School in England: apply through the council, younger than you think, and free

Yes, your children can go to a state school in England, and it's free: every child in England between 5 and 16 is entitled to a free place. You don't apply to the school but to the local council of your new place of residence, and you can already do that from the Netherlands. The trap is age and address: English children start in the September after their fourth birthday, and which school you get depends to a large extent on where you live.

How old does your child have to be?

Most children start reception full-time in the September after their fourth birthday; if your child turns four in June, they start in September of that same year. If you think it's too early, your child may start later, part-time or later in the year, but you still apply at the normal time and ask for a later start. School only becomes compulsory at compulsory school age: 31 December, 31 March or 31 August after the fifth birthday, whichever comes first. A child who only starts in the September after their fifth birthday goes into year 1; reception is then no longer a right, and the council or school may refuse it.

How do you apply?

Through the council, even if you choose a school in another council area and even if you've only just arrived in England. From abroad you contact the council of the area where you're going to live. Expect it to ask for proof of your new address, such as a rental agreement, and to want to see that you'll live there before the start of the next term.

If you come outside the fixed rounds, it's called an in-year application: the council tells you which schools still have places and how to apply, and after an offer your child usually starts at the beginning of the next term. The fixed rounds have hard dates.

Round	Applying	Offers
Primary school (reception)	opens in September, closes 15 January; your child is then 3 or has just turned 4	16 April
Secondary school (year 7)	usually opens 1 September, closes 31 October	1 March
Mid-year (in-year)	via the council, as soon as your address is known	usually starts at the next term

On the form you list schools in order of preference; listing only one school does not increase your chances. You accept an offer before the date in the letter, otherwise the place may go to someone else. If you don't get a place at any of your choices, the council must offer another school, usually the nearest one with room. You can also put your child on a waiting list, even if they've already started somewhere else; that list must stay open for at least the first term of each school year.

Who gets priority?

Every school has admission criteria, usually set by the school itself or the council. Priority often goes to children who live nearby, already have a brother or sister at the school, are of a particular religion (at faith schools), pass an entrance exam (at grammar schools), or come from a particular feeder primary school. Ask the council for the criteria before you choose a house: with your address you also choose your chances of a school.

How is the system organised?

State schools come in types: community schools under the council, academies and free schools that are independent of the council and may depart from the national curriculum, and grammar schools that select with a test. The curriculum runs in key stages.

Age	Year	Stage	Assessment
4–5	reception	early years	baseline in the first 6 weeks
5–7	year 1–2	key stage 1	phonics check in year 1
7–11	year 3–6	key stage 2	times tables check in year 4; national tests in year 6
11–14	year 7–9	key stage 3	none
14–16	year 10–11	key stage 4	GCSEs, most in year 11

At the end of each summer term the school writes a report on your child and talks it through with you.

What does it cost?

The place is free. What you pay for is the uniform, and the government is strict about that: from September 2026 a school should not require parents to buy more than three branded items, four at secondary school if a tie is one of them, and it must make second-hand uniform available. If you can't manage, the headteacher is the person to ask for help.

In reception, year 1 and year 2 every child at a government-funded school gets a free school meal. After that, free meals depend on benefits, and there's a catch for visa holders.

Don't count on Child Benefit. British child benefit is on the list of public funds, and with a Skilled Worker visa you cannot claim most of them. The Dutch child benefit moreover only continues up to and including the quarter of the move. For free school meals after year 2, GOV.UK does say that children of parents without recourse to public funds may still be eligible; ask the school or the council.

The application itself is part of the journey at /engeland, at arrival.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.8: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to England or go straight to step 5.8 in the open plan.