Reminder: determined admission arrangements for 2027-28

What you need to do

• Formally determine your school’s 2027-28 admission arrangements by 28 February 2026 through a minuted meeting
• Publish the determined arrangements on your school’s website by 28 February 2026 in an accessible format for the whole offer year (the school year in which offers are made). This means, at this point in time, you should have your 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 admission arrangements published on your website.
• Send a copy to KCC at kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk by 15 March 2026.

What to include

Admission authorities are required to meet the requirements of the School Admissions Code for these admission arrangements. Some of these requirements include:

• Your Published Admission Number (PAN) for 2027
• Your oversubscription criteria with definitions of sibling, social and medical need, distance etc.
• Requirements and process where schools have any banding, aptitude or ability tests
• A clear and fair tie-breaker
• A waiting list policy that states it will be re-ranked, in line with your oversubscription criteria, every time a child is added
• Inform parents of their right to defer entry or to take up the place part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age (primary and infant schools only)
• The process for requesting admission outside of the normal age group
• Any supplementary information forms (SIF) if applicable.

If you proposed changes this year

Where changes were proposed, consultation should have run between October and January, and you should now determine and publish the final policy. More information is available on the changing arrangements page.

If your school has a sixth form

If your school has a sixth form, you must provide separate entry criteria and PAN. Please note that your PAN for year 12 needs to be the number of places which will be offered on an annual basis to eligible external applicants. Children already on roll in the school’s year 11 progress up automatically if they meet the academic entry criteria. If your school does not normally admit external applicants at year 12, you do not require a PAN. This guidance document from the DfE has some suggested wording on page 19-20.

Need help?

Any queries, please contact kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk.

The team can offer guidance and support through the determination process, however it remains the responsibility of your Academy Trust or governing board as your admission authority to ensure that all statutory requirements are met during the consultation and determination of your admission arrangements.