Admissions

Press here to find out about Castleton Primary School's admission details 

We are delighted that you are considering sending your child to Castleton Primary School. 

Below are links to the Leeds Admissions Policy for entry into Reception; and to our Nursery Admissions Policy. You can also find advice about applying for Secondary School places.

Please read the policies and procedures very carefully. If you would like any help or advice or to look around our school, please contact us to arrange an appointment - our number is 0113 2634456.

Click here to find the admissions policies for Leeds City Council schools.

When you can appeal and how

• If your child did not get a place at your preferred school, you can appeal to an independent panel.

• For “normal round” admissions into Reception or Year 7:

  • Deadline to submit an appeal (for places starting September 2026) is 31 March 2026 for Year 7.

  • Deadline for Reception appeals is 15 May 2026. 

  • You can appeal after the deadline — but there is a risk the hearing may not be held before school starts in September.

• If you are appealing for a place at other times (e.g. in-year applications), appeals “will be heard as soon as possible” and no more than 30 school days after your appeal’s submission. 

• For more informaton regaring the whole appeal process, please click on the link leeds.gov.uk+1

Nursery Admissions

Please note that a place in Nursery does not guarantee a place in Reception

Nursery Admissions

Children start full time education in Reception classes at the beginning of the school year in which they are five years old.  Places in Reception are offered to children up to the allocation limit according to the Authority’s admission criteria administered by the Allocations Section.  

A copy of the admission policy detailing admissions into all schools administered by the Admissions Department of Leeds City Council Children’s Services is available from the School Office, Merrion House or here.  You will need to apply by submitting a preference form.  The Admissions Department’s telephone number is 0113 222 4414 and their staff will be happy to advise you further.  You should apply in writing or online by visiting www.leeds.gov.uk.

Leeds City Council Children’s Services

School Admissions Department

10th Floor East

Merrion House

110 Merrion Centre

Leeds LS2 8DT 

Telephone:  0113 222 4414

How to apply for a September 2026 reception place

We are a community controlled school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who set our admission policy every year. You can read our school’s admission policy at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/Pages/How-wedecide-how-to-assign-school-places.aspx

How to apply for a September 2026 Reception place
(online portal opens 01.11.2025)

If you are applying for a reception place for September 2026, all applications are made in advance. The national closing date is 15 January 2026. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day (16 April 2026). 

You must apply to the local authority who empties your bins. If this is Leeds, go to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. The website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools, and this includes: 

• all the steps you need to go through to make an application
• the key dates
• a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
• an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
• the online application portal - apply online and you will be sent your offer by email
• a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
• data about who got a place in the last 3 years - this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place
• Information about applying under a specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria

You can also watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video for more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRU1SrS7iJE
The council’s social media pages will also tell you about Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/checkschool-details/display-details?schoolid=173

Application timetable - The below timetable applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates

Entry into Years 1-6

We are part of the Leeds coordinated in-year application scheme.

You can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form at Before you move schools (leeds.gov.uk). You can apply for places at our school and other Leeds schools.

If you have moved house, you’ll need to submit evidence of the house move at the same time you make your online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website.

We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application.   Leeds City Council will contact you with our decision no later than 15 school days from when you apply.  If they cannot offer your child a place at our school, they will

·        add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes available during the school year  

·        send you a letter to explain the reasons we cannot offer a place (usually that we are full) and tell you how you can appeal

Our waiting lists are kept until the end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.

Appeals

If we cannot offer you a place, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding. Before you appeal you:

·        should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful

·        should think about why you are appealing and check if it is likely to be successful

·        could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK 

·         could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity

Leeds City Council arranges our appeals, and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk)    

If you are appealing for a reception place for September 2025, you need to submit your appeal form by any deadline set out on the above page to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.  

Appeals for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 – these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals.

Other appeals - You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school's decision not to admit any more children.

Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there.

Applying for a secondary school place