Considering moving your child from independent (private) to the maintained (state) school sector?
If your child is in nursery or Year 6 and you want to enrol them at the start of a new school year you can apply using the normal admissions process. For more details and important deadlines, visit Primary and Secondary.
If you want to move your child to a new school at any time during the school year, you need to fill out an 'In year' admissions form. These allow children from any year group to move school at any time during the school year, subject to securing an offer of a place. The only way to transfer a child in years 1-5, Year 6 (to another primary school), and Years 7-11 is through 'In year' admissions applications
You can apply for 'In year' admissions up to 30 school days before your child's proposed start date. Applications can be submitted at any time, and you can choose the proposed start date. Many parents like to enrol their child at the start of a new term or school year to make the change easier. The guide below shows the earliest dates you can apply for 'In year' admissions, depending on when you want your child to start.
| Proposed term of enrolment | Applications can be submitted from: |
|---|---|
|
Enrolment for summer term, 2024/25 (22 April 2025) |
24 February 2025 |
|
Enrolment for autumn term 2025/26 (1 September 2025) |
2 May 2025* |
|
Enrolment for spring term, 2025/26 (5 Jan 2026) |
10 November 2025 |
|
Enrolment for summer term, 2025/26 (13 April 2026) |
12 February 2026 |
|
Enrolment for autumn term 2026/27 (1 September 2026) |
2 May 2026* |
Visit ‘In year’ admissions for more information.
Please note, some schools in Cambridgeshire process their own ‘In year’ admissions entirely separately from CCC. They set their own policies and deadlines.
If you have any further questions, please visit our FAQ Page, or submit an enquiry and select ‘School Admissions’ from the drop down options list.
Children currently being taught outside their chronological age group at an independent school
It is not the local authority’s role to make decisions around delaying any children beyond summer born reception and if you wish to transfer to another school you must arrange to discuss with your preference school(s) and ask agreement for your child to be taught out of their normal age group.
This applies if your child is moving, or going to move:
- from an infant to a junior school
- from a primary to secondary school
- to a new area and/or is changing schools
Further information is available in all schools Admissions Policies published on their websites and Making a request for admission out of the normal age group - GOV.UK
*As the Summer term is a busy time for admissions, CCC allows applications for the start of a new school year earlier than the usual 30 school days. Applications can be submitted from 2 May and successful applicants are informed in early July.
