Admissions Support
For additional support see our videos, guidance and frequently asked questions.
Primary 1 School Age
If your child was born between 2 July 2021 and 1 July 2022, they are due to start P1 in September 2026 as they will be of Compulsory School Age and you must apply for a place in a Primary School.
Children born on or between 1 April 2021 and 1 July 2021 (inclusive) and children born before 1 April 2021 but with a due date on or after 1 April 2021 whose parents deferred their admission to primary school in September 2025 must also now apply for a place in a Primary School for September 2026.
Children born on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive) and children born before 1 April 2022 but whose due date was on or after this date may submit a request to defer P1 admission for September 2026. For more information visit ‘Deferral of School Starting Age’
Preparatory Departments & Independent Schools
For information on making an application to the Preparatory Department of a Grammar School or to an Independent School, please contact the school directly.
How do I apply?
The EA Connect Portal is open for new late P1 applications.
A list of Primary Schools where P1 places may remain is available at the link shown below. Information on how to apply for September 2026 admission is available under ‘What do I need to do now?’
The Primary School will contact you directly regarding the outcome of your late application.
A paper application form is also available from the Primary Admissions Office on request:
Email: primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk
Tel: 028 9047 0177
Note: If you wish to defer your child’s entry to P1 please visit Deferral of School Starting Age for further information.
What do I need to do now?
I have received an email stating my child has not been placed. What do I do now?
Contact the Primary School to discuss why your child was not selected for a place and ask the school to maintain your child’s name on a waiting list if the school has one in place.
- Consult the *List of Primary Schools which may have places available at the close of the admissions procedure.
- Identify those schools that you wish to consider applying to. Study the school’s admission criteria, which can be accessed at Find a School. You may wish to contact the school directly to confirm that there are still places available.
- Log in to your EA Connect account to add additional preferences to your application which can be accessed at EA Connect.
- Information on how to add additional preferences can be found from Page 7 of the ‘EA Connect Admission Guidance for Parents’ in the Admissions Support section for Parents.
- List in order of preference the school(s) you wish to apply to. Upload your child’s birth certificate and any other supporting documents required as stated in the school’s published admissions criteria.
- It is advised that you list more than one school on your application, if the first preference school does not have a place available, the application will proceed to the next school named on the application. This procedure continues until your child is selected by a school named on the application or all preferences named have not selected your child.
- The school will advise you directly regarding the outcome of your application.
*NB: List correct at close of procedure on 23 March 2026.
What should I do if I had not previously applied for a P1 place?
If your child was born between 2 July 2021 and 1 July 2022, they are due to start P1 in September 2026 as they will be of Compulsory School age and you must apply for a place in a Primary school.
PLEASE NOTE:
If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, placement will be arranged through the EA’s Special Educational Needs Department.
If you have not previously applied for a P1 place you should:
- Consult the *List of Primary Schools which may have places available at the close of the admissions procedure.
Identify those schools that you wish to consider applying to. Study the school’s admission criteria, which can be accessed at Find a School. You may wish to contact the school directly to confirm that there are still places available.
Register and complete an application on the EA Connect Portal which can be accessed at EA Connect. List in order of preference the school(s) you wish to apply to. Paper applications are available on request from the Primary Admissions office:
Email: primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk
Tel: 028 9047 0177
- It is advised that you list more than one school on your application, if the first preference school does not have a place available, the application will proceed to the next school named on the application. This procedure continues until your child is selected by a school named on the application or all preferences named have not selected your child.
- The school will advise you directly regarding the outcome of your application.
*NB: List correct at close of procedure on 23 March 2026.
How do I accept or refuse the offer of a P1 place?
Parents can log in to their EA Connect account and accept or refuse the offer of a P1 place up until 4.00pm on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. After this date, parents will not be able to accept/reject the place offered within the portal and must contact the school directly in writing.
What if my child has been offered a P1 place but I want to change to another school?
If your child has been offered a P1 place but you want to change to another school you should:
- Consult the *list of primary schools which may have places available at the close of the admissions procedure.
How can I change to a school that has places available?
- Identify those schools that you wish to consider your child’s application. Study the school’s admission criteria, which can be accessed at Find a School.
- Log in to your EA Connect account and refuse the offer of your P1 place. This can be done through EA Connect up until 4.00pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026. After this date, you will not be able to reject the place offered within the portal and must contact the school directly in writing, with a copy to primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk
- Request a paper application by emailing primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk. Forward the completed application and a copy of your child’s birth certificate directly to the new school for consideration. The school will advise you regarding the outcome of your application.
*NB List correct at close of procedure on 23 March 2026.
How can I change to a school that does not have places available?
If you want to change to a school that does not have places available, then you should contact the school directly, to request that your child’s name is placed on a waiting list for a place. If you have already applied to the school during the admissions procedure, you do not need to complete a new application, but you may wish to confirm whether your son/daughter’s name has been placed automatically on a waiting list. Please note that some schools do not operate a waiting list.
How do I defer my child starting P1 in September 2026?
Who is eligible?
Children born on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022. Any child who was born before 1 April 2022 but who was due to be born on or after 1 April 2022 if born at term. A deferral can be requested up until the child commences P1.
If you have already received a P1 placement for your child:
If your child has been offered a place for P1 for September 2026, and you now wish to defer your child from starting P1, please contact the Primary School where the place has been offered by email with a copy to primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk stating your wish to refuse the place.
