In year transfers

Overview

If you’re moving into North Tyneside, moving house within North Tyneside, or have another reason for wanting to change your child’s school, the information on this page will help. Please note, in-year applications for September 2025 will open on 2nd of June 2025. Please do not apply before this date as your application will be returned to you. 

The Access Team will co-ordinate the transfer process on behalf of most schools in North Tyneside including Academies, Voluntary Aided and Trust. To transfer schools you must complete an 'in-year’ application form. If there is a school place available, the start date may not be immediate and would normally be at the beginning of a half term. We do not hold places for pupils moving into the area therefore your catchment area school may be full. If the year group is full, you will be notified in writing and advised of your right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel.

There is information about Education Appeals on the North Tyneside Council website.

In-year admissions are those that occur other than at the normal time of entry to school. You can submit only one application form for consideration. The local authority is unable to process applications for schools where the date that the place is required from, is more than 4 weeks from the date of the application (Service and Crown Personnel are exempt).

Moving from one North Tyneside school to another

If your child is currently attending a North Tyneside school, ask your child's school for an application form. You cannot make an application using the Citizen's Portal. The Head Teacher must complete Section B of the form before we can accept it.

Not currently in a North Tyneside school

Children who are not residents in the UK but have intention to enter the country may be asked to provide proof of an established address before the application can be processed. Section B would not need to be completed for families new to the area but a recent school report alongside your application is welcomed.

Please be aware that new application forms received during the Summer holidays will not be processed until September. This is because the schools are closed. North Tyneside Council will prepare all the applications for schools during this period, but you will not hear the outcome of your application until the schools return in September. It is likely to be the second or third week of term before the school contacts you.

Before you start your application:

• You must make a separate application for each child. Please tell us on the application if they have a brother or sister.
• Each child can only have one application at any time, but you can name three schools in any local authority on the application. These are called “preferences”.
• Contact the school direct if you want to apply for a place in the nursery class, the sixth form, a private school or Burnside College.
• We will only discuss the application by phone or email with the person who has made the application unless you tell us in writing that we can discuss it with another named person.
• Check your catchment school - School catchment areas

Changing your child’s school can affect them in many ways and the decision should not be taken without careful thought. In the case of house moves or exclusion, a move of schools may be unavoidable. At other times your application to change a child’s school will need careful consideration. It is vital that parents consider the effect on their child(ren) if they are considering changing schools.

The last two years of Secondary School (years 10 and 11), when pupils prepare for their GCSE and other public examinations, are particularly important. It is generally considered that changing schools at this stage should be avoided, if possible, because it might have a damaging effect on the examination results a pupil may achieve. At public examination level, schools do not always offer the same combination of subjects and syllabi. Examination requirements can also differ as schools do not all use the same examination boards. Problems may arise in subjects involving course work that must be sent to examination boards by set dates, and pupils who have not completed essential course work may be unable to complete the examination.

Sometimes a change is considered because there has been a disagreement between the parents or child(ren) and school. There are very few differences that cannot be resolved if an issue is discussed openly and reasonably between the school and parent.

The Procedure

The same admission arrangements apply to children moving between schools as those starting for the first time, and admission is dependent on the availability of places. If there are places available, the start date may not be immediate and would normally be within 15 school days. If a school is going through an organisational change, and increased numbers of pupils are moving to a different school, pupils will be admitted to the new school at the start of each half term. In general it is unwise to withdraw a child from one school before you have made satisfactory arrangements for admission to another, and it is expected that your child will continue his/her school.

Legal Requirement

If your child is aged between 5 and 16, they must be in full-time education. They should keep attending their current school until an alternative place is offered. If you do not ensure your child attends school, you could be guilty of an offence and prosecuted. This is particularly important if you child is currently studying for GCSEs as some schools use different exam boards. 

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

• If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) this may recommend a school for them.
• If your child has an EHCP, please contact our SEND team about identifying an appropriate school.
• If they don’t have an EHCP, complete the in-year form. Include details of your child’s needs and any previous specialist provision with your application. This will help your application to be processed more quickly and ensure appropriate support is provided.

Timescale for hearing the outcome

We will process your application and forward it on for an admission decision within 10 school days (this may be slightly extended in June/July and September/October due to the number of applications we receive at these times of year). These timescales may be delayed if information is missing from your application. You should hear whether the schools you applied to can offer your child a place within 15 school days of submitting your application. Places are not offered during holidays when schools are closed. If you have not heard by the 15th school day please email us at school.admissions@northtyneside.gov.uk 

Who will tell you the outcome of the application

If you have applied for a school that manages its own in-year admissions, they will communicate the outcome to you directly. Some schools have asked the local authority to manage in-years admissions on their behalf. If the school you have requested does this, we will write to you with the outcome. If you receive a letter stating the place has been refused, there will be details of how to appeal the decision on this letter.