Applications for places in year 7 of secondary schools for the current school year 2025/26 should now be made by following in-year admission/transfer procedures for Knowsley secondary schools.
Late applications and making a change to your secondary school application
You can make a change to your application at an any time up to the national closing date of 31 October by revisiting the online portal, logging into your account and adding or changing preferences or changing any other application information. You will need to resubmit the application every time you make a change.
If you have completed a paper application, you will need to contact the school admissions team in the Local Authority to confirm the change you wish to make.
To make a change to information provided on a supplementary information form, you must contact the individual school directly.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the information on the application remains correct. If a change takes place after the application is submitted, this may affect how the application is considered. A place may be withdrawn if it is offered based on information provided on the application that is incorrect.
Late applications for admission to secondary school after the national closing date of 31 October
If you have not applied for your child to start secondary education in September 2026 by 31 October, or if you want to make a new application after this date, the online application portal will remain open for receiving late applications until 31 August 2026.
To make a late application you can access the online portal here
Alternatively, contact the school admissions team to request a paper application form.
If you live in another authority area but would like to apply for a place in a Knowsley school, contact your home authority who will co-ordinate your late application.
Some schools require a supplementary information form to be completed in addition to the application form – find more information about this here.
Applications received after the allocation process has begun
Applications received after the allocation process has begun, will not be considered by the admission authorities of Knowsley schools until the allocation is complete. Only where the admission authority of the school/s of preference accept there are exceptional circumstances, will late applications be considered in the initial allocation.
If you believe there are exceptional reasons for your application being late, it is your responsibility to confirm this and provide supporting evidence when you make the application. The deadline for exceptional circumstance consideration for late secondary school applications naming Knowsley schools is 19 January 2026.
If your application names preferences for school/s in other Local Authority areas, Knowsley school admissions service will share the application as soon as is reasonably practicable, but they will decide how your application is considered.
Change of school preference/s
A change of preference during the allocation period will only be accepted if there are exceptional reasons that can be evidenced.
You should contact Knowsley school admissions service, confirming the reasons why a change is being requested and providing evidence of the change of circumstance that has led to the request, for example, proof of exchange of contracts to confirm a house move.
The deadline for change of preference due to exceptional circumstances for primary school applications is 19 January 2026. Any change requested after this date will not be considered until after the initial allocation is complete (after national offer day).
Making a change to your school preferences after National Offer Day
Any new application you submit will replace your previous application.
If your child has been refused a place at a school/s of preference and you plan to appeal and/or want them to remain on the waiting list, you must still list the school/s as your higher preference on your new application. If you did not previously use all your preference options, you can add new preferences, or remove schools previously named - if you no longer wish to continue with the application to them - and name different schools on your new application.
Any current school offer will not be withdrawn unless a new school offer is being made. You are strongly advised not to refuse a place that has been offered unless you have secured another school place.
Timeframe for considering late applications
- Late/new applications naming Knowsley schools as preference received up to midnight on 16 March 2026 will be considered together and the outcome confirmed within 10 working days.
- Late/new applications received from 17 March will be processed as quickly as possible and outcomes for Knowsley schools issued within 10 working days.
- Late/new applications for Knowsley residents naming schools in other authority areas will be shared with the relevant authority as soon as is practicable and applicants will be informed of outcomes in accordance with the timeframes of that authority.