Key dates
These are the key dates that you will need to remember for your secondary school application. Make sure you apply on time and send us any relevant supporting information.
You can also view the key dates, as well as school events and information sessions, on our interactive calendar.
From September
Parents can view the online secondary booklet at Admission to Year 7.
1 September to 31 October 2026
- Parents and pupils visit schools.
- Parents apply online at eadmissions naming up to 6 maintained (non fee paying) schools.
- Parents must also complete supplementary information forms (SIF’s) for Stepney All Saints, Bishop Challoner and Canary Wharf College Schools.
- Parents of children who do not take the CATS4 Banding Assessment in their primary school must also submit a Banding Assessment Registration Form.
September and October 2026
Join the School Admissions Service and the Transitions Support Team from the Family Information Advice and Support Service (formerly Parents Advice Centre) for a presentation on secondary transfer.
For more details and to reserve your place, visit How to apply.
Friday 23 October 2026 (Friday before half term)
Date by which parents should submit their online application for processing and checking.
31 October 2026
Statutory deadline for receipt of applications.
1 March 2027
You will receive an email informing you of the outcome of your application. If you are offered a place at a school, the school will write to you to confirm the arrangements for you to accept the place.
March 2027
Parents of pupils without an offer at a preferred school can apply to the waiting lists of other schools.
29 March 2027
Closing date for appeals for Tower Hamlets schools that use the Local Authority’s admissions policy.
April, May and June 2027
Appeals heard for Tower Hamlets secondary schools.
September 2027
Your child starts secondary school.