Apply for a reception place at a primary school

Step 3 – apply for a place

​​Only residents of Rochdale borough should apply using our online service.

If you live in another local authority and you wish to apply for a Rochdale school, you must apply to your own local authority, specifying your preferred Rochdale schools. Your local authority will inform us of your application.​

If you wish to apply for an independent school, you'll need to apply directly to the school for a place.

Things to remember

To apply online:

  • You'll need to register for an account unless you've already registered in a previous year.
  • You'll need a valid email address as part of the registration process.
  • Check you've received the confirmation email, this will prove that the application has been received.
  • Resubmit your application each time you log in to view or make any changes, otherwise, your application will not be submitted. You'll receive a re-submission confirmation email each time you re-submit the application.
  • You can get FREE access to computers and the internet​ from libraries in Rochdale borough. Computers in the library
  • The benefits of applying online include: you'll receive confirmation of receipt of your application form and the offer will be sent to you by email so you don't need to wait for a letter.

Apply now

Register for an account and apply for a primary school place

Late applications

You can use the link above to apply for a school place even after the closing date has passed.

If you apply for a school place after the closing date:

  1. We won't process your application until after the national offer day on Wednesday, 16 April 2025. This is so we can prioritise the applications we received on time.
  2. Schools do not reserve any places for those who apply late. This means your preferred school may be full before we even look at your application. We'd therefore advise you to fill in all 4 preferences on your application in case this happens.
  3. We'll use the normal admissions criteria to allocate the remaining school places to late applicants. View admissions criteria.
  4. If you apply before the national offer day, we aim to send you a school place offer by Friday, 2 May 2025.
  5. Applications submitted after the offer day will be processed in round 2 of applications which closes on Sunday, 11 May 2025.  Offers for round 2 applications are sent on Friday, 6 June 2025.
  6. If you apply after Friday, 6 June 2025, we aim to send you a school place offer within 2 weeks of receiving your application.

Children with special educational needs

If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, please use the link above to register for an account and apply for a school place.

The application form for applying for a school place for a child with an EHC plan is the same as those applying for a child without an EHC plan. However, the process for choosing and deciding on school places is different. 

Moving your child to another primary school

If your child is already in primary school and you'd like to transfer them to a new school, please complete an in-year transfer form.