Apply for a primary school place
To apply for a primary school place you will need to:
- apply through Medway Council if you live in Medway
- apply through your own local authority if you live outside of Medway
- use the child’s main address
- complete an application for each child if you’re applying for more than one such as twins. Twins will not count as a sibling link for a place.
When applying you can:
- name both Medway and non-Medway schools on your application
- apply for up to 6 different schools in order of preference (not including private, independent or special schools)
- choose to apply for less than 6 schools but naming just one school does not improve your chances of being offered a place at that school
We advise that you use all 6 preferences available to give you a greater chance of being offered one of your preferred schools.
When applying remember we still cannot guarantee or give a child priority for a place:
- if you name a school multiple times. It will only be considered as one of your preferences
- if your child goes to a nursery or pre-school attached to a school
- if you have added your child’s name to a school’s expression of interest list
- based on your personal childcare arrangements.
How to apply
You can apply for a school place using the Parent Portal.
Create a Parent Portal account
Log into your Parent Portal account
When applying you will need to:
- complete a supplementary information form (SIF) alongside your application if you are applying to a denominational (faith) school. You can get these forms from the school
- provide professional evidence if you or your child has a health, medical or special access need as soon as you have submitted your application
Applications for children with an EHC plan or statement of special educational needs
If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan or statement of special educational needs, you do not apply through this mainstream process.
Apply for a school place for a child with an EHC plan
Applying if you do not have access to a computer at home
You can use computers at our community hubs or libraries to complete your online application.
If you cannot apply online, you can get a paper application from Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR. You will not get receipt of paper applications.
Deferring or delaying your child's start date
Children reach compulsory school age when they turn 5 and must be in school the term after their fifth birthday. If your child is born between 1 April and 31 August, you can request to defer or delay your child's start date.
Applying for a junior school
When applying for a junior school, remember that you must apply:
- for a child to go to year 3 in a junior school even if they’re transferring from a Medway infant school to a junior school
- the same way if your child is in year 2 at a primary school and you'd like them to be considered for a place in year 3 at a junior school
- as an in-year admission if your child is in an infant school and you want them to go to a primary school.
Apply online
When you apply online you will:
- get email confirmation when you submit your application
- be able to check or change your application until the closing date and resubmit after changes are made
- be emailed your school offer on offer day.
If you have not received an email confirming that your application has been submitted, your application probably hasn’t gone through. Before the deadline, check your application status on the Parent Portal and make sure it says it’s been submitted or contact School Admissions on admissions@medway.gov.uk to find out.
Late applications
If you apply for a school place after the closing date, your application will only be considered if you can provide a good reason.
If you miss the closing date you can still apply up to 5pm on Friday 27 January 2023 with a letter explaining why you missed the closing date.
We'll decide if late applications received by 27 January 2023 can be accepted. Any applications not accepted or received after 27 January 2023 will be held pending until after the offer of school places on Monday 17 April 2023.