Admission to Secondary School (2026)

Gateshead has a two-tier school system, with children progressing from primary and junior schools to secondary school. There are three infant schools in Gateshead and each has a linked junior school.

Breakdown of the organisation of Gateshead schools for September 2026

We have

60 primary schools for children aged 4 to 11

3 infant schools for children aged 4 to 7

3 junior schools for children aged 7 to 11

Consisting of

45 community schools

1 Church of England schools

21 academies

There are

9 secondary schools

Consisting of

1 community school

1 free school

7 academies

Special education

There are six special schools in Gateshead for children whose special educational needs cannot be met in a mainstream school. A list of the schools and other schools in Gateshead can be found at the back of this booklet.

Specialist designation

Information to consider before you apply

• read the information in this booklet very carefully before completing your application form
• do not assume that you live in a particular schools catchment area as some streets are split

You can check your catchment school on the Council's website.

• sometimes living near to a school in the school's catchment area or having a sibling already at the school you apply to is not enough to be offered a place
• it is possible that your child will not be offered a place at any of your preferred schools especially if you apply for very popular schools and don't have a high priority under the over-subscription criteria
• academies and Voluntary Aided Schools have different admission policies to community schools in Gateshead

You must read the admission policy for each school you apply to in order to assess which school you stand the best chance of being offered.

• look at the statistics for previous years in Section 2 of this booklet

This will show you which schools were oversubscribed and the number of appeals that were heard. However you must be aware that these figures can change significantly from year to year.

• use all three preferences on your application form - doing so does not reduce your chance of gaining a place at your first preference school
• do not repeat the name of a school more than once on your application, as this does not increase your chance of being offered a place and is a waste of preferences
• if your child is eligible for an offer at more than one school, your highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranked offers will be disregarded
• your child will not automatically be given a place at your catchment school, it is essential that you apply
• you cannot apply to Emmanuel College on Gateshead's application form
• you must inform us immediately if you change address after the submission of your application form
• remember it is your responsibility to ensure your application is submitted by 31 October 2025
• if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan you do not need to apply for a school place

An Annual Review, to which you will be invited, will be held in the Autumn term in which discussions will be held regarding your child's school placement.

Opening evenings at Gateshead secondary schools

The above dates are correct at the time of publishing; however, you are advised to check the school website to ensure dates and times have not changed prior to your visit.