Parents encouraged to apply for primary school places before January deadline

Posted by: Laura O'Neil

Fri 7th January 2022

Parents who have yet to apply for their child’s infant, junior or primary school place for September 2022 are being encouraged to do so before the deadline in mid-January.

Applications for children who were born between September 1 2017 and August 31 2018 will close at midnight on Saturday January 15 2022.

Parents should also apply for junior school places for children born between September 1 2014 and August 31 2015 who are currently in year two at an infant school and will transfer on to other schools in September 2022. Applying online. is the easiest method.

Cabinet member for education, Cllr Alex Dale, said: “We’re encouraging any parents who have yet to apply for their child’s infant, junior or primary school place for September 2022 to do so before the deadline on January 15 2022.

“Choosing the right school is a very important decision in a child’s life and parents who miss the deadline are less likely to get a place for their child at their preferred school which could mean having to travel further or their child not getting into the same school as their friends.”

Applying online is quick and easy and allows parents to make changes to an application at any point up to the closing date. Anyone who applies online will receive an email to confirm their application has been received.

When completing the application form parents will be asked to list, in order of preference, the three schools they would most like their child to go to.

Parents who cannot apply online can Call Derbyshire to apply. Tel: 01629 533190 between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 9.30am and 4pm on Saturdays.

Parents unable to access the online or telephone application services should contact the admissions and transport team email admissions.transport@derbyshire.gov.uk or tel: 01629 537479.

Although parents have a legal right to express preferences they have no automatic right to a place at any particular school.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered until places have been allocated to those children whose parents did return their form on time.

Any parents who are refused a place for their child have a right of appeal to an independent panel.