Apply for a primary infant or first school place

This year the application opening date for 2026 has changed from previous years to give you more time to decide on the right school for your child before applications open.

Applications for a reception, junior or middle school place can be made from 1 November 2025.

You may wish to attend open events hosted by schools to support making informed decisions. Please take a look at school websites for further information or contact the schools you wish to visit directly.

Apply by the closing date of 15 January 2026.

We will let you know your outcome:

• on 16 April 2026 if you apply on time (between 1 November 2025 and 15 January 2026)
• on 14 May 2026 if you apply late (between 16 January and 6 February 2026)
• from June onwards if you apply after 6 February 2026

You must apply to the local authority where you live, even if the schools you are applying for are in another area.

If you are a resident outside of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole then you should contact your local council for details of how to apply:

• Dorset residents
• Hampshire residents

Further information

You can find information about all aspects of starting or moving up to a school in our parents guides.

Once you have read these, if you have any further questions please contact our Children's Information Service by:

• telephone on 01202 123222
• email at cis@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

We recommended that you read the full admissions policy for the school(s) you wish to apply for.

Applying on faith grounds

There are a number of faith schools within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole that require proof of religious commitment to be considered under their faith criteria.

If you are applying for one of the following schools you will need to complete and return a Faith Grounds supplementary information form (SIF):

• Bishop Aldhelm’s CE VA Primary School
• Burton CE Primary School
• Christ the King Catholic Primary School
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
• Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
• Lilliput CE Infant School
• Longfleet CE Primary School
• St Joseph’s RC Primary School Christchurch
• St Joseph’s RC Primary School Poole
• St Mark’s CE Primary School
• St Mary’s RC Primary School
• St Walburga’s Catholic Primary School

You will need to contact the school for the form. For Burton CE Primary School, please contact the school admissions team if you would like a copy of the SIF. 

You need to ask your priest or minister to complete and return it to our school admissions team by the closing date of 15 January 2026.

If you are thinking of applying to a faith school in another local authority, please check their website and policy to find out if they require completion of their own SIF.

If you do not return a completed SIF by the published closing date your application will still be processed but the SIF will not be taken into account.

Applying on service premium grounds

The following schools consider service premium and require proof to be considered under their service premium criteria:

• Bayside Academy
• Twin Sails Infant School and Nursery

If you wish to apply for a place on service premium grounds, please check their website and policy to find out more.

You need to complete and return it to the school by the published closing date.

If you do not return a completed SIF by the published closing date, your application will still be processed but the SIF will not be taken into account.

Late applications

Applications received after the published closing dates will be processed after all the on time applications. This may mean that regularly oversubscribed schools are full before late applications are considered.

Application outcomes

You can login to your account and view the result of your application on the notification date.

If you do not provide an email address, you will receive your offer letter by post.

Allocations in past years

You can see how places have been allocated in different schools in the summaries below.