community and voluntary controlled schools.
If your application is refused we will not process another application for the same school in the same school year, unless there has been a significant change in circumstances of the:
This might be a house move or a place becoming available at a school.
If circumstances have not changed you can make another application for the following school year.
For community and voluntary controlled schools, applications will not normally be considered more than one term ahead of the date when you want your child to start at the school.
Please note: You can still apply for a place at a school even if the year group is full or oversubscribed. If the school is unable to offer your child a place, they should inform you of your legal right to appeal.
If you wish to make an in-year application to a Suffolk voluntary aided, free school or academy:
*If you don't have a printer please contact us on 0345 600 0981 (local rate) and we will send you a paper application form or a SIF in the post.
If you live in Suffolk and wish to make an in-year application to a school outside Suffolk, please contact the relevant local authority to find out how to apply.
If there are more applications than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria for the relevant school will be applied and the applicants will be ranked. The applicant(s) with the highest criteria will be offered a place(s).
View the list of schools' details, admissions policies and Supplementary Information Forms to help you to understand how places are offered for each school you are interested in, as they may be different from one another.
The school should aim to notify you of the outcome of your application in writing within 10 school days of receiving it. However, they must notify you in writing of the outcome within 15 school days.
Contact information for all schools is available from our online Infolink directory of schools in Suffolk
If your application is unsuccessful then you will have a legal right to appeal the decision. The details of how to appeal should be included in the decision letter from the school.
You may also wish to make another application for a different school.
If your child does not have a local school place and the school notifies us of their decision, we will offer a place at an alternative community or voluntary controlled school, or notify you of an alternative school in your area.
If a school is unable to offer your child a place, please email the Admissions Team or contact us on 0345 600 0981 to find out the nearest suitable school with a place available. We will only provide SCC funded school travel for your child to the nearest school with a place available when they meet the statutory walking distance.
You should speak to the school or visit the school's own website for information on waiting lists.
You should speak to the school or visit the school's own website for information on when you can make another application for a school you have already applied for. In most cases, if your application is refused another application will not be processed for the same school year, unless there has been a significant change in circumstances of the:
This might be a house move or a place becoming available at a school.
If circumstances have not changed you can make another application for the following school year.
Suffolk County Council’s Determined Admission Arrangements for 2023/2024 school year include:
The Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for schools in Suffolk for the 2023/2024 school year explains how Suffolk County Council co-ordinates admission arrangements for the normal year of intake for all mainstream schools in Suffolk and with other neighbouring authorities.
You can search the list of schools' details, admissions policies and Supplementary Information Forms for the 2023/2024 school year.
Find out about Suffolk's Fair Access Protocol.
You can contact us using email at admissions@suffolk.gov.uk
If you need to contact us by phone please call 0345 600 0981 (local rate).
You can contact Customer Service quickly and easily using live chat.
Live chat is available from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
If you navigate away from this page any live chat you've started will close.