Admissions

Parents and carers can apply for admission to schools within Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council or neighbouring local authority schools by completing the online application form on the Blackburn with Darwen Council Families Information Service Online. You must not complete the application form of any other Council. Parents and carers are advised to read all the information below and the individual school admission policies before submitting your application form.

Apply for school admissions online

• Secondary school applications are open from 3 September 2024 until 31 October 2024.
• Primary school applications are open from 3 September 2024 until 15 January 2025.

In order to process your application you will be asked to provide some personal information such as names and address. The information you provide will be held securely in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Where required, your data will be forwarded to schools, other local authorities and relevant Council departments to consider and/or verify the information you provide.

Some schools are popular and oversubscribed so it is important that you are fully aware of the admission process. Carefully check the admission policies for your chosen schools or on the individual school’s website.

Ensure your application is completed properly and on-time alongside any additional forms and information.

We will do our best to offer you a place at one of the schools you list on your application form. Ensure you list three different school preferences. Don’t repeat the name of one school or just give a single preferred school - this does not improve your chances of getting a place. What it does mean is that, if you do not obtain a place at the preferred school, the Council and the schools will not know which other schools are of interest to you. You may lose priority for another school where you might otherwise have a good chance of getting a place.

Below you will find information on how the local authority deals with your application for your child to start primary or secondary school, details about schools, advice about how you can get financial help with paying for travel and where to go for more information.

Before you make your decision, it is also a good idea to visit some of the schools (if you are able), look at their websites and read their individual prospectuses.

If you need further information about how to apply for schools, please contact the School Admissions Team who can provide help and advice.

If you would like general information about specific schools, you should contact the schools directly or look at their websites.

Other sources of information

Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) inspection reports are a good way of finding out information about the schools. For the latest copy of a report please contact the school direct or ask at your local library. Inspection reports can also be obtained from the Ofsted website

Copies of performance tables for all schools in the borough are available from the Government’s website