From September 4, 2023 you could apply for a secondary school place for your child. Places are open to children who will have reached the age of 11 by August 31, 2024.

You can apply now - this is the quickest and easiest way to apply. You will also get an email letting you know your application has been received.

Alternatively paper applications are available by emailing admissions@wrexham.gov.uk.

Please return the completed form to the LA Admissions Officer, Crown Buildings, 31 Chester Street, Wrexham, LL13 8BG.

The closing date for applications was November 6, 2023.

Late applications

Late applications are dealt with after those received on time, so it is important you meet the deadline.

Although it is possible to submit an application after the deadline, if you apply after the end of the allocation period (January 8, 2024) the application cannot be processed until after the national offer date (March 1, 2024).

If you are applying for a voluntary aided school (St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School), or foundation school (The Maelor School, Penley), the school may also require an extra application form and supplementary evidence. If so, you will need to fill in and return their separate application form as well as completing our online (or paper) application.

You should check the deadline on any separate school application form because it may have a different closing date.

You will need to contact the appropriate admissions authority for the out of county school.

We would still advise that you complete our online (or paper) application, stating a preference for a Wrexham County Borough maintained school, even if your first preference is for a school outside of Wrexham County Borough or an independent school. This should be done in case the application to your preferred option is unsuccessful.

We (as your local authority) then collect this information and pass it on to the following neighbouring local authorities: Flintshire, Denbighshire and Shropshire.

Out of county schools and independent schools may have a different admissions timetable to Wrexham County, so you will need to contact and check with their relevant admissions authority to make sure you do not miss the deadline.

You can state preferences for certain schools on your application.

It is recommended you select multiple schools and rank them in order of preference, in case one or more of the requests are not successful (listing the same school more than once does not increase your chances).

Who decides?

If you have applied for a community school, your application is considered by us (i.e. Wrexham Council, as the local admissions authority).

If you have applied for a Catholic voluntary aided school, or a foundation school your application will be considered by the governing body of that school.

If the school you have applied for is outside of Wrexham County, your application will be considered by the relevant admissions authority.

When and how will I know about my child’s secondary school place?

If you have applied for a community school we will let you know by March 1, 2024 whether your child has been offered a place at your preferred secondary school.

If you have told us that you want to hear via email we will let you know via email, otherwise we will send a letter to tell you about your child’s secondary school place.

If you have applied for a Catholic voluntary aided school, or foundation school you will receive a letter from the school’s governing body by March 1, 2024.

If you need any further information on the admissions process you can read our parent’s guide.

Once you have found out about your child’s school place you may want to apply for school transport.

If your child has not been offered a place at a school you expressed a preference for then you can choose to appeal the decision. Appeals must be made in writing to the admission authority that made the decision, giving the full reason(s) for wishing to appeal including any supporting evidence.

The closing date for appeals is March 15, 2024.

Why do I need to complete a preference form?

By law, the local authority (LA) must give you an opportunity to express a preference for the school you would like your child to attend, and to give reasons for your preference. The relevant admissions authority must offer a place according to preferences, up to each school’s published admission number (published in the Parents' Guide to Education Services in Wrexham). Please note that although the LA will endeavour to ensure that your child goes to your preferred school, there is no automatic right for your child to be educated at your preferred school.  Parents must state a number of preferences ranking the order of preference.

What happens if I do not complete a preference form?

If you do not complete an application by the required date the relevant authority may not be able to offer your child a place at your preferred school within the Wrexham area (this includes church aided and foundation schools) for September 2024.

If I ask for a different school other than the nearest suitable secondary school, will I get free transport?

Please refer to the Transport Policy published in the Parents’ Guide to Education Services in Wrexham. If you express a preference for a school that is not your nearest suitable school, then you will have the responsibility to make arrangements and pay for your child to go to that school.

I have an older child already attending my preferred school – do I still need to make an application?

Yes, you still need to make an application. 

If I do not get a place at my first preference school, and it is not my nearest secondary school, will I then be able to have a place at my nearest school?

If you name as your first preference a school other than the nearest secondary school and your application is unsuccessful, your other preference(s) will then be considered in line with the admission authority’s published over-subscription criteria. The information in the Parent’s Guide to Education Services in Wrexham shows the number of places available at each school, and the anticipated numbers for September 2023. This is only a guide and the position may, however, be different in 2024.

If there are more preferences than places available at my preferred school, how will the places be allocated?

Preferences for places at LA community schools are considered on the basis of the authority’s over-subscription criteria which is published in the Parents’ Guide to Education Services in Wrexham.  The information that you provide on your application is important.

All applications received by the LA closing date November 6, 2023 will be considered collectively and assessed against the authority's criteria.

Late applications will be considered using the same published criteria, however, should a school be over-subscribed then any late applications will be considered after those received by the LA closing date. This means that you may have less opportunity to be allocated to your preferred school if you submit your application after the closing date.

If your child has a particular medical need (for example a disability that may make travel to a school further away more difficult) supporting evidence must be produced before the end of the published allocation period, setting out the reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school, for example a letter from a registered health professional such as a doctor or social worker. The evidence will be assessed in consultation with relevant senior managers.

Preferences for places at church aided and foundation schools will be considered against that school’s published admissions criteria.  Admission policies are published in the Parents’ Guide to Education Services in Wrexham.

What can I do if my preferences are not met?

If your preferences cannot be met, you will be invited to express further preferences. If this happens you will still have a right of appeal against the decision not to meet your first (or other) preference to an independent appeals panel. Submitting an appeal will not affect any alternative preference school place already allocated to your child. Information about admission appeals can be found in the Parents’ Guide to Education Services in Wrexham.

Can I use a different address, other than home address, for my child’s application?

No. The local authority will check the address provided on your application against records we hold at your child’s current school, and we may request information and evidence from you if they differ.

For allocation purposes, any offer of a school place is based on where your child lives at the end of the allocation period and is conditional on your child living at that address, unless you have notified us of, and we have accepted, a subsequent move. If there is equal, shared custody of the child, it is left to the parents to decide which address to use but we may ask to see a Court Order or other evidence to confirm this arrangement exists.

Parents/carers are advised that a child’s school place may be lawfully withdrawn if the information given on their application form is subsequently found to be fraudulent or misleading. The consequence of this could be that there may no longer be a place available for the child at their next nearest school.

The LA cannot accept two applications for one child. Parents must therefore reach a joint agreement or obtain an appropriate Court Order and submit a single application.

What should I do if I move house after submitting my application form?

Please notify our admissions team if your child’s address changes during the allocation period November 7, 2023 to January 8, 2024.

I am still unclear about the arrangements, or have a further question – where can I go for further advice?

You can contact our admissions team by emailing admissions@wrexham.gov.uk, or 01978 298991.