Every year, a handful of Kingston families miss out on their preferred school — not because their application was weak, but because they missed a deadline. The council's admissions process runs to a strict national timetable, and late applications are treated as lower priority regardless of your circumstances.
This guide sets out every key date for 2026 entry, how to apply, and the questions parents should be pressing the council on before the window closes.
What System Does Kingston Use?
Kingston upon Thames uses the eAdmissions portal — the London-wide online system operated by the London Grid for Learning. You apply through eadmissions.org.uk, not directly through the council's own website.
You can list up to six schools on a single application. Kingston's School Admissions team sits within the Children, Young People and Education directorate and can be contacted on 020 8547 5006 during office hours.
Primary School Applications: Starting September 2026
This round is for children born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 who will be starting Reception in September 2026.
If you apply after 15 January 2026, your application is considered late. Kingston's admissions policy, like all local authority policies, places late applicants after all on-time applicants when places are allocated — even if you would otherwise qualify under oversubscription criteria.
Secondary School Applications: Starting September 2026
This round is for children born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 who will be moving into Year 7 in September 2026.
If you are reading this and your child is currently in Year 6, the secondary deadline of 31 October 2025 has passed. If you missed it, contact Kingston's admissions team immediately on 020 8547 5006 — late applications are still processed, but your chances of securing a preferred school are significantly reduced.
Grammar Schools: A Separate Process With Earlier Deadlines
Kingston itself has no grammar schools, but several selective schools in neighbouring authorities are popular with Kingston families. These include schools in the Royal Borough of Kingston's catchment overlap areas and grammar schools in Surrey and the London Borough of Sutton.
Crucially, grammar school entrance tests (11-plus) run in September and October of Year 5 or Year 6, well before the standard secondary application deadline. Missing the test registration — which can close as early as June or July of the preceding year — means missing the school entirely.
Parents interested in selective schools must research each school's individual registration deadline independently. Kingston Council's admissions team can advise but does not manage these processes.
In-Year Applications: Moving Schools Mid-Year
If your family is moving to Kingston or your child needs to change school outside the normal admissions round, you need to make an in-year application.
In-year applications are handled directly by Kingston Council's admissions team rather than through eAdmissions. You can download the in-year application form from Kingston's website or request one by calling 020 8547 5006. The council must respond within 15 school days.
If a place is refused, you have the right to appeal. Kingston's in-year appeals are administered by the council and heard by an independent panel.
Appeals: Your Rights If You Don't Get Your First Choice
Being refused your preferred school is not the end of the process. Every applicant has the statutory right to appeal to an independent admissions appeal panel.
Appeal panels are independent of the council and the school. They consider whether the admissions authority correctly applied its oversubscription criteria, and whether refusing your child a place causes prejudice that outweighs the school's case for not taking an additional pupil.
Kingston publishes its admissions policies for each community school, but faith schools and academies set their own policies — and those policies must be checked individually.
The Questions Kingston Parents Should Be Asking
The timetable above is clear enough. But the council's admissions process throws up some legitimate questions that deserve straight answers.
How many Kingston children were allocated their first-choice primary in 2025? The council publishes headline figures on National Offer Day, but the breakdown by ward and school is less visible. Families in areas where new housing has added pressure on school rolls deserve ward-level transparency.
What is the current surplus or deficit of primary places by area? Kingston has seen significant residential development around Tolworth and Norbiton. Is the council's school place planning keeping pace, or are some areas quietly under pressure?
How many appeals were lodged in 2025, and how many were upheld? This is a matter of public record under the School Admissions Code. A high uphold rate would suggest Kingston's original allocations are being successfully challenged — a sign the system may not be working as intended.
Are waiting lists being managed fairly and transparently? Unlike the initial allocation, waiting lists are maintained by individual schools. Parents on multiple waiting lists often receive little or no communication about their position. Kingston should be doing more to set expectations.
What You Should Do Right Now
If your child is due to start primary school in September 2026 — apply before 15 January 2026. Set a reminder now. Do not wait until January.
If your child is due to start secondary school in September 2026 and you missed the 31 October 2025 deadline — call 020 8547 5006 today.
If you have already received an offer and are unhappy with it, check your letter for the appeals deadline and act within it.
And if you have concerns about how Kingston manages its school admissions — whether that is transparency around waiting lists, appeal outcomes, or school place planning in your ward — your councillors are the people to ask.
Ask Your Councillor the Hard Questions
Kingston's admissions process follows national rules, but how the council communicates it, plans for it, and supports families through it is entirely within local control. If you want to know how many families in your ward missed out on their first-choice school, why waiting list communication is so opaque, or whether your area has enough primary places for the housing being built nearby, your local councillors should have answers.
Use Council Clarity to message your Kingston councillors directly — it takes under two minutes and puts your question on the record. Don't let the council set the agenda on school admissions. Make them answer to you.
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