• Check the oversubscription criteria for the school
  Some schools have more applicants than places. Read Section D of the guide for parents and carers or check the school's website to understand how places are offered.
• Choose wisely 
  Include at least one school where your child is likely to meet the admissions criteria. Include your catchment school as a preference, you can check here: Find your catchment school. 
  There's no guarantee your child will be offered a place at your local school, if you don’t list it as a preference.
• Use all four preferences. 
  Using all four will improve your chances of being allocated a school of preference. If none of your chosen schools have space, your child will be offered a place at the next nearest school with availability in the year group.
• Why preference order matters
  If more than one school can offer your child a place, you'll get the highest preference school on your list, which is why your preference order is important.
• Equal Preference Scheme
  We us an Equal Preference Scheme which means your application is considered by the schools regardless of the preference order. The schools don't know if they’re your first or fourth choice.
• Education Health and Care Plan 
  If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), email the team EHCP@milton-keynes.gov.uk as they will be responsible for processing your child’s application.
• Free School Meals / Pupil Premium 
  If your child is eligible for Free School Meals or receives Pupil Premium, make sure to indicate this on your application. This information can help schools provide additional support and may influence admissions in some cases.
• Moving House? 
  If you’re planning to move during the application process, refer to Planning to Move? section in the guide for parents and carers. Your address at the time of application can affect your eligibility for certain schools, especially those with distance-based criteria.
• How are you going to travel to school?
  Think about how you will access the school place. Can you walk to the school, or will you need to use public transport?
   
   

You can learn more about each school by reading our Guide for Parents/Carers  Primary Schools

This guide includes key information on how places were offered for each school in previous years, school contact details, and how to apply.

• Find about the catchment schools for your area
• Visiting the school’s own website – this is a great way to find out about the school’s values, curriculum, and what day-to-day life is like there.
• Research and visit the schools that you are interested in applying to. 
  Most have open days you can go to, to visit the school, please check the school's website for details.

You must still apply through Milton Keynes City Council, even if your chosen school is in another council's area. This includes when applying for Year 5 places in Central Bedfordshire middle schools.

You apply through the council you pay council tax to, even if your chosen school is in Milton Keynes.

If you are a Milton Keynes resident and are applying to transfer your child from Year 4 to Year 5 to a Central Bedfordshire middle school (not any schools in Milton Keynes) in September 2026, you apply through Milton Keynes City Council.

Please check the Central Bedfordshire Council website for further details on the middle schools you can choose to apply to: Central Bedfordshire Council

If you are moving house during the application process, refer to Planning to move house section in the guide for parents and carers.

If you're planning to move into Milton Keynes before the closing date for applications, 15 January, you should:

• Complete the Milton Keynes school application as if you are already a resident.
• Include a letter confirming your move details—such as:
  • Your new address
  • Expected move date
  • Proof of your new address

We will only accept one of the below for proof of address:

• A signed by all parties' tenancy agreement,
• Solicitor’s letter confirming exchange of contracts for a purchased property,
• Council tax bill/number for the new address. The applicant must be named on the council tax record as a named occupant. 

This helps the admissions team treat your application as local, which may affect your chances of getting a preferred school.

You’ll need to fill out a new 'late application' form and must send proof of your new address. Include your signed lease or rental agreement (covering beyond 1 September 2026), or a solicitor’s letter confirming exchange of contracts or completion date. 

We will use your new address for correspondence purposes.  The application will be looked at in later rounds of school place allocations after national offer day.

Applications must be submitted online via the  Citizen Portal by midnight on 15 January 2026.

This is for Milton Keynes residents who pay council tax to Milton Keynes City Council.

If you pay council tax to another council, you will need to apply through them, even if your chosen schools are in Milton Keynes. 

If your child is currently being educated outside of their normal age group you can only apply with a paper application. 
We encourage all parents to apply on the Citizen's Portal. If you are not able to apply on the Citizen's Portal, a paper application will be available on request. Please note, if you apply with a paper application you will not receive an email with the offered school on national offer day, you will receive a letter in the post. 

The most secure way is to email your form back to primaryadmissions@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

If posting forms, send forms to Milton Keynes City Council by recorded delivery, to arrive by 5pm on 15 January 2026. The Access to Education team is not responsible for forms lost in the post and is unable to acknowledge receipt.

Email primaryadmissions@milton-keynes.gov.uk to request a copy of a paper application form, if required.

 

Before Submitting your school application:

• Review all details thoroughly
  Mistakes or missing information - such as incorrect addresses, missing documents, or unticked boxes, can affect your child's chances of being offered a place at one of your preference schools.
• Check your preferences
  Make sure your school choices are listed in the correct order and that you've included all relevant information, such as sibling links or eligibility for Free School Meals/Pupil Premium.
• Have you applied through the right council?
  If you live in Milton Keynes and wish to apply to schools in another council's area, you must still apply through Milton Keynes. Children may miss out on a place being allocated a place at a school in another council's area, because they did not apply through the right council by the closing date.

National Offer Day is set by the government. It is the day when parent's find out which school place has been offered for their child.

If you applied by 15 January 2026, you will find out your child’s school placement on 16 April 2026.

