Brighton & Hove council encourages parents not to miss the deadline for school place applications
The deadline is the 31st of October
The council is encouraging parents in Brighton & Hove to make sure they don’t miss the deadline for school place applications for children due to start secondary school in September 2026.
Applications for the city’s secondary schools for next September must be submitted by Friday 31 October at midnight.
Visit the council's apply for a school place webpage to apply online. For more information about the application process and for additional guidance and advice, visit the secondary school admissions guide 2026 to 2027.
If you need help or support with school place applications, email [email protected] or call 01273 293 653.
Earlier this year the council announced changes to its admission arrangements for September 2026. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) is considering a number of objections to these changes, and a determination (decision) is currently pending.
However, please continue to submit your applications before the 31 October deadline. As is the case every year, you can change the expressed preferences in your application at any time until the closing date.
If the adjudicator determines that the council must change its admissions arrangements for September 2026
Open admissions
Some areas of Brighton & Hove include one secondary school, while others include two schools. This means that young people in different areas have unequal options in terms of accessing secondary education within the city.
We will be introducing an open admissions criterion that reserves up to 5% of places in each of the city’s community secondary schools for pupils who live in single-school catchment areas. This will create more equity of access to education across the city.
Published admission numbers
In response to falling pupil numbers in Brighton & Hove – and forecasts that suggest they will continue to fall – we will be amending the published admission numbers (PANs) at three secondary schools from September 2026.
We will be changing the PANs at Longhill High School from 270 to 210, at Blatchington Mill School from 330 to 300, and at Dorothy Stringer School from 330 to 300.
School budgets are determined by pupil numbers, with empty places impacting the resources, teaching and support available to pupils. Reducing PANs will help protect the long-term future of the the city’s education system.
Catchment area boundaries
The catchment area boundaries for Longhill High and Dorothy Stringer and Varndean schools will be amended.
This will see the BN2 5 north area, above Manor Way and Manor Hill, brought within the Varndean/Dorothy Stringer catchment area, and the BN2 1 and BN2 5 (south) Kemptown area moving into the Longhill High catchment area.
A sibling link for families affected by the changes to catchment area boundaries will be maintained.