South East local authority
Schools in Kent
Search and compare schools in Kent with map view, rankings, Ofsted context, performance data and admissions research links. Use this page as a local hub before opening individual school profiles or building a side-by-side comparison.
Kent school comparison signals
Metrics use latest available published data where present. Local authority averages can be unavailable when a metric is not published for enough schools in the selected authority.
Search paths for Kent
Checked 23 May 2026
Kent school admissions for parents
Kent County Council keeps primary, secondary, in-year, grammar-test, offer-day and appeal guidance inside one school-places section. The key planning point is that Kent grammar-school families must handle Kent Test registration separately from the main school application.
Primary September 2026 round
Kent opened Reception and junior-transfer applications on 7 November 2025 and closed them on 15 January 2026. National offer day was 16 April 2026 and Kent published 30 April 2026 as both the deadline to accept or refuse the offered place and the waiting-list deadline.
Secondary September 2026 round
Kent published 31 October 2025 as the secondary closing date, 2 March 2026 as national offer day, and 16 March 2026 as both the deadline to accept or refuse the offered place and the waiting-list deadline.
Kent Test is separate
Kent places grammar-school information under a separate Kent Test section. Families interested in a Kent grammar school need to follow the test route as well as complete the standard school application.
Accept the place first
Kent recommends accepting the place that was offered even if it is not your preferred school. The council says you can still join waiting lists and make appeals after accepting an offer, which protects your child from being left without a place in September.
After-offer evidence and appeals
Kent tells families to provide address evidence to the offered school and says you can appeal for any school named on your application. Waiting-list rules differ slightly for higher and lower preferences, so the offer email and after-offer page are worth reading in full.
Official Kent links
In-depth guide · Checked May 2026
Kent school admissions guide for parents
This guide summarises Kent County Council school-places pages as available on 23 May 2026 for September 2026 entry. Always re-check the live Kent pages and any school-level rules before you apply.
Executive summary
Kent keeps primary, secondary, in-year, grammar-test, offer-day and appeal guidance inside one school-places section. The main practical point is that families interested in grammar schools need both the main application route and the separate Kent Test route.
Key dates
| Stage | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 7 November 2025 | See Kent secondary page for the live annual timetable |
| On-time closing date | 15 January 2026 | 31 October 2025 |
| Offer day | 16 April 2026 | 2 March 2026 |
| Accept or refuse by | 30 April 2026 | 16 March 2026 |
| Waiting-list deadline | 30 April 2026 | 16 March 2026 |
What matters in Kent
- Kent grammar-school entry uses a separate Kent Test route, so do not assume the school application alone is enough.
- Kent recommends accepting the place you were offered even if you plan to join a waiting list or appeal for another school.
- The council's after-offer page says families need to send address evidence to the offered school.
- Kent distinguishes between schools higher on your original preference list and lower-preference schools when it explains waiting-list access after offer day.
After offer day
If you are unhappy with the place offered, Kent says you can still join waiting lists and appeal for schools named on your original application. Accepting the offered place does not block either route and is the safer option while you wait for another outcome.
Official links
| Topic | Link |
|---|---|
| School places hub | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places |
| Primary school places | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/primary-school-places |
| Secondary school places | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/secondary-school-places |
| Kent Test | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/kent-test |
| After you get your school offer | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/after-you-get-your-school-offer |
| Appeal a school offer | https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/appeal-a-school-offer |