School Admissions When Moving House To Trafford Or Stockport
School admissions when moving house run to fixed dates, and in parts of Trafford the in-year places have already run out. This guide gives the 2026/27 deadlines, how in-year transfers work in Trafford, Stockport and Cheshire East, and what councils ask movers to prove.
Start here
Why School Dates Should Shape Your Moving Date
House moves slip. School deadlines do not. A completion date can move by weeks, but the closing date for secondary applications is set nationally each year. If you are moving with children, the school calendar should drive the plan, not the other way round.
There are two routes into a school. The normal round is for children starting Reception or Year 7 in September, and it has national deadlines. Everything else is an in-year application, which is how you get a place mid-year after a move. Each route has its own rules, and they differ between councils.
I am Darrin, and I run CMR Relocation from Broadheath in Altrincham. Many of the families our crew moves come to Trafford for its schools, and the same questions come up every term. Every date here was checked on the council and GOV.UK pages linked below on 9 October 2026. Admissions rules change every year, so check them again before you act.
The normal round
National School Application Deadlines For September 2027
These dates apply across England. You apply to the council where you live on the closing date, and you list every school you want, including ones in other council areas.
| Starting in September 2027 | Applications open | Closing date | Offers sent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary school (Year 7) | 1 September 2026 | 31 October 2026 | 1 March 2027 |
| Primary school (Reception) | September 2026 | 15 January 2027 | 16 April 2027 |
| Trafford review of vacancies | After offer day | Set by Trafford | April 2027 |
Sources: GOV.UK school admissions and Trafford Council, starting secondary school, checked October 2026. If an offer date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
If you are reading this in October 2026 with a child in Year 6, the secondary deadline is only weeks away. Apply now from your current address, even if you are mid-move. Missing the deadline makes it less likely you will get a school you chose. You can change the application until 31 October.
Some schools, often faith schools and grammar schools, also want their own supplementary form. You still have to list them on the council application, or they will not count.
Moving mid-year
In-Year Applications In Trafford, Stockport And Cheshire East
An in-year application is how a child changes school during the year, or gets a place after moving into a new area. Here is how the councils we cover most handle it.
| Council | How to apply | Timescale | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trafford | Online, through Trafford's application portal, for every school including academies and faith schools | Aims for 10 school days | No places are given out in school holidays. You may have to travel further in busy areas |
| Stockport | Online admissions system, only during set windows | Normally 15 school days | Next windows: 2 November to 4 December 2026, then 4 to 29 January 2027 |
| Cheshire East | Online portal, open to families from any area | Normally 10 school days | Apply up to 6 school weeks before the start date you want, or 8 weeks for September |
| Manchester | Apply to Manchester City Council | Ask the council | Check the council's school admissions pages for the current form |
Sources: Trafford Council, changing schools; Stockport Council, changing schools during the school year; Cheshire East Council, in-year applications. All checked October 2026.
Stockport's windows catch people out. If your move lands in the gap, such as late October, you cannot apply until the next window opens. Stockport also says that to move to a school in another council, such as Manchester, you deal with that council, not Stockport.
In Trafford, faith schools and academies make their own decisions, but you still apply through Trafford's portal. The council passes the form on, and the school tells you the outcome. If you are moving to Bramhall or Cheadle Hulme, you are in Stockport's system, so plan around its windows.
Altrincham and Sale
Altrincham And Sale: Where In-Year School Places Have Run Out
This is the fact most national guides miss. Trafford Council's own page, when we checked it on 9 October 2026, said there were no secondary school places in Years 7 to 11 in Altrincham and Sale. It said there were only limited primary places in Years 5 and 6 in Altrincham (WA14 and WA15 postcodes), and in Years 4, 5 and 6 in Sale (M33).
Trafford says it will always find your child a place. But if you move to Sale or Altrincham during the school year, it says it will likely offer a secondary place in another part of Trafford. So a family buying a semi-detached home on a quiet suburban street in Timperley or Sale could have a secondary child travelling across the borough, at least at first.
Trafford also says all secondary schools in the Altrincham and Sale areas are heavily oversubscribed in the normal round. If schools are the reason for your move, time it so your child joins at a natural entry point, such as Reception or Year 7, and join the waiting lists for the schools you want.
Our pages for Altrincham, Sale and Hale cover the move itself: roads, parking and the homes on each patch.
Selective schools
Trafford's Grammar Schools And The 11-Plus Timetable
Trafford still has grammar schools, and five of them share one entrance test. Registering for that test is a separate step from the council application, and it closes months earlier.
| Step, for September 2027 entry | Date |
|---|---|
| Test registration opened | 12 noon, Thursday 23 April 2026 |
| Test registration closed | 12 noon, Friday 19 June 2026 |
| Entrance test | Monday 14 September 2026 |
| Council application closes (list the grammar schools here too) | 31 October 2026 |
| National Offer Day, and the earliest late applicants can be tested | 1 March 2027 |
Sources: Sale Grammar School, September 2027 entry and Trafford Council, checked October 2026.
The Trafford Grammar School Consortium is Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School and Urmston Grammar School. GL Assessment sets the test. It is two papers of about an hour each, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths up to the start of Year 6.
Here is what that means for a move. If your child is in Year 5, register for the test in the spring even if you have not moved yet, and check each school's policy on where you must live. If you move to Trafford after registration has closed, your child cannot sit the September test. Late applicants are only tested after National Offer Day, when places may already be taken.
