Admissions guide
Primary Admissions
Starting school in Trafford – how Reception places are allocated, and what actually decides whether you get in.
How Reception admissions work
Editorial guidanceEvery child due to start primary school applies for a Reception place through Trafford Council's coordinated admissions scheme, even for academies and voluntary-aided schools that set their own criteria. You can list up to four school preferences, in true order of preference, and the council offers a single place at the highest-ranked school where your child qualifies under that school's published oversubscription criteria.
Unlike secondary transfer, most Reception applicants are applying for a school for the very first time, so there's no existing school community to draw on – which makes distance, catchment and sibling links even more decisive in close calls.
Key dates
Official admissions dataApplications open
1 September 2026
Application deadline
15 January 2027
National Offer Day
16 April 2027
Catchment and distance
Editorial guidanceMany Trafford primary schools use a defined catchment area as part of their oversubscription criteria, giving priority to children who live within it. Where a school is oversubscribed within or beyond catchment, places are usually then allocated by straight-line distance from home to school. Living close to a school – even next door – is never an automatic guarantee of a place if the school is heavily oversubscribed; check each school's individual profile for its actual catchment and distance criteria.
Sibling priority
Editorial guidanceMost Trafford primary schools give priority to children who have an older sibling already attending the school at the time they'd start. This is usually ranked above general catchment or distance criteria, but below looked-after children and, at faith schools, practising members of that faith. Sibling priority normally only applies while the older child is still on roll – check the school's policy if your older child will have left by the time your younger child starts.
Deferred entry
Editorial guidanceIf your child is due to start Reception but you'd prefer them to begin later in the school year, or to start part-time initially, you can ask the school to defer their entry – the place is still held for them, it just isn't taken up straight away. You must still apply by the normal deadline to secure the place in the first instance; deferral is agreed with the school afterwards.
Summer-born children
Editorial guidanceParents of children born between 1 April and 31 August can request that their child starts Reception a year later than their birth date would normally dictate, joining the year group below. This isn't automatic – you'll need to make the case to Trafford Council (and the admission authority for the school, if different) that a delayed start is in your child's best interests, and applications are considered individually.
Waiting lists
Editorial guidanceIf you're not offered a preferred school, you can ask to join its waiting list. Lists are held in the order of the school's own oversubscription criteria rather than when you joined, and are typically kept open until at least the end of the fisrt autumn term. It's worth staying on the list for any school you'd still prefer, since places can free up as other families move or decline their offer.
Appeals
Editorial guidanceIf your child is refused a place at a school you applied for, you have a legal right to appeal to an independent panel. See our full Appeals guide for how the process works, typical timescales and how to prepare your case.
All Trafford primary schools
Official admissions dataAcre Hall Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
All Saints' Catholic Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Altrincham CofE (Aided) Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Barton Clough Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Bollin Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Bowdon CofE Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Broadheath Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Brooklands Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Broomwood Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Cloverlea Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Davyhulme Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Elmridge Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
English Martyrs' RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Firs Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Flixton Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Forest Gate Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Gorse Hill Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Heyes Lane Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Highfield Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Kings Road Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Kingsway Primary School
Kingsway Primary School governing body · Applications close 15 January 2027
Lime Tree Primary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Moorlands Junior School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Moss Park Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Navigation Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Old Trafford Community Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Oldfield Brow Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Our Lady of the Rosary RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
Park Road Academy Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Park Road Sale Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Partington Central Academy
Partington Central Academy governing body · Applications close 15 January 2027
Seymour Park Community Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Springfield Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
St Alphonsus RC Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Ann's RC Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Anne's CofE Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Hilda's CofE Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Hugh of Lincoln RC Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Mary's CofE Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Mary's CofE Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Matthew's CofE Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
St Michael's CofE (Aided) Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Monica's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Admissions authority not yet published
St Teresa's RC Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
St Vincent's Catholic Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Stamford Park Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Templemoor Infant and Nursery School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Trafford Alternative Education Provision
Admissions authority not yet published
Tyntesfield Primary School
Admissions authority not yet published
Urmston Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Victoria Park Infant School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Victoria Park Junior School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Well Green Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Wellfield Infant and Nursery School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Wellfield Junior School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Willows Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Woodheys Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Woodhouse Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
Worthington Primary School
Trafford Council · Applications close 15 January 2027
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About this guide
Admissions cycle
2027 entry
Last reviewed
28 July 2026
Editorially reviewed
Yes
Official sources used
Trafford Council coordinated admissions scheme · School-published admission policies
This guide combines editorial analysis with official Trafford Council and school-published admissions data. Rules, dates and criteria can change – always confirm details with the relevant admissions authority or school before applying.