What The Admissions Code Is
The School Admissions Code is statutory guidance for admissions to state-funded schools in England. It sets requirements for admission authorities, local authorities and others involved in the process. The current published Code came into force in September 2021.
An admission authority is the body responsible for a school’s admission arrangements. Depending on the school, this may be the local authority, governing body or academy trust. The home local authority also coordinates the normal school application process.
The Code and the school policy do different jobs: the Code sets national requirements; the policy sets the school-specific rules within that framework.
The Code Terms Parents Actually Meet
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Admission arrangements | The published rules governing applications and allocation. |
| Oversubscription | There are more applicants than places under the relevant arrangements. |
| PAN | The Published Admission Number for the normal intake. |
| Equal preference | The school applies its criteria without rewarding a higher position on the CAF. |
| Coordinated scheme | The local authority process that brings preferences and school decisions together. |
| Waiting list | Applicants ordered using admission criteria, rather than simply by when they joined. |
What The Code Does Not Tell You
The Code does not provide one national 11+ pass mark, a universal catchment radius or identical priority groups for every grammar school. Nor does it replace the test organiser’s registration instructions.
To answer “Can my child get a place?”, you still need the correct-year school policy, the result and the relevant applicant category. Historical allocation information may add context, but the Code cannot turn it into a prediction.
Grammar Schools And Selection
Grammar schools can use academic selection under the applicable legal framework. Read the policy’s selection arrangements alongside its oversubscription criteria: a qualifying result and priority for an available place remain separate questions.
Do not assume a sibling or another priority category removes the academic requirement. Equally, do not assume every school’s academic and priority provisions are identical. Children with an EHC plan have a separate placement process; discuss selective entry with the local authority SEND team and the school.
How The Code Connects To The CAF
A school cannot improve your admissions priority simply because you ranked it first. Each preference is considered against the relevant school’s criteria. If more than one school could offer, the coordinated process uses your order to allocate the highest available preference.
That makes genuine preference order important. Putting a less preferred school above a more preferred one can result in an offer you would rather not receive. Read the CAF guide for examples.
Waiting Lists, Appeals And The Code
Waiting lists are ordered under the school’s published admission criteria. A position can move down as well as up when new applicants are added or circumstances change. The normal-round waiting-list requirement extends at least to 31 December in the admission year; check local arrangements for staying on longer.
A refused application can also bring a right of appeal. Appeals use a separate School Admission Appeals Code and local submission instructions. A waiting-list request does not lodge an appeal, and a selection review is not automatically an admission appeal. See the appeals hub.
A Policy-Led Reading Order
- For school eligibility and priority
Read the determined admission arrangements for the correct entry year.
- For test registration and access arrangements
Use the official test organiser’s instructions.
- For CAF dates and preferences
Use your home council’s coordinated admissions information.
- For a disputed rule or refused place
Read the relevant Code, refusal letter and published complaint, objection or appeal route. These are different processes.
A few more answers
Common questions
Does the Code apply to independent school admissions?
The School Admissions Code discussed here governs state-funded school admissions in England. Independent schools set their own admissions processes.
Does the Code set a grammar school pass mark?
No. Read the selection arrangements published by the relevant school or test organiser.
Can a school prioritise applicants who put it first?
The Code prohibits giving priority based on preference order. Your CAF order is used to select the highest available offer, not to improve a school’s ranking of your application.
Is a waiting list first come, first served?
No. It is ordered using the admission criteria. New applicants can change your child’s position.
Official sources
Reviewed 28 Sept 2026. Check the published arrangements for your child’s entry year.