Moving to Urmston or Stretford for a grammar place? Read each school's admission policy for the rules on distance and priority before you choose a street. We do not rate or rank schools. Ofsted reports and each school's results are on GOV.UK.
Proof of address
Proof Of Address: What Councils Ask Families Who Move
Councils need to know where your child really lives. GOV.UK says you may need proof of your new address, such as a mortgage or rental agreement or the deeds. You may also need to show you will live there before the next term starts.
Trafford Council is clear on a few points. A child's home address is their permanent, full-time home behind their own front door. It cannot be a grandparent's, a relative's or a childminder's. Where parents live apart, it is usually the home where the child mainly lives. You must tell Trafford straight away if you move, because a new address can change your priority.
- Exchange of contracts or a signed tenancy: ask the council if it accepts it before you move
- Completion statement or deeds once you own the home
- A council tax bill in your name at the new address
- Proof you have left the old home, if the council asks for it
Trafford's review process after offer day asks for proof of where you live now and that your old home has been vacated. Keeping a second address to win a place is treated as fraud, and the place can be withdrawn even after a child has started. Your first council tax bill is often handy proof, and our guide to council tax after a move explains how to get it set up fast.
If the answer is no
Waiting Lists And Appeals After A Refused School Place
A refusal is not the end. GOV.UK sets out two routes, and you can use both at once.
- Waiting lists: schools must keep a waiting list open for at least the first term of each school year. You can join one even if your child has a place elsewhere.
- Appeals: you can appeal each refusal once. The school must give you at least 20 school days to appeal from the date of the letter.
- Hearings: you get at least 10 school days' notice, and appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline.
- Decisions: you will usually get the panel's decision within 5 school days.
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, classes are capped at 30, which makes infant appeals harder to win. Get advice early if you plan to appeal. A school offer from a waiting list can still be accepted after your child has started somewhere else.
Moving day with children
Keeping Children Settled On A Family Moving Day
The paperwork is for you. The move is what children remember. A few small things make the day feel safe for them.
- Let each child pack one box of their own favourite things and travel with it
- Unpack their bedroom first, so it feels like home by bedtime
- Keep the school uniform and bag for Monday out of the boxes
- Walk the new school route together before term starts
- Book a babysitter or grandparent for younger children while we load
Our crew builds children's beds first and places boxes by the room labels on them, so bedtime on night one is normal. If you move in the holidays to start a new school in September, our storage at our Broadheath depot can hold things while the dates line up. Our room-by-room packing advice includes toys and books.
From our team
Planning A Family Move Around The School Year With CMR Relocation
For the timing of the move itself, our guide to choosing the best time of year to move compares term time, half terms and the summer holidays. Our moving house checklist puts school applications six weeks out, next to the GP and dentist.
CMR Relocation has moved families across Trafford, Stockport, South Manchester and Cheshire since 2011, from our depot on Stuart Road, Broadheath, under operator licence OC1109721. Our house moving service covers surveys, careful loading and packing if you want it. You can read what families say about our team on Trustpilot.
Planning a move around the school year? Call Darrin or the team on 0161 478 3639, or email Darrin, for a free quote.
Get a free quoteFAQs
School Places And Moving House: Your Questions
Still unsure about something in this guide? Darrin is happy to talk it through.
Can I apply for a school place before we have moved?
Yes. You apply through your current council, even for schools in another area. GOV.UK says you may need to show proof of your new address, such as a mortgage or rental agreement or the deeds, and prove you will live there before the next term starts. Each council and school sets its own rules on proof, so ask the new council what it accepts.
What happens if we move after the 31 October deadline in Trafford?
Trafford Council says it will process your secondary application using your previous address until National Offer Day, which is 1 March 2027. If you are not offered a preferred school, you can then apply for vacancies in the review process. That needs proof you now live at the new address and that you have left the old one. Tell the council as soon as you move.
How long does an in-year school transfer take?
Trafford aims to process in-year applications within 10 school days, and Cheshire East normally does the same. Stockport normally processes them within 15 school days and only takes applications in set windows. School holidays add time, because councils do not allocate places then. GOV.UK says that once a place is offered, children usually start at the beginning of the following term.
Can my child sit the Trafford grammar school test if we move in late?
For September 2027 entry, registration for the Trafford Grammar School Consortium test closed on 19 June 2026 and the test was on 14 September 2026. Sale Grammar School says late applications cannot be tested until after National Offer Day on 1 March 2027. If you are moving to Trafford with a child in Year 5, check the schools' own websites for the next registration window.
Does buying a house near a school guarantee a place?
No. Every school has its own admission criteria. Distance is often one of them, but brothers and sisters, faith, test results and feeder schools can come first. Some schools in Altrincham and Sale are full in several year groups. Read each school's admission policy and the council's past allocation data before you rely on an address.
Can I use a grandparent's address for a school application?
No. Trafford Council defines a child's home address as their permanent, full-time home. It cannot be a grandparent's, another relative's or a childminder's address. The council treats a false or misleading address seriously, and a place offered on false grounds can be withdrawn, even after the child has started.
Local area data
Compare towns across Greater Manchester and Cheshire
Thinking about where to move? Tap a town for its prices, schools, crime and commute.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, including HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Data sources and notes
Prefer a list? Show all 48 towns
Manchester
Rochdale
Cheshire East
Cheshire West and Chester
Warrington
Not on the list?
Your town may still be close by. Call 0161 478 3639 to ask about your town.
Not on the list?
Your town may still be close by. Call 0161 478 3639 to ask about your town.
Not on the list?
Your town may still be close by. Call 0161 478 3639 to ask about your town.