Applying for a school place in Dudley
Year 7 applications close in 28 days (31 October); Reception applications close in 104 days (15 January). Apply through Dudley if you live there.
In 2026, 87.1% of families in Dudley applying for a secondary place got their first preference (England: 83.6%), and 98.0% got one of their preferences.
For Reception, 92.0% got their first preference (England: 92.4%).
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 28 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 104 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Key dates
| Starting September | Apply by | Offers | Schools in Dudley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 2027 | Saturday 31 October 2026 | Monday 1 March 2027 | 19 |
| Reception 2027 | Friday 15 January 2027 | Friday 16 April 2027 | 79 |
Apply online: Year 7 places (GOV.UK) · Reception places (GOV.UK) · Dudley council
How many families got their first choice
Offers on national offer day, from the Department for Education. "Any preference" means one of the schools the family named.
| Year | Phase | Applications | First preference | Any preference | England, first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Reception | 3,314 | 92.0% | 98.5% | 92.4% |
| 2026 | Year 7 | 3,570 | 87.1% | 98.0% | 83.6% |
| 2025 | Reception | 3,365 | 92.3% | 98.7% | 92.6% |
| 2025 | Year 7 | 3,731 | 83.9% | 97.1% | 83.5% |
| 2024 | Reception | 3,423 | 92.8% | 98.6% | 93.2% |
| 2024 | Year 7 | 3,789 | 85.7% | 97.3% | 82.9% |
Hardest schools to get into in Dudley
First-preference applications for each place offered in 2026. Above 1 means more families put the school first than it had places. Every school in Dudley, with how many first-choice families got in →
Year 7
- Bishop Milner Catholic College1.6 per place
- Summerhill School1.5 per place
- Old Swinford Hospital1.4 per place
- The Earls High School1.2 per place
- The Dormston School1.0 per place
- Windsor High School and Sixth Form1.0 per place
- The Crestwood School1.0 per place
- Ridgewood High School0.9 per place
Reception
- Crestwood Park Primary School1.7 per place
- Blowers Green Primary School1.6 per place
- Cradley CofE Primary School1.4 per place
- Manor Way Primary Academy1.4 per place
- Glynne Primary School1.3 per place
- Maidensbridge Primary School1.3 per place
- Blanford Mere Primary School1.3 per place
- Oldswinford C of E Primary School1.3 per place
Questions about applying for a school in Dudley
When is the deadline for school applications in Dudley?
For a secondary (Year 7) place starting in September 2027, the closing date is Saturday 31 October 2026. For a primary (Reception) place starting in September 2027, it is Friday 15 January 2027. These are national dates in England, so they are the same in Dudley as everywhere else.
When will I find out which school my child has been offered?
On national offer day: Monday 1 March 2027 for secondary places and Friday 16 April 2027 for primary places. Dudley emails or writes to you that day.
How do I apply, and how many schools can I name?
Apply to Dudley if you live there - you always apply to the council where you live, even for schools in another council's area, and even for academies, free schools and faith schools. Most councils let you name between 3 and 6 schools. Put them in your real order of preference: councils use an equal-preference system, so ranking one school first does not reduce your chances at the others.
Source: Dudley council website
How do schools decide who gets a place?
Only when a school has more applicants than places do its oversubscription criteria apply. Typically these put children in care first, then often siblings, then distance from home or a catchment area; faith schools and grammar schools add their own criteria. Each school publishes its criteria in its admissions policy, so read it for every school you name.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
Dudley will still take your application, but it is considered after everyone who applied on time, so popular schools may already be full. If you have just moved to the area, tell the council: many treat a recent move as a reason to accept a late application as on time.
What if we don't get the school we wanted?
You can ask to go on the waiting list of any school you named that ranked higher than the one offered (waiting lists are ordered by the admissions criteria, not by how long you have waited), and you have the right to appeal to an independent panel. Accept the place you are offered while you wait, so your child is not left without one.