Introduction

Learn how the school admissions process works, to help you understand how school places are allocated.

School admissions explained

The council’s school admissions team processes applications for state-maintained primary, junior, and secondary schools in the East Riding. They organise the admissions process, review each application, and work with schools to offer places.

School admission authorities

Most state-funded schools in the East Riding are either:

• community schools
• voluntary controlled schools.

For these schools, the council is the ‘admissions authority’ and is responsible for making decisions about school places.

However, some schools make their own allocation decisions. These are:

• foundation schools
• voluntary-aided schools
• academies.

Even though these schools decide on their own places, the council still coordinates their admissions, which means that you only need to make one application through the council’s school admissions team, whatever type of school you apply for.

How school place allocations work

Every application is processed according to:

• the Government’s School Admissions Code
• each school’s oversubscription criteria
• the admissions arrangements of each school.

Other types of schools

There are other types of school provision not covered by school admissions, such as:

• nursery schools or nursery places
• places in a school’s sixth form
• special schools
• pupil referral units
• independent schools.

These schools will have their own admissions policies, and you can find contact details using the East Riding School and Nursery Finder.

You can also read more about other types of schools by visiting Schools, nurseries and places for your child.

Special educational needs

Most children with special educational needs go to their local mainstream school. However, in some cases, specialist schools may be more suitable.

Read more about special schools

Support for parents and carers

The Families Information Service Hub (FISH) offers a wide range of information, advice and support to parents and carers, and can help you find services across the East Riding.