School admissions code
Statutory guidance that schools must follow when carrying out duties relating to school admissions.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Following public consultation and the Parliamentary process, a new school admissions code came into force on 1 September 2021.
This school admissions code is for:
- headteachers and school leaders
- school staff
- governing bodies
- local authorities
- admission authorities of maintained schools as defined in section 88(1) (a) and (b) of the
- academy trusts
- schools adjudicators
- admission appeal panels
It applies to:
- local-authority-maintained schools
- academies and free schools
It covers:
- admission arrangements
- applications and offers for admission in and outside of the normal admissions round
- ensuring fairness and resolving issues
- relevant legislation
It also features an admissions timeline.
You should read it alongside the 鈥榮chool admission appeals code鈥�.
Statutory guidance sets out what schools and local authorities must do to comply with the law. You should follow the guidance unless you have a very good reason not to.
Further information about school admissions is available.
Updates to this page
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Updated 'What is an Education, Health and Care plan?' section of 'Admission of children of crown servants: explanatory note'. Removed lines on EHC plans if a family moves abroad.
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Updated 'Admission of children of crown servants: explanatory note' to bring it in line with the new School Admissions Code 2021. Added information to help Crown servant families who have children with SEND.
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Updated to remove the 'School admissions code 2014'. This is replaced by the 'School admissions code 2021', which came into force on 1 September 2021. Key changes include new provisions to support the in-year admission of vulnerable children and help reduce to a minimum any gaps in their education.
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Updated the 'Fair access protocols: advice for local authorities and school admission authorities' to clarify when fair access protocols can be used on page 4.
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Added 'Schools admission code 2021', 'Fair access protocols' and 'Admissions priority for children adopted from state care outside of England'.
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We have updated the School Admissions Code 2021 with a correction slip, in relation to the footnotes in pages 36, 38, and 39.
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Updated to include the school admissions code that applies from 1 September 2021.
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Updated to note that reference to EU law should be discounted from 31 December 2020.
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Added an explanatory note about school places for children of public officials returning from overseas.
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First published.