School Admissions

How to apply for a September 2026 place

We are a voluntary controlled school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who set our admission policy every year. You can read our school’s admission policy at Our school admissions policies (leeds.gov.uk)

If you are applying for a reception place for September 2026, all applications are made in advance. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day.

Our Published Admission Number (PAN) is 30 places, and this is the number of places the school can admit in Reception in 2026.

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 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 will 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 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 for more information.

The council’s social media pages will also tell you about Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website.

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

Your Reception New Starter Pack

Once you have accepted your place at Burley St Matthias, you will be invited to a New Reception Parents Evening. At this meeting you will meet key staff, visit the classroom, and receive your new starter pack.  There are some forms to complete in this pack - we can help you fill them in, but please do let us know if you need this information in another format, or if translation would be helpful. Your new starter pack will also contain your child's start date - please note this down carefully. 

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 reception after the start of term in September

• and applications for a place in all other year groups (year 1-6)

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

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 who are part of the centralised Leeds in-year application scheme at the same time.

If you have moved house, please 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.

Leeds City Council will offer places based on our admissions policy. The admissions team inform the school on a Thursday and parents will receive notification on a Friday. We always arrange to meet you and your child before starting our school, we will support you if you have English as an additional language and make the necessary arrangements for your child to have a smooth start at our school.

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 is 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

Leeds City Council arranges our appeals, and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk) 

If you are appealing for a reception place for September 2026, you need to submit your appeal by the deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.

Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals.

Other appeals - 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.

How to apply for a September 2027 place

We are a voluntary controlled school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who set our admission policy every year. You can read our school’s admission policy at Our school admissions policies (leeds.gov.uk)

If you are applying for a reception place for September 2027, all applications are made in advance. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day.

Our Published Admission Number (PAN) is 30 places, and this is the number of places the school can admit in Reception 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 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 will 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 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 for more information.

The council’s social media pages will also tell you about Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website.

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

Your Reception New Starter Pack

Once you have accepted your place at Burley St Matthias, you will be invited to a New Reception Parents Evening. At this meeting you will meet key staff, visit the classroom, and receive your new starter pack.  There are some forms to complete in this pack - we can help you fill them in, but please do let us know if you need this information in another format, or if translation would be helpful. Your new starter pack will also contain your child's start date - please note this down carefully. 

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 reception after the start of term in September

• and applications for a place in all other year groups (year 1-6)

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

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 who are part of the centralised Leeds in-year application scheme at the same time.

If you have moved house, please 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.

Leeds City Council will offer places based on our admissions policy. The admissions team inform the school on a Thursday and parents will receive notification on a Friday. We always arrange to meet you and your child before starting our school, we will support you if you have English as an additional language and make the necessary arrangements for your child to have a smooth start at our school.

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 is 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

Leeds City Council arranges our appeals, and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk) 

If you are appealing for a reception place for September 2026, you need to submit your appeal by the deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.

Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals.

Other appeals - 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.