Before you apply

You should read the information in the primary/secondary admissions booklet before submitting an application form:

Admissions to Primary school September 2026

Admissions to Secondary school September 2026

• Do not assume that you live in a particular school's catchment area as some streets are split. It's always best to check. You can check your catchment school by contacting the school admission team on 0191 433 3909/6185.
• Sometimes living near to a school 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 to oversubscribed schools and do not have a high priority under their oversubscription 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. This is in Section 3 of the above booklets. 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.
• Primary school applications: your child's attendance at a school nursery does not guarantee your child a place in the reception class of this school. Your application will be considered against the school's admission criteria with no regard to the nursery your child attends.
• Secondary school applications: you can not apply to Emmanuel College on Gateshead's application form. Please contact the college directly to apply.
• 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 returned by the closing date.

Visit school catchment areas to view the map.