• Visit / research your preferred secondary schools

  Task · Due 8 weeks before your application deadline (31 October)

  Open evenings cluster in September–October, before the deadline — go and let your child weigh in before you rank your choices.

  Schools admissions (GOV.UK)

• Submit your application — apply by 31 October

  Task · Due 7 days before your application deadline (31 October)

  Apply through your **home local authority (council)**, not the school. The closing date is **31 October** and is set nationally — applying late drops you to the back of the queue. Note it's the 31 October the autumn before the September start.

  How to apply for a secondary school place (GOV.UK)

• National Offer Day — secondary offer arrives

  Event · Starts 26 weeks before your year 7 start (first day)

  Offers arrive on National Offer Day, **around 1 March** — check this year's exact date with your council (if 1 March falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go the next working day). You'll be told your allocated school.

• Arrange travel / bus pass to school

  Task · Due 6 weeks before your year 7 start (first day)

  A real new cost at secondary — the school is often further away. **Free school transport is usually only provided if the nearest suitable school is more than 3 miles away** (for over-8s); otherwise councils run their own discretionary or paid pass schemes, and prices vary — check your council. There are extra provisions for low-income families.

  Free school transport eligibility (GOV.UK)

• Buy uniform, PE kit, bag & equipment

  Task · Due 4 weeks before your year 7 start (first day)

  Secondary needs more kit than primary — blazer, tie, PE kit, a proper bag, a scientific calculator and stationery. Check the school's required-vs-optional list, and label everything. Sizes sell out through August.

• Check if a device or specific kit is required

Also included

• Uniform, PE kit & equipment

  Cost · £200.00 · One-off · Payment 4 weeks before your year 7 start (first day)

  A one-off outgoing for uniform, PE kit, bag, calculator and stationery — secondary starters usually cost more than primary. Adjust the amount to what your school's list actually requires.

• Travel / bus pass

  Cost · £30.00 · Recurring · Payment On your year 7 start (first day)

  A recurring travel cost if the school isn't walkable — bus/tram pass or rail fares. Prices vary widely by council and operator, and you may qualify for free transport, so treat this figure as a placeholder and set it to your council's actual pass price.

• Device / required kit (if any)

  Cost · £0.00 · One-off · Payment 3 weeks before your year 7 start (first day)

  Only if the school requires a tablet/laptop or specific equipment — set the amount once you've checked the school's list, or leave it at £0 if nothing extra is needed.

• Welcome to your Starting Secondary School setup

  Guidance

  Two clocks here: the application deadline — **31 October** the autumn before the September start, a fixed national date — and term start in September. Offers arrive around National Offer Day (**~1 March** — check this year's exact date), and you accept by the deadline in your offer letter. Apply through your council, not the school. This is an England-focused setup (Wales shares the offer day; Scotland and Northern Ireland differ). This note creates nothing.