Secondary school admissions

Find a secondary school

If you live in Bury and your child is currently in Year 6, you can apply online for your child's secondary school place. The application will allow you to state your preferred schools and you can also apply for schools that are outside of the Bury area.

Secondary school applications will open on the 1st September 2023. For children starting secondary school in 2024, the deadline to apply is the 31st October 2023.

(Due to the many different external sources these documents originate from, some of these PDFs are not fully accessible and may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. See: Accessible documents).

Apply for a secondary school place

You must still apply for a secondary school place for your child, even if you have an older child who already attends the same school.

Before applying online, we recommend you read the transfer to secondary school information guide. 

When you're ready to apply for a secondary school place for your child, you can do this online. You'll be able to create an account, so that you can track the progress of your application. 

Alternatively, you can print and return a paper application to admissions@bury.gov.uk or to your child's current school if it's located in Bury.

How will places be allocated to Star Radcliffe Academy?

The admission process for 2024 applications will be administered by the Trust. When completing your preferences please be aware that there is a separate application form for Star Radcliffe Academy and you will not be able to choose it as a preference option on your application form. The school website for Star Radcliffe Academy will be live in the new term and will give you further information on the school and there will also be a copy of the school application form, which is returnable to the Trust. If you are applying for Star Radcliffe Academy please be aware that you should still apply for other schools on your application to the Local Authority. Application forms will be available at Star Radcliffe.

School supplementary information forms

Some secondary schools may require additional information as part of their admissions criteria, which may mean you need to complete a supplementary information form available on this page or from the school's website.

Secondary school admissions process

For children transferring to secondary school in September 2024, the admissions schedule of important dates are:

• 1st September 2023: applications open
• September to October 2023: secondary school open evenings
• 31st October 2023: applications deadline
• 1st March 2024:
  • allocation emails are sent from 9am to parents/carers who applied online
  • allocation letters are posted to parents/carers who applied by paper form
• 31st March 2024: appeal deadline
• May to July 2024: appeal hearings are held.

Applications submitted after 31st October 2023 will not be considered until on-time applications have been offered places first. 

School admissions policies and procedures

As the local authority for school admissions, the following information offers a guide to the policies and procedures we abide by:

• Bury Council does not fund places in independent schools
• Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) publishes inspection reports for each school
• school transport advice can be gained from the Transport for Greater Manchester website
• school admissions of neighbouring authorities to Bury are; Bolton Council, Lancashire County Council, Salford City Council and Rochdale Council.