Information about transferring your child from primary school to secondary school in September 2026.

The closing date to apply for your child to start secondary school in September 2026 has now passed.

All applications submitted on or before the closing date of 31 October 2025 are on time and will be looked at together.

Applications made after 31 October 2025 will be classed as late and will be looked at after all on time applications. This is unless the child has changed address or has recently been taken into care. You can find more information in our brochure below. 

Living outside the Warrington area?

If you live outside of the Warrington area (i.e. pay council tax to another Local Authority) you can state a preference for a Warrington school, but you must apply using your home Local Authority application form.

Before applying

Please read our Secondary School brochure and view a map of all the Warrington Secondary schools before applying. 

How to make a late application

Only Warrington residents should complete our application form.

You can download an application form or you can contact the admissions team on 01925 446226 and we can send a form to you.

Completed applications can be scanned to schooladmissions@warrington.gov.uk  Please do not send photographs of completed applications as we need to make copies of them.

Or you can post it to: Admissions Team, East Annexe, Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH

Making a preference for a school

When you apply you can list three schools for your child. We advise you to choose three schools in order of preference and list them in your application - listing only one will not guarantee getting a place at that school. If you list only one school and we are unable to meet your preference, you will be given a place at the next nearest school to your home which has a place available.

Supplementary forms

If any of your preferences are for a faith school, you must complete the schools own supplementary form as well as our application form. The supplementary forms give the schools more details to help them decide the correct oversubscription criteria for your child.

Completed forms should be sent directly to the school.

Cardinal Newman Catholic High School (cardinal-newman.org.uk)

St Gregory's Catholic High School (stgregoryshigh.com)

Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School (boteler.org.uk)

Child in care, medical or social application information

If you want your child’s application to be reviewed with child in care, medical or social criteria, you need to send verifying information with your application. Please email this to schooladmissions@warrington.gov.uk as a scanned document, you can also send copies of it by post.

Please do not send photographs of verifying information.

Child in care information

If your child is in care or was formerly in care, you must send details of the Local Authority the child was in the care of and a copy of the Adoption Certificate, Child Arrangement Order or Special Guardianship Order.

Medical or social information

Please send supporting evidence from a registered professional, such as a Medical Practitioner, Psychologist or Social Worker, which sets out detailed reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school for your child.

Getting an offer of a place

We send offers to all on-time applications by email. Email offers will be sent to the address given on the online application form from 8am on 2 March 2026.

Applicants who applied using the Citizen Portal can also view their offer by logging back into the Citizen Portal and clicking school admissions.

All applicants who applied after the closing date, 31 October 2025, will receive their offer via letter. Letters will be posted on 2 March 2026, so please allow time for delivery.

Any child who is not offered their preferred school(s), will receive a letter which provides the reason for refusal and further information. These letters will be posted to the home address on 2 March 2026, so please allow time for delivery.

You can contact us via email, or you can call between 9am until 12noon on 01925 446226.