The CAF is not another 11 plus test
The Common Application Form is your local authority application for secondary school places. It is separate from 11+ registration, a result or an invitation to a second stage. For the normal Year 7 round in England, the national closing date is 31 October; follow your home authority’s submission instructions.
The form allows a set number of preferences, which varies by authority. Include schools outside your home council area on the same form where the coordinated arrangements apply. Keep any school supplementary forms separate.
How equal preference changes the strategy
Each school applies its own admission criteria. Ranking it first does not move your child ahead of another applicant with stronger priority under those criteria. The council then allocates the highest school on your list that can offer a place.
Three CAF examples
These examples use fictional schools and assume the published rules and all application steps have been satisfied.
Example 1: your first preference cannot offer
You list Oak Grammar first, Cedar School second and Willow School third. Oak cannot offer, but Cedar and Willow can. The coordinated offer is Cedar. Listing Oak first has not reduced your priority at Cedar.
Example 2: both of your top choices can offer
Oak is first and Cedar is second. Both can offer under their criteria, so you receive Oak. You do not receive two offers to choose between through the coordinated process.
Example 3: you put a “safer” school above your favourite
You prefer Oak but put Cedar first. Both can offer, so the allocation is Cedar. Order by what you want, while keeping suitable realistic alternatives lower on the list.
Checks before ordering grammar school preferences
- Academic eligibility
Read what the result actually establishes and whether another test stage is required.
- Admission priority
Identify your category, any address conditions and how applicants are ordered within the category.
- Daily suitability
Check curriculum, support, school-day travel and costs. An offer is useful only if the school works for your child.
- Alternative schools
Include non-selective schools you could accept and understand their oversubscription rules too.
- Required forms
Submit the CAF, supplementary forms and priority evidence by the appropriate deadlines.
Common CAF mistakes
Listing only one school does not improve your chance of that school. Filling several preferences with schools for which your child is ineligible can leave you without an offer from any named preference.
Do not rank by perceived probability alone. Probability helps you decide whether the list includes realistic options; genuine preference decides the order. Also avoid assuming a high score erases catchment or residence requirements.
If none of your named schools can offer, the local authority follows its process for finding an available place. That school may not be one you would have chosen.
What if the result is not enough?
Read the organiser’s result guidance and the school’s review or appeal arrangements. Some families may still name a school to preserve the ability to receive a refusal and pursue an admission appeal, but the procedure and purpose need to be clear.
Do not use an appeal possibility as your only plan. Include suitable alternatives and meet all application deadlines while investigating the published options. Our appeals guide explains what a refused-place appeal considers.
A practical CAF order
Write the schools in the order you would choose if each could offer. Check that the list contains acceptable schools with a realistic prospect under their rules. Confirm the number of preferences your council permits and use the available space thoughtfully.
Review the child’s details, school names and any priority claims. Submit rather than merely save a draft, then retain the acknowledgement. If you need to change preferences, check your council’s deadline and treatment of late changes before editing.
A few more answers
Common questions
Does putting a grammar school first help admission?
It does not improve your position under that school’s admission criteria. It means that school is preferred if it and a lower preference can both offer.
Will an ambitious first preference harm my second choice?
Under equal preference, it does not reduce your priority at the second school. Your list still needs suitable schools where an offer is realistic.
Should I list only schools my child has qualified for?
A non-qualifying grammar preference may be relevant to an appeal route, but should not replace realistic alternatives. Check the purpose and published arrangements for every preference.
Can I change my CAF order after submitting?
Your home local authority’s rules determine whether you can change the order. Changes before and after the deadline may be treated differently; save the final submission confirmation.
Official sources
Reviewed 30 Sept 2026. Check the published arrangements for your child’s entry year.