Birmingham gives deadline for school applications and tells parents 'be realistic'

Birmingham City Council has issued a video for parents applying for secondary schools

Applications for 2025 secondary school starters are now open - and the deadline will come round pretty quickly. In fact, Birmingham City Council has shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) encouraging parents to apply now.

However, it has added the message that families need to 'be realistic'. The council says it is best to consider which schools are most suited to your child's needs and, secondary, whether or not they are likely to be accepted.

A Birmingham City Council spokesman tweeted: "Applications for secondary school places for 2025 are open. You can apply for up to six schools - please read the advice and be realistic. Applications close on 31 October this year."

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it said initial consideration should be the distance from home to school. Most schools have cut-off distances and these can change each year depending on demand so you'll need to check each school's individual requirements.

These can be found via the Birmingham City Council website here. It is not possible to predict precise cut-off distances for 2025 but you can access the historic school offer information for entry in September 2022, 2023 and 2024, where applicable. There is no guarantee that the same admissions pattern will occur in 2025, but it will give you an idea.

Take a look at our full guide to secondary school applications here. You can list up to six different secondary schools as preferences in your application, including schools outside of Birmingham. It's best to attend open days or evenings to talk to teachers and pupils to get a feel for which school will be best for your child.