How the order really works
The thing almost every parent gets wrong
What this is
You name schools in the order you want them. Each school then looks at your child using only its own rules. It does not know where you put it. It does not know the other schools on your list. The order is used once, at the very end, and only if more than one school says yes. Then you get the highest one on your list.
What to do
- Put the school you actually want at number one.
- Do not try to be clever. There is nothing to be clever about.
- Do not move a school down because you think it is a long shot. It costs you nothing to aim high.
- Do not move a school up because you think it is a safe bet. That is how people lose the school they wanted.
How you know it worked
Your list is in the order you would actually want them, top to bottom.
Easy to get wrong
- Putting the easy school first. You give away your real first choice for nothing.
- Thinking a school can see it was your third choice. It cannot.
- Thinking your other choices are shown to a school. They are not.
If that does not work
If you have already sent the form and the order is wrong, ring the council. Before the deadline you can usually change it.
Last updated 7 October 2026. Written against the School Admissions Code 2021. Your council sets its own rules and dates, and its page is always the final word. This is information, not legal advice.