How to apply for a post-primary school place for September 2025

Parents are being reminded that the application portal for children moving from primary to post primary school in Northern Ireland in September 2025 to June 2026 opens soon.

The Education Authority (EA) has issued information on the key dates in the schools admissions procedure.

If your child was born between 2 July 2013 and 1 July 2014 you will need to apply soon for their Year 8 Post Primary school place for September 2025.

READ MORE: "Critical and imminent" need for all NI schools to include SEN provision

READ MORE: Education Minister issues major update on industrial action planned by teachers

The EA's Admissions Guide helps parents understand more about the process and what to expect when applying for a school place for your child.

Applying for a Post Primary Year 8 place in the current school year

To apply for a Year 8 place for the current school year use the AP1 form. Your completed AP1 form should be submitted directly to the school for consideration along with your child’s birth certificate. Some schools may also ask for other documentation to be submitted e.g. to verify your address. The school will respond to you as soon as possible with its decision, this is usually within 11 working days.

You should note that some Post Primary schools will now be full and unable to admit your child. You can contact the school directly to check if they still have places available.

The AP1 form provides information on the circumstances where you have a right of complaint or appeal if you are refused admission by a school.

How do I apply?

Online applications will open at 12noon on Tuesday 28 January 2025 and will close at 12noon on Thursday 20 February 2025.

Before starting your child’s application you should:

Read carefully the admissions criteria for each Post Primary school that you wish to nominate as a preference. All schools will require the birth certificate to verify a child’s name and date of birth. Either a full (long) or short birth certificate may be used or an amended birth certificate or an adoption certificate, where appropriate, is acceptable. If you do not have a copy of your child’s birth certificate, please contact the school you wish to nominate to see what other documents they may accept. You should refer to the admissions criteria to find out if other supporting documents are required by each of the schools you have chosen e.g. proof of address. You can scan or take a photo of the documents you require for each school and save them on the device you will be using to make your Post Primary Application. Make sure the photos or scans are clear and legible. For GDPR purposes you should remove personal/sensitive/private information from your documents before uploading e.g. financial details in bank statements. You will require an email address to be able to register on EA Connect to submit an application.

Key Dates

Thursday 5 December 2024 -Admissions criteria for Post Primary Schools published on the EA website. Tuesday 28 January 2025 - at 12noon - EA Connect opens for online applications for Post Primary. Thursday 20 February 2025 - at 12 noon - EA Connect closes for online applications for Post Primary. Tuesday 25 February 2025 – by 4pm - Final date for late applications. Final date/time for Change of Preference in Exceptional Circumstances. Final date for documents in support of applications. Saturday 10 May 2025 - Parents/carers will receive application outcome via email (where one is held) or by letter.

Find a School

Use the ‘Find a School’ tool to search for Post Primary schools in your area and read or download their admissions criteria.

Other sources of information which may be useful to you include:

School websites School virtual opening day/evenings School prospectus ETI Inspection Reports Annual Area Profiles Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta

Read the Admissions Criteria

All schools have admissions criteria. If they receive more applications than they have places available, they use these criteria to decide who to offer places to.

Before starting to complete your child’s application you should read carefully the published admissions criteria for each school that you wish to nominate as a preference.

You should complete your application providing all the relevant details/preference reasons about how your child meets the schools’ admissions criteria.

When making an application it is recommended that you list at least four schools in the order of your preference, including at least one non-grammar, as there is no guarantee your child will be accepted into the first preference.

Please note that you cannot list the same preference more than once. The only exception where you can list a school twice in your order of preference is if you wish to apply for a school which offers both English and Irish Medium education. Where there is an option of applying separately to an Irish Medium Unit, EA Connect will indicate this in the school’s name.

If your child’s application is not selected by your first preference school it will then be considered by your second preference school. The process will be repeated until a place has been allocated or all preferences that you have listed have considered your application. Places will be allocated to those who best meet the admissions criteria for each school.

Any queries on the content of a school’s published admissions criteria should be directed to the school.

School Preferences

Parents have the right to express preferences for the schools they would like their child to attend, but no child can be guaranteed a place in any school or any particular type of school (secondary, integrated, grammar, single sex etc).

After placements are notified on Saturday 18 May 2024 many schools will have allocated all their available places. You will only be able to nominate schools which had places still available at that time.

The position in some schools may have changed between the time the list was prepared and when your child’s application is considered. Making an application does not guarantee a place as some schools may have a small number of places available and vacant places are likely to fill quickly.

The Education Authority will not process applications to schools that have already filled all available places. If you wish to apply to a school which does not currently have any places available, contact the school directly in writing to request that your child’s name is placed on a waiting list for consideration if a place becomes available. Some schools do not operate a waiting list. There is no right to appeal the decision of a school that has already filled its places.

Consider whether transport assistance will be available from the EA. Your school choices can affect eligibility for transport assistance. Check Transport Eligibility.

Entrance Assessment – Special Provisions and Special Circumstances

Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) have provided an Entrance Assessment which some schools will use to select pupils for admission. The EA is not involved in these tests, nor does it have information on the scores/grades.

Information on Entrance Assessments is referred to in the admissions criteria published by schools. Any specific queries regarding scores/grades, arrangements for special circumstances and special provision etc should be raised directly with the school(s) to which you are applying.

Special Circumstances

Most schools which use Entrance Assessments will consider medical or other problems which may have affected performance in the test(s) and which are supported by independent documentary evidence of a medical or other appropriate nature. These medical or other problems are commonly referred to as special circumstances.

Special Provisions

Special provisions refer mainly to pupils transferring from schools outside Northern Ireland or pupils who have received more than half of their primary education outside NI. Special provisions may also include cases where a child was unable to sit any entrance assessments.

If you are making a claim for consideration of special circumstances or special provisions you should read very carefully the requirements set out in the admissions criteria of each school, to determine if and how they may apply to your child. This can differ from school to school.

Transport Eligibility

Check whether transport assistance will be available for your child for Primary or Post Primary School by using the EA's Transport Eligibility Checker.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.