NB: A deferral cannot be processed until you have refused the P1 place offered.
You can submit the request for Deferral for your child on EA Connect. Information on the Deferral process, how to apply and FAQs are available on the Deferral of School Starting Age page.
How can I apply to a Preparatory School or to an Independent School for a place for my child?
For information on Preparatory Schools and Independent Schools please contact the school directly. Contact details for Preparatory Schools are accessible on the Find a School. If you have been offered a place in another school and wish to decline it, please formally withdraw your application. This should be done either by letter or email directly to the school.
How do I apply for Home to School Transport?
Primary Transport applications for 2026-2027 academic year will be available on EA Connect from Tuesday 14 April 2026. To check eligibility and apply for home to school transport, log on to EA Connect and select Transport Services.
If I decide that I want to appeal my child’s case, what do I need to do?
If your child has been refused a place in P1 in a Primary School, you can appeal the decision of the Board of Governors. You can only make an admissions appeal if you feel the published Admissions Criteria of the school has not been applied or has not been correctly applied. Please contact the school directly to discuss why your child’s application was not selected before submitting your appeal.
The Independent Admissions Appeal Tribunal Panel will decide if a school has applied and correctly applied their published admissions criteria in deciding to refuse your child admission to the school. An Admissions Appeal Tribunal cannot uphold an appeal on any other grounds. The actual substance of the published Admissions Criteria cannot be challenged in the appeal tribunal.
Further information on the Appeals process can be found on the Admissions Appeals section. The Appeals Form will be available on EA Connect from Wednesday, 25 March 2026 and will close at 4.00 pm on Friday, 3 April 2026.
A paper Appeal form is available on request by email from admissionappeals@eani.org.uk
Find a School
Use the ‘Find a School’ tool below to search for Primary schools in your area and read or download their admissions criteria.
Where a school is listed as Irish Medium or has an Irish Medium Unit all subjects are taught in the Irish language.
Other sources of information which may be useful to you include:
- Primary school websites
- Primary virtual opening day/evenings
- Primary prospectus
- ETI Inspection Reports
- Annual Area Profiles
- Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education
- Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta
Read the Admissions Criteria
Before starting to complete your child’s application you should read carefully the published admissions criteria for each school that you wish to nominate as a preference.
You should complete your application providing all the relevant details/preference reasons about how your child meets the schools’ admissions criteria.
When making an application it is recommended that you list at least four schools in the order of your preference, as there is no guarantee your child will be accepted into the first preference.
Any queries on the content of a primary school’s published admissions criteria should be directed to the primary school.
School Preferences
Parents have the right to express preferences for the schools they would like their child to attend, but no child can be guaranteed a place in any school.
Please note you cannot list the same preference more than once, unless the school you are applying to offers both English and Irish Medium education. Where there is an option of applying separately to an Irish Medium Unit, please indicate this on the online/paper application form.
The first school you list will consider your application. If they are unable to offer a place the application will then go to your second preference school and so on until a school is able to offer a place or the list is exhausted.
Carefully select those schools that you wish to nominate as some schools have similar names e.g. St Mary’s PS, Omagh, St Mary’s PS, Banbridge. Some schools give priority to applicants who have listed their school as first preference; therefore, applicants who list the school at a lower preference may have less chance of obtaining a place at the school.
It is extremely important that you provide all relevant details on your application as this information will be used by individual primary schools to determine which children will be selected for admission.
Supporting Documents
- Birth Certificate
All schools will require a birth certificate to verify a child’s name and date of birth. Either a full (long) or short birth certificate may be used. An amended birth certificate or an adoption certificate, where appropriate, is acceptable. If a birth certificate is not available you should contact the school to determine what alternatives may be acceptable e.g., a biometric card, passport, medical card etc. - Other Supporting Documents
Check the admissions criteria for each of the schools you have listed, as some schools ask for additional documentation such as proof of address and/or proof of eldest child. This documentation may be requested at the time of application, during the process or at the notification of placement. If verifying documents are being requested at the time of application you will need to upload the information on EA Connect for all school choices.
If you do not supply the documents requested this could lead to the inability of a school to offer a place to your child or the withdrawal of an offer of a place.
If a school has asked for documents which you do not have, or if it is unclear what type of documents are needed, you should email or phone the school directly to find out what they will accept as it can vary from school to school.
Applying for a Primary 1 Place in the Current School Year 2025/26
Should you wish to apply for a Primary 1 place in the current school year, please contact the Primary Admissions Office requesting a paper application. Contact details are below:-
Email: primaryadmissions@eani.org.uk
Tel: 028 9047 0177
Your completed P1 application form should be submitted direcly to the school along with a copy of your child’s birth certificate for consideration. Some schools may also ask for other documentation to be submitted e.g to verify your address. The Primary School will contact you directly regarding the outcome of the application, usually within 11 working days.
You should note that some Primary Schools will now be full and unable to admit your child. You can contact the school directly to check if they still have places available.
Outcome of Applications
The Primary School where you have made application to will contact you directly with regard to the outcome of your late application.
Special Educational Needs
If your child is currently undergoing statutory assessment and does not yet have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, you will need to apply for a pre-school, primary or post primary school place.
If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, placement will be discussed with you as part of the annual review of your child’s statement and therefore an application should not be made on EA Connect.
If you require more information, please contact the Statutory Assessment and Review Service on 028 9031 7777, Option 1.