Primary and Secondary School Transfers
In-year transfers are requests to move schools during the school year. Examples of an in-year transfer would be when a family moves address part way through a school year or a family moves from overseas.
Before applying for a transfer of school, parents must read the following booklet:
The form is made up of two parts Part 1 of the application form must be completed by your child’s current school. Once completed, you must scan or take a photo of the completed Part 1 and upload it to the relevant section of the online applications. This step must be completed before moving onto Part 2 of the form.
Once a fully completed form has been submitted, they generally take 15 school day to process.
Please Note: This does not apply to applications received during school holidays and at the start of the academic year following the summer break. This is because a large number of applications are made during the summer break. Schools are closed and unable to confirm vacancies or consider applications. This can cause a delay in finalising offers and relaying offers to applicants.
Change of address
If you have recently moved house or planning on moving house, you must provide documentary proof of your new address e.g exchange of contracts or tenancy agreement. For the full list of accepted proof please see page 9 of the In-year admissions booklet. Please upload the required proof to the relevant section of the online application.
Year 10 and 11 admissions
Year 10 and 11 are very important in a child’s education and transferring your child may not be the best option.
If you are moving into Wigan and you can’t keep your child in their current school, you should apply for a school place.
If your child is already in a Wigan school please discuss the reasons for the change of school with your current headteacher. It may be possible for the school to address any concerns you have so that your child can remain at their current school.
Things to think about before moving your child include:
- Availability of places in the school you wish your child to attend.
- The options available to your child may not be the same as in their current school.
- The option groups for the courses your child is studying may be full.
- The examination boards that the school uses may not be the same as those used at their current school.
- Coursework they have already started may not be relevant.
- If you can’t match the options your child is currently studying, changing school at this stage may significantly reduce their changes of gaining qualifications.
- The change may be a source of stress for your child.
If you believe that it is in the best interests of your child to move schools, we recommend that your discuss this with the headteacher of your child’s current school first, and then only apply if absolutely necessary.
Important information
Before submitting an application to transfer schools parents/carers must ensure that everyone who has parental responsibility are in agreement with the application to transfer schools and the preferences named.
If there is a Court Order in place which prevents moving your child’s school, you must take legal advise on that order before submitting an application to transfer schools.
If at any stage we are informed that anyone who has a right to participate in decisions about your child's education is not in agreement to a school transfer we cannot process your application.
The Local Authority cannot mediate disputes between parents. Parents must resolve disputes about transfers between themselves, legally if necessary.
For further information please read the government's guidance Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility (external link).
Schools that deal with their own in year transfer applications:
To apply for the six schools listed below, you must contact the school directly to apply:
Church schools
If any of your preferred schools are church schools, you should fill in the school's own information form as well as an in year application form and return it to the school.
In Year Fair Access Protocol
We sometimes receive requests for places from Wigan residents and are not able to offer a place at a school within a reasonable distance of where the child lives. In these situations, we will use the Fair Access Protocol to allocate a place at a school, even if the year group is full.
Privacy notice
The council has a legal responsibility to protect the data it collects. For more information see our privacy notice: