When is the deadline to apply for a secondary school place?
For September 2027 entry, applications close at midnight on Monday 2 November 2026. Offers are sent on Monday 1 March 2027, and you must accept or refuse by Monday 15 March 2027.
Applying for a place
- You can name up to four schools on the Kent secondary school application.
- Kent residents apply to Kent County Council. Families who live outside Kent apply through their own council’s form, even for a Kent school.
- Kent uses an equal preference scheme: schools are not told where you ranked them. The order only matters if more than one of your schools could offer a place: you are then offered the one you ranked highest.
- Naming only one school, or the same school more than once, does not guarantee a place there or give your child priority.
- A late application that reaches Kent County Council by Monday 7 December 2026, for a good reason, is treated as on time as far as is practicable. Applications after that date get no offer on 1 March 2027 and are considered at reallocation on 27 April 2027.
Grammar school places
- A Kent grammar school can only offer a place to a child who has been assessed suitable for grammar school through the Kent Test.
- Being assessed suitable does not guarantee a place. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed and rank all applicants using their own admissions criteria.
- If the grammar school you ranked highest has too many suitable applicants and cannot offer a place, you are offered the next school on your list that can, even if that is not a grammar school.
- Some of Kent’s grammar schools, particularly those most likely to offer places to children from outside Kent, give priority to the highest scores.
- Some grammar schools also run their own test as part of their admissions. You contact those schools directly, and they tell you the result of their own test.
- A grammar school can only put on its waiting list children who have been assessed suitable for grammar school.
Questions parents ask
How many schools can I name, and does the order matter?
You can name up to four. Schools are not told where you ranked them, so putting a school first does not improve your chance there. The order only matters if more than one of your schools could offer a place: you are then offered the one you ranked highest.
Does passing the Kent Test guarantee a grammar school place?
No. Passing makes your child eligible, but grammar schools are often oversubscribed and each one ranks the eligible children by its own admissions criteria. Some rank by score, some by where you live and how far away, and some by both.
We live outside Kent. Can my child take the Kent Test?
Yes. Kent County Council asks you to register only if you intend to apply for a Kent grammar school. Children from schools outside the council’s area sit the test at a Kent testing centre at the weekend. You then apply on your own council’s form, even for a Kent school. Some Kent grammar schools, particularly those most likely to offer places to children from outside Kent, give priority to the highest scores.
Sources: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (guide for parents) · Secondary school places · Co-ordinated scheme for secondary admissions 2027-28 · Apply for a Kent grammar school place · Register for the Kent Test
Checked on 5 October 2026. If you spot something out of date, please tell us.
