Brighton and Hove’s secondary school admissions arrangements for September 2027 must be revised following a ruling that supports wider sibling priority but identifies problems with waiting lists and other wording.
The decision comes shortly before the Saturday 31 October application deadline, making the detail important for families choosing schools this autumn.
The Office of the Schools Adjudicator partially upheld objections to the arrangements. Its decision, dated 19 October, requires the council to make changes by 31 October.
What has happened to sibling priority?
In its response to the ruling, the council says the extension of sibling priority beyond a school’s catchment area has been upheld. Previously, the sibling priority applied within catchment.
That is relevant to families whose children already attend a school outside their home catchment. It does not mean every sibling is guaranteed a place or that catchment areas have been abolished.
The council also says the free-school-meals priority needs to refer to children eligible under the targeted criteria, following the national expansion of eligibility. Families should not assume that every child receiving a free school meal falls within the priority group.
Why the free-school-meals percentage is changing
The council says the proportion will be linked to the city’s targeted free-school-meals average, using autumn census information. An earlier figure of 30% should therefore not be treated as the final percentage while that work is completed.
This is a distinction between eligibility for a school meal and eligibility for a particular admissions priority. Parents relying on that priority need to read the revised arrangements for the definition and evidence requirements.
The waiting-list protections parents should know
The adjudicator’s published decision goes beyond the headline about siblings.
It finds that automatically withdrawing a previously allocated and accepted school place when another place is offered through a waiting list or reallocation pool does not comply with the admissions code.
It also identifies a problem with requiring parents to request inclusion on a waiting list or reallocation pool, and says the published information needs to explain more clearly how the lists operate and are ranked.
These findings matter because accepting a school place and continuing to seek a preferred alternative are separate decisions for a family. The revised wording must address the problems identified in the ruling.
What families need to do now
The application deadline remains 31 October 2026. Brighton and Hove residents apply through their home council, including when seeking a maintained school outside the city. The council’s coordinated timetable provides for offers on 1 March 2027.
For the wider application process, read our Sussex secondary school applications guide. Check the council’s revised arrangements before relying on a particular priority or waiting-list provision.
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