• Online application - Log into the Citizen Portal to see your school place offer. You will also receive a confirmation email (sent throughout the day).
• Paper application -  You will receive a letter via second class post from 16 April 2026.

Live outside of Milton Keynes? 

If you applied and your council tax is paid to a different council, check your local council’s website to find out how and when you will be informed of your child’s school place. 

• Buckinghamshire Council
• North Northamptonshire Council
• West Northamptonshire Council
• Bedford Borough Council
• Central Bedfordshire Council

Applications received after the national closing date 15 January 2026, will be considered as a late application and will be reviewed after 16 April 2026.

A late application form will be available to download, on the website from 16 April 2026.

Late applications will be processed as follows:

Important information:

• Late applications are for children who move into Milton Keynes after the closing date and wish to apply for a Year R  place in a Milton Keynes primary school or a Year 3 place in a Milton Keynes junior school.
• You can also submit a late application for alternative schools that may still have places available after national offer day. A list of schools with places available will be published on the website from 16 April 2026 on an allocation profile.
• Late applications are processed manually and not through the Citizen's Portal. You will receive a letter in the post confirming the outcome on the applicable late round offer day.
• If you receive an offer from a higher preference school and wish to apply for a lower preference school from your on-time application, you can submit a late application. There is no guarantee a place will be allocated at an alternative school.

• Most children start school in the September following their fourth birthday.
• All children must be in full time education by the start of the term following their fifth birthday.
• In some exceptional situations, parents can request for their child to start school outside their normal year group.

• Deferred Admission - Your child starts school later in the same academic year.
• Delayed Admission - Your child starts Reception a full year later, at age 5.
• Accelerated Admission - Your child starts school a year earlier than normal.

If you are considering either of these options, please check the guidance on the website for Admission outside of normal age group - here 

The school will send you an admissions pack with key information and next steps.

• For Milton Keynes schools only - no action is required — your child’s place will be automatically accepted. Milton Keynes City Council assumes acceptance of a place at a Milton Keynes school, unless you explicitly decline.
• If you wish to accept a school place in another council area, please check with the relevant council how to do this.
• If your child was declined a place at the higher preference schools on your application, your child will remain on waiting lists for those schools and you’ll retain the right to appeal.
   

Visit the allocated school

Even if it was not your first choice, visiting the school can give you a better sense of its environment, staff, and facilities.
Many families find they’re pleasantly surprised after a visit.

Waiting lists

If you are declined a preferred school, your child is automatically placed on its waiting list.
Places may become available if other families decline their offers or move away. Waiting list positions are available on each late round offer day.

Late applications / Applying for alternative schools

You can apply to alternative schools that still have places - you can check which schools have places on the allocation profile published on the website on 16 April 2026.
All late applications are ranked according to each school’s oversubscription criteria, so a place is not guaranteed.

Declining the offered school

If you are declining the offer you must email primaryadmissions@milton-keynes.gov.uk and include:

• Your child’s full name
• Date of birth
• Details of where your child will be educated in September
• The place will not be removed until we receive confirmation of where your child will be educated in September 2026.

Contacting your local MP
All school places are offered based on The School Admissions Code 2021. This means the local council (Milton Keynes City Council) must follow the legal framework when offering places.
The council nor your local MP can change the outcome of your application. Only an independent appeal panel has the legal authority to overturn the decision. These panels are completely separate from the council and follow strict legal guidelines to make sure the process is fair.

You have the right to appeal if your child was not offered a place at a higher preference school you applied for.
Appeals are heard by an Independent Appeal Panel and must be submitted within 20 school days of receiving your allocation letter.
For Milton Keynes community or voluntary controlled schools, email: primaryadmissions@milton-keynes.gov.uk to request an appeal form.

Appeals for academies or foundation schools are handled by the schools themselves. 
You will need to submit a separate appeal for each school and provide strong supporting evidence (e.g. medical, social, or educational reasons).
Be prepared for a formal hearing process.
You can find full guidance on the Milton Keynes City Council School admission appeals page here
 

Parental responsibility
Parents and carers must ensure their children attend school regularly and travel safely to and from school.

Who qualifies for travel support?
Milton Keynes City Council provides travel support for children of statutory school age if:

They attend their catchment school or the nearest appropriate school, and they live:

• Over 2 miles away (if under 8 years old) or
• Over 3 miles away ( if 8 years old or older) or
• There is no safe walking route under those distances, even with an adult

Apply online: www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schooltransport

Low-income criteria
Children qualify for travel support if they:

• Aged 8–11:
• Get free school meals or parents receive Universal Credit
• Attend the nearest catchment school
• Live between 2 and 6 miles from school
   

Apply using the Alternative/SEN travel form at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schooltransport

Discretionary Fare Scheme
If your child doesn’t qualify for free travel, you may still apply for a paid seat on existing school transport (if space is available). These seats can be withdrawn if needed for eligible children.

To check availability and cost:
01908 252526
STS@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Full policy and application forms: www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schooltransport
 

Find out what SEND support is available for a child with special education needs.  If you have any queries about your child’s special needs or wish to understand the transfer process, please contact the SEN casework team. 

If your child has an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP), please contact the team to apply for a school place EHCP@milton-keynes.gov.uk, Milton Keynes City Council