Applying for a school place in Southwark
Year 7 applications close in 28 days (31 October); Reception applications close in 104 days (15 January). Apply through Southwark if you live there.
In 2026, 72.1% of families in Southwark applying for a secondary place got their first preference (England: 83.6%), and 95.9% got one of their preferences.
For Reception, 84.3% got their first preference (England: 92.4%).
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 28 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Southwark (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 Southwark (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Key dates
| Starting September | Apply by | Offers | Schools in Southwark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 2027 | Saturday 31 October 2026 | Monday 1 March 2027 | 20 |
| Reception 2027 | Friday 15 January 2027 | Friday 16 April 2027 | 65 |
Apply online: Year 7 places (GOV.UK) · Reception places (GOV.UK) · Southwark 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 | 2,248 | 84.3% | 98.0% | 92.4% |
| 2026 | Year 7 | 2,489 | 72.1% | 95.9% | 83.6% |
| 2025 | Reception | 2,205 | 84.7% | 98.6% | 92.6% |
| 2025 | Year 7 | 2,545 | 71.7% | 95.0% | 83.5% |
| 2024 | Reception | 2,301 | 89.0% | 98.8% | 93.2% |
| 2024 | Year 7 | 2,685 | 73.0% | 96.2% | 82.9% |
Hardest schools to get into in Southwark
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 Southwark, with how many first-choice families got in →
Year 7
- Kingsdale Foundation School2.3 per place
- Sacred Heart Catholic School2.1 per place
- The Charter School North Dulwich2.0 per place
- St Michael's Catholic College1.3 per place
- The St Thomas the Apostle College1.2 per place
- City of London Academy (Southwark)0.9 per place
- The Charter School East Dulwich0.9 per place
- Bacon's College0.8 per place
Reception
- Charles Dickens Primary School2.0 per place
- St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School1.7 per place
- Dulwich Village Church of England Infants' School1.6 per place
- Redriff Primary, City of London Academy1.6 per place
- Lyndhurst Primary School1.4 per place
- Boutcher Church of England Primary School1.4 per place
- St John's Roman Catholic Primary School1.3 per place
- Heber Primary School1.3 per place
Questions about applying for a school in Southwark
When is the deadline for school applications in Southwark?
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 Southwark 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. Southwark emails or writes to you that day.
How do I apply, and how many schools can I name?
Apply to Southwark 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: Southwark 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?
Southwark 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.