Apply to change school during the school year

If you're moving house, moving into County Durham, or have another reason for wanting to change schools, the information on this page will help.

Apply to change primary school or return to primary school following home education

Apply to change primary school because of a house move

Apply for a change of primary school because you are moving house

Please note, this form is only to be used for a primary school transfer because of a house move. If you want to change primary school for any reason other than a house move or want to change secondary school, please see the relevant sections below for information on how to apply.

We deal with school transfer requests in order of receipt. It can take up to ten school days from the date of receipt for the process to start, however during peak times it may take slightly longer. Please allow ten school days before chasing up your application. 'School days' do not include weekends, bank holidays or school holidays.

Whilst some school staff may access emails intermittently during school holidays, we cannot guarantee that we will receive a response from them before they return. This means that if your request is received just before or during a school holiday period, you may not receive your outcome until the school restarts. As a school place can only be held for two school weeks, if your request is not for an immediate transfer, the 'ten school day' period advised above will begin ten school days before the start date you asked for.

Transfer requests for the start of the following academic year are dealt with from the last week of June onwards.

Apply to change primary school for reasons other than a house move or to return to primary school following home education

Before applying to move primary schools, please read the Why change schools? - information leaflet for parents and carers (PDF, 128 KB).

Once you have read this, if you still want to move schools, you should download the Form T3 - apply to change primary school (for reasons other than a house move) (PDF, 404 KB). Please note, this document is for print-only purposes. If you are unable to print this and need us to send you a form, or if you need the document in an accessible format, please Contact School places and admissions.

You will need to complete Sections A-G, and then forward the whole form to your child's current school (or most recent previous school if they are not currently in education or are being educated at home) for them to complete Section H. Once completed, the school will send it to us, or you can email it to schooladmissions@durham.gov.uk.

Transfer requests for the start of the following academic year are dealt with from the last week of June onwards.

Apply to change secondary school or return to secondary school following home education

Before applying to move secondary schools, please read the Why change schools? - information leaflet for parents and carers (PDF, 128 KB).

Once you have read this, if you still want to move schools, you should download the Form T2 - apply to change secondary school (PDF, 387 KB). Please note, this document is for print-only purposes. If you are unable to print this and need us to send you a form, or if you need the document in an accessible format, please Contact School places and admissions.

Transfer requests for the start of the following academic year are dealt with from the last week of June onwards.

Successful applications

Your child will be expected to start at their new school within two school weeks of the offer being made. If there are going to be significant delays in your child starting, we may have to remove the offer. In such instances, you will need to reapply, and it may be the case that there is no longer a place that can be offered at your preferred school.

Unsuccessful applications

If we cannot offer you a place at your chosen school we will add your child's name to the school's waiting list if you want us to. You can also School place appeals decision. Please note, some schools are their own admissions authority and will need to be contacted directly for waiting lists and appeals. We can tell you if this is the case with any of the schools you have applied for.

Travel to school following a change of school

If the school is now not your nearest suitable school, you may be affected by our home to school transport policies.

Apply for a school place if your child is due to start Reception year, Junior school or Year 7 at the beginning of the next school year

If your child is due to start primary or secondary school, you should check the following pages for when school place applications open:

How we use your personal information

Find out how we use your personal information and what happens if you give false information on your application form.

Unfortunately, children lose places every year due to parents giving false information on their application forms, this includes appeal forms. We therefore reserve the right to seek proof of address. We will withdraw an offer of a school place if it was obtained through a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application.

Parents will be asked to sign a declaration to state that you:

have read, understood and agree to abide by the conditions as set out on Primary school places or Secondary school places.
confirm that you have parental responsibility for the child (or have care and control of the child), and in seeking to apply for your child a school place, you have no knowledge of any opposition to this application from any other person who has parental responsibility for the child. (If applicable, you must inform us of the individual who opposes the transfer and supply their contact details)
will contact us immediately to let us know of any change of address details after the submission of your child's application
understand that your child's school place can be withdrawn even if he/she has started at the school if the place was fraudulently obtained
agree and consent to us checking the details you have provided on your child's application against Council Tax, Electoral Registration and other council records to confirm that your child is resident at the address in Section A
agree and consent to us sharing your data with other agencies, where it is necessary to do so and where the law allows, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (see our Privacy notices and data protection page)
understand that if you have provided information that is incorrect or incomplete, you may be investigated and action may be taken against you (including court action)