In-year admissions

An in-year admission takes place outside the normal entry times. We recommend parents and carers apply online.

What to do and when

Schools should check Schools Access Module (SAM) regularly for applications (at least twice weekly during term time).

Inform the Admissions team:

as soon as vacancies arise and
if places have not been accepted within 10 school days

Community and voluntary controlled schools

Staff working in community and voluntary controlled schools should not offer places to applicants. All offers should come from the Admissions team:

If there is a vacancy, we will offer the place by email and advise the parent to contact the school to arrange a start date.
If there's competition for a place, we will offer the place to the child with highest priority.
If there are no places available, we will resolve the application. Families will then have the right to appeal and go on the waiting list.

Waiting list offers will also come from the Admissions team.

Community and voluntary controlled schools are legally required to comply with admission decisions made by East Sussex County Council.

Own admission authority schools

Schools must notify the council of the outcome of applications within 5 school days of receiving (not downloading) them. This ensures that we meet statutory deadlines around offering a school place and referring to the Fair Access Protocol.

For the steps to take and when, see: Guide for own admission schools - In-year admissions process and timeline [1.4 MB] [pdf]

Own admission authority schools are legally obliged to:

Make admissions decisions in accordance with the requirements of the School Admissions Code 2021, whether they opt into the scheme or not.
Comply with the locally agreed Fair Access Protocol

Services to schools

We can provide services to assist own authority schools with the admissions process. Find out more on Admissions | Services 2 Schools.