Children are normally admitted to school at the start of or during the reception year, that is the school year in which they become 5.

You must apply for a place in the reception class that starts in September 2025 if your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.

Check out our Local Offer website for information on supporting your child to be ready for the transition to school.

Apply online

We strongly recommend you apply for a school place using the online system which is available from 26 September 2024 to 15 January 2025.

If you cannot use the online system you can contact us for an application form.

If you live in Bedford Borough you must apply through us. If we're not your council, you can find out who is on GOV.UK.

If you are applying for a nursery place you must contact the nursery direct - do not use our online system.

Please contact the School Admissions Service admissions@bedford.gov.uk if you need advice about applying for a school place.

Closing date for applications

The deadline for online applications is 15 January 2025.

For more detailed information about the timescales go to Bedford Borough Council Admission Arrangements 2025 (PDF).

National Offer Day is 16 April 2025

If you have applied online, you will receive an email to let you know the outcome of your application. In addition, as the results will be posted to the online system overnight, you can log into your account to access the result of your application. If you have not applied online, we will post a letter to you on this day.