Applying for a school place in Sunderland
Year 7 applications close in 28 days (31 October); Reception applications close in 104 days (15 January). Apply through Sunderland if you live there.
In 2026, 92.9% of families in Sunderland applying for a secondary place got their first preference (England: 83.6%), and 97.9% got one of their preferences.
For Reception, 95.0% got their first preference (England: 92.4%).
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 28 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Sunderland (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 Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Key dates
| Starting September | Apply by | Offers | Schools in Sunderland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 2027 | Saturday 31 October 2026 | Monday 1 March 2027 | 18 |
| Reception 2027 | Friday 15 January 2027 | Friday 16 April 2027 | 76 |
Apply online: Year 7 places (GOV.UK) · Reception places (GOV.UK) · Sunderland 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 | 2,737 | 95.0% | 98.2% | 92.4% |
| 2026 | Year 7 | 2,921 | 92.9% | 97.9% | 83.6% |
| 2025 | Reception | 2,785 | 95.4% | 98.8% | 92.6% |
| 2025 | Year 7 | 2,859 | 95.1% | 99.0% | 83.5% |
| 2024 | Reception | 2,707 | 96.7% | 99.5% | 93.2% |
| 2024 | Year 7 | 2,816 | 97.3% | 99.1% | 82.9% |
Hardest schools to get into in Sunderland
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 Sunderland, with how many first-choice families got in →
Year 7
- Christ's College1.3 per place
- St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy1.2 per place
- Kepier1.1 per place
- St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington1.1 per place
- Southmoor Academy1.0 per place
- St Aidan's Catholic Academy1.0 per place
- Farringdon Community Academy1.0 per place
- Washington Academy1.0 per place
Reception
- Barnwell Academy1.6 per place
- St Paul's CofE Primary School1.5 per place
- Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy1.4 per place
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland1.4 per place
- Willow Wood Community Primary School1.4 per place
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland1.2 per place
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland1.2 per place
- Rickleton Primary School1.2 per place
Questions about applying for a school in Sunderland
When is the deadline for school applications in Sunderland?
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 Sunderland 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. Sunderland emails or writes to you that day.
How do I apply, and how many schools can I name?
Apply to Sunderland 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: Sunderland 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?
Sunderland 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.