What can you do after you've been offered a primary school place?

Continuing interest offers

24 May 2018 - deadline to respond to your offer from this first round of continuing interest.

Offers from the first run of continuing interest have now been made.
Log in to the admissions system to accept or reject your offer and to view your position on the list.

You have the following options:

Accept or reject your offer

Make a continuing interest application (waiting list)

Go to appeal

Consider which schools have vacancies

View application and allocation reports

Check which schools handle their own admissions

Contact these schools direct if you have a query about allocations or continuing interest

Continuing interest offers

24 May 2018 - deadline to respond to your offer from this first round of continuing interest.

Offers from the first run of continuing interest have now been made.
Log in to the admissions system to accept or reject your offer and to view your position on the list.

You can't accept or reject online any previous offer made to you before the first run of continuing interest.

Email transfer.admissions@hertfordshire.gov.uk if you still need to respond to a previous offer. Include your child's name and date of birth.

Alternatively, complete and return the allocation response form.

We recommend that you accept your offer – even if it's not your highest preference. This will ensure your child has a school place for September.

This won't affect your chances of getting one of your higher preference schools, either on the continuing interest list (waiting list) for a particular school, or through a school place appeal.

If you reject the place offered, you must tell us what alternative education provision you'll be making for your child.

If you don't accept or reject the school place, we may offer your place to another child. You will then be offered a place at the nearest school that still has places available.

Opting out

If you're happy with the school you've been allocated and you don't want to pursue a place at any higher preference school, you must opt out of continuing interest otherwise you risk losing your existing school place.

The deadline for opting out online has passed (30 April). If you still want to opt out, email transfer.admissions@hertfordshire.gov.uk with:

your child's name and date of birth
the name of the school continuing interest list(s) you want to opt out of.

If you're satisfied with your offer but you don't opt out of continuing interest, and you are offered a place at a higher preference school, your existing place will automatically be offered to another child.

Continuing interest – re-allocating school places

The continuing interest process is how we re-allocate school places that have been rejected. We do this in 2 countywide "runs".

You can have up to 4 preferences at continuing interest, including academies, community, voluntary aided and foundation schools, either in or outside Hertfordshire.

Your continuing interest preferences will overwrite your initial preferences, so you must include any schools you initially applied to that you still wish to be considered for.

Schools whose allocations are administered by us

If you're not initially offered your highest preference school, you are automatically added to the continuing interest list (waiting list) for any higher preference schools in Hertfordshire.

For example, if you were offered your 3rd preference school, you will be considered for any places available at your 1st and 2nd preference schools.

For schools outside of Hertfordshire, you must check with them direct whether you've been automatically added to their continuing list.

Continuing interest lists closing

Reception applications

Continuing interest lists (waiting lists) for Reception will close on 27 July 2018. This means that your child will no longer be considered for their preferred schools after 27 July.

To retain your interest for up to 4 schools you must make a new in year application from 28 July 2018.

Year 3 and 5 applications

Continuing interest lists for Year 3 (junior) and Year 5 (middle) will close on 21 June 2018. This means that your child will no longer be considered for their preferred schools after 21 June.

To retain your interest for up to 4 schools you must make a new in year application from 22 June 2018.

We aim to let you know the outcome of your application within 10-15 working days of receiving your completed form and necessary paperwork, including:

proof of address (dated within 3 months)
proof of arrival into the UK (if applicable).

Schools that are their own admitting authority must agree before a place is allocated. Therefore some applications may be delayed over the summer break when schools are closed. We'll contact you if this applies to your application.

Please don't chase for updates over the summer break. Schools will respond on their return in September 2018.

Academies, voluntary aided and foundation schools

Most of these schools create their own continuing interest list of children who included them in their school preferences, but did not get a place.

These schools make their own decisions at continuing interest, but we offer continuing interest places on their behalf.

View the schools you need to contact direct about their allocation and continuing interest process.

If you'd like to apply for a place at an academy, voluntary aided or foundation school that you didn't initially rank, you need to make a new application.

First run of continuing interest

14 – 18 May 2018 – the first continuing interest run takes place.

You needed to have submitted any changes to your preferences by 23 April 2018 to be included in this first run.

If you change your application...

If you make a new application, it will overwrite your existing application.

Make sure you include any schools from your original application that you still wish to be considered for.

Most schools will only consider existing applications at the first continuing interest run (the preferences you made on your initial application). For example, if you were offered your 3rd preference school, you'll be considered for any places available at your 1st and 2nd preference schools.

However, the following Hertfordshire schools will also accept new applications at the first run of continuing interest:

Hertfordshire schools accepting new applications at the first run of continuing interest

You can add any of these schools to your list of preferences when you log in.


Town	School	Phase
Albury	Albury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School	Primary
Baldock	St John's Catholic Primary and Nursery School	Primary
Barkway	Barkway C of E (VA) First School	First
Bishop's Stortford	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Primary
Cockernhoe	Cockernhoe Endowed C of E Primary School	Primary
Elstree	St Nicholas Elsetree C of E VA Primary School	Primary
Great Gaddesden	Great Gaddesden C of E Primary School	Primary
Harpenden	St Nicholas C of E VA Primary	Primary
Hemel Hempstead	St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School	Junior
Hertford	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Primary
High Cross	Puller Memorial C of E VA Primary School	Primary
Hoddesdon	St Augustine's Catholic Primary School	Primary
Letchworth	St Thomas More Catholic Primary	Primary
North Mymms	St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School	Primary
Offley	Offley Endowed Primary School	Primary
Puckeridge	St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School	Primary
Rickmansworth	St Mary's C of E Primary	Primary
South Mymms	St Giles C of E Primary School	Primary
South Oxhey	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Primary
St Albans	St Adrian's RC Primary School & Nursery	Primary
St Albans	St Alban & St Stephen RC Junior School	Junior
St Albans	St John Fisher Catholic Primary School	Primary
Stevenage	Ardeley St Lawrence C of E VA Primary School	Primary
Stevenage	St Nicholas C of E Primary School & Nursery	Primary
Waltham Cross	Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School	Primary
Waltham Cross	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Primary
Ware	Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School	Primary
Watford	St John's Church of England Primary School	Primary
Wheathampstead	St Helen's C of E Primary School	Primary

At the first run of continuing interest, you can also apply for additional places made available at the following school:

Town	School	Number of new places	Total intake
Codicote	Codicote Church of England Primary VC School	15	45

If a place becomes available and your child is first on the continuing interest list, the place will be automatically allocated to you – we'll let you know by email or letter (we can't tell you over the phone). Your previous offer will be automatically withdrawn. We won't write to you if you've been unsuccessful.

If you are unsuccessful after the first continuing interest run, you can log in to the admissions system to check your child’s position on continuing interest lists after 21 May 2018. We can’t give you this information over the phone.

Second (and final) run of continuing interest

18 – 22 June 2018 – the second continuing interest run.

All Hertfordshire schools will accept new applications at this stage.

Make any changes between 21–28 May 2018 to be included in this second run.

If you change your application...

If you make a new application, it will overwrite your existing application.

Make sure you include any schools from your original application that you still wish to be considered for.

We'll contact you with your new offer of a school place, if you're successful at this stage.

If you're unsuccessful after the second continuing interest run, you can log in to the admissions system to check your child’s position on continuing interest lists on Monday 25 June 2018. We can’t give you this information over the phone.

After the second continuing interest run

After the second run of continuing interest, places will be allocated as and when vacancies occur until the end of the summer term (we'll confirm the exact date nearer the time).

You can continue to check your child's position on the continuing interest list. We'll regularly update this information until continuing interest lists close at the end of the summer term.

If you haven't been successful at continuing interest and you still want your child to be considered for a place after the end of the summer term, you'll need to make an in year application at that time.

Changing your address for continuing interest

To change your address for continuing interest, provide us with proof of address by:

23 April 2018 (first run of continuing interest)
28 May 2018 (second run of continuing interest).

Suitable proof of address is:

a letter from your solicitor confirming your completion date took place before the relevant date above, or
a signed rental agreement of at least 12 months showing the start of your tenancy on or before the relevant date above.

You must also provide proof that you and your child live permanently at the new address and you no longer have any residential ties to a previous address.

You can email the admissions team with your proof of address.

Rule 2 – exceptional medical and social reasons

We'll only consider applications under rule 2 (medical or social reasons) when you first apply for a school.

However, if your child's medical or social circumstances have changed a lot since your original application, you can apply under rule 2 at the continuing interest stage.

You'll need to tell us the change in circumstances and include relevant professional evidence.

To be considered for continuing interest, you need to provide us with your evidence by:

23 April 2018 (for the first run of continuing interest)
28 May 2018 (for the second run of continuing interest)

You can attach evidence to your online application or email the admissions team.

Application and allocation reports

Check how places were allocated at each of the schools or academies you applied for (where we administer their arrangements). 2 types of report are available:

Application and allocation statistic reports – these summarise the applications and allocations made to Hertfordshire schools. The data includes on-time and late applications for children living in and outside of Hertfordshire.

Allocation summary reports – these show how each school's rules were applied and how many allocations were made under each rule. The report only contains information about schools and academies whose arrangements are administered by us.

Out of county schools and Hertfordshire voluntary aided, foundation schools and academies that administer their own arrangements will be able to provide you with similar allocation information. Contact the school direct.