For sixth graders and their parents, March 1st is a significant day: today in England and Wales, it becomes known who has been accepted into their dream school and who hasn’t. The majority of students secure coveted spots (last year, their number reached 83%), while all others can appeal through the court. Moreover, even those who have been accepted into their chosen school must act quickly — if they don’t accept the offer by the deadline, the spot may be given to someone else.

The process of allocating students to schools varies in different places, with priority given to children in care, while other criteria and requirements are set by schools or local authorities. For example, some educational institutions prioritise students of a certain religion or those who have passed a necessary exam.

According to a study conducted by the University of Bristol, in 96% of cases, a child will be admitted to a school if their siblings are already studying there or have studied there before. 88% of schools prefer those who reside in a specific region, and only in 5% of cases do children from disadvantaged or low-income families receive any advantage over others.

As for children with special educational needs and disabilities, in England and Wales, the state has the right to intervene in the process and compel the school, which, according to the authorities, is most suitable for the child, to allocate a place for such a student.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own potentially different rules from the rest of the kingdom.