Benton Park Admissions
We are a community school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council. They set our admission policy every year. You can read our school’s admission policy at: Benton Park School Admission Policy.
How to apply for a September 2027 Year 7 place
If you are applying for a Year 7 place for September 2027, all applications are made in advance. The national closing date is 31st October 2026. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day.
Our Published Admission Number (PAN) is 270 and this is the number of places the school can admit in Year 7 in 2027.
You must apply to the local authority who empties your bins. If this is Leeds, go to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. The website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools and this includes:
- all of the steps you need to go through to make an application
- the key dates
- a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
- an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
- the online application portal – apply online and you’ll be sent your offer by email
- a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
- data about who got a place in the last 3 years – this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place.
- information about applying under a specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is really important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria.
You can also watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRU1SrS7iJE for more information.
You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/schools/benton-park-school
Leeds application timetable
The below timetable applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates.
Children born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 are due to start Year 7 in September 2027
| 1st September 2026 | Applications open. You can apply online at www.leeds.gov.uk/apply |
|---|---|
| 31st October 2026 | National deadline for applying for Year 7 2027 places |
| 28th November 2026 | Deadline for making changes that will be considered as being on-time by our school |
| 31st December 2026 | Final date Leeds City Council uses for adding late applications or receiving change of address evidence. Any new applications received by Leeds City Council after this date will not be offered a school place until the first round of reallocations in April |
| 1st March 2027 | National offer day (first working day after 1st March) |
| 17th March 2027 | Deadline for: accepting your offer for a place at our school; making any changes to your application before Leeds City Council carries out the first reallocation of places |
| 1st April 2027 | Any Year 7 appeals received by this date will be heard before the summer holiday. Leeds City Council arranges our appeals. |
| April to end of August 2027 | Any available Year 7 places are automatically allocated from waiting lists by Leeds City Council. Lower preference school offers are also withdrawn automatically (even if accepted). |
| May to July 2027 | Appeals heard by independent appeal panels |
| September 2027 | Start secondary school |
If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates.
Transition into Year 7
Parents can be assured that everything possible is done to ensure a smooth transfer from Primary to Secondary School. Our Key Stage 3 team works closely with our Primary Schools to ensure that we fully understand your child’s needs before beginning Secondary School.
Through regular meetings and discussions with the school, together with our transition events and Parents’ Evenings we are fully informed about your child prior to their arrival. We actively encourage parents to talk to us and share any worries or concerns before your child begins, to enable us to ensure the best possible start in Year 7.
In-year applications
If you are moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – often called an in-year application.
This includes:
- applications for a place in Year 7 after the start of term in September
- applications for a place in all other year groups (Year 8-11)
Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child’s current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you
How to apply for an in-year place
We are part of the Leeds coordinated in-year application scheme.
You can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form at Before you move schools (leeds.gov.uk). You can apply for places at our school and any other Leeds schools.
If you have moved house, you will need to submit evidence of the house move at the same time you make your online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website.
We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application. Leeds City Council will contact you with our decision no later than 15 school days from when you apply.
If they cannot offer you a place, they will:
- add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes available
- send you a letter to explain the reasons we cannot offer a place (usually that we are full) and tell you how you can appeal.
Our waiting lists are kept until end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.
Appeals
If we cannot offer you a place, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding.
Before you appeal you:
- should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
- should think about why you are appealing and check if it’s likely to be successful
- could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
- could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity
If you are applying for a Year 7 place for September 2027, you need to submit your appeal by the deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.
You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school’s decision not to admit any more children.
Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there.
