Education authorities in England
You apply for a state school place through the education local authority where you live, even for a school in another council area. Unitary, metropolitan and London councils each have one area page. A county council covers several district councils; each district has its own area page.
These are the councils responsible for school admissions, not police force areas or ceremonial counties. See the admissions dates for deadlines.
153 education authorities
East Midlands
- Derby
Unitary authority · 107 open schools
Best schools - Derbyshire
County council · 438 open schools
Districts: Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire, South Derbyshire
- Leicester
Unitary authority · 134 open schools
Best schools - Leicestershire
County council · 322 open schools
Districts: Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston
- Lincolnshire
County council · 384 open schools
Districts: Boston, East Lindsey, Lincoln, North Kesteven, South Holland, South Kesteven, West Lindsey
- North Northamptonshire
Unitary authority · 149 open schools
Best schools - Nottingham
Unitary authority · 112 open schools
Best schools - Nottinghamshire
County council · 364 open schools
Districts: Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, Rushcliffe
- Rutland
Unitary authority · 27 open schools
Best schools - West Northamptonshire
Unitary authority · 197 open schools
Best schools
East of England
- Bedford
Unitary authority · 82 open schools
Best schools - Cambridgeshire
County council · 300 open schools
Districts: Cambridge, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, South Cambridgeshire
- Central Bedfordshire
Unitary authority · 131 open schools
Best schools - Essex
County council · 600 open schools
Districts: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring, Uttlesford
- Hertfordshire
County council · 564 open schools
Districts: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield
- Luton
Unitary authority · 71 open schools
Best schools - Norfolk
County council · 449 open schools
Districts: Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, South Norfolk
- Peterborough
Unitary authority · 86 open schools
Best schools - Southend-on-Sea
Unitary authority · 58 open schools
Best schools - Suffolk
County council · 348 open schools
Districts: Babergh, East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, West Suffolk
- Thurrock
Unitary authority · 57 open schools
Best schools
London
- Barking and Dagenham
London borough · 67 open schools
Best schools - Barnet
London borough · 164 open schools
Best schools - Bexley
London borough · 88 open schools
Best schools - Brent
London borough · 95 open schools
Best schools - Bromley
London borough · 116 open schools
Best schools - Camden
London borough · 87 open schools
Best schools - City of London
London borough · 6 open schools
Best schools - Croydon
London borough · 147 open schools
Best schools - Ealing
London borough · 106 open schools
Best schools - Enfield
London borough · 107 open schools
Best schools - Greenwich
London borough · 99 open schools
Best schools - Hackney
London borough · 101 open schools
Best schools - Hammersmith and Fulham
London borough · 73 open schools
Best schools - Haringey
London borough · 90 open schools
Best schools - Harrow
London borough · 71 open schools
Best schools - Havering
London borough · 90 open schools
Best schools - Hillingdon
London borough · 105 open schools
Best schools - Hounslow
London borough · 88 open schools
Best schools - Islington
London borough · 61 open schools
Best schools - Kensington and Chelsea
London borough · 65 open schools
Best schools - Kingston upon Thames
London borough · 62 open schools
Best schools - Lambeth
London borough · 94 open schools
Best schools - Lewisham
London borough · 93 open schools
Best schools - Merton
London borough · 72 open schools
Best schools - Newham
London borough · 100 open schools
Best schools - Redbridge
London borough · 90 open schools
Best schools - Richmond upon Thames
London borough · 84 open schools
Best schools - Southwark
London borough · 109 open schools
Best schools - Sutton
London borough · 67 open schools
Best schools - Tower Hamlets
London borough · 107 open schools
Best schools - Waltham Forest
London borough · 80 open schools
Best schools - Wandsworth
London borough · 104 open schools
Best schools - Westminster
London borough · 82 open schools
Best schools
North East
- County Durham
Unitary authority · 262 open schools
Best schools - Darlington
Unitary authority · 45 open schools
Best schools - Gateshead
Metropolitan borough · 91 open schools
Best schools - Hartlepool
Unitary authority · 41 open schools
Best schools - Middlesbrough
Unitary authority · 59 open schools
Best schools - Newcastle upon Tyne
Metropolitan borough · 104 open schools
Best schools - North Tyneside
Metropolitan borough · 80 open schools
Best schools - Northumberland
Unitary authority · 170 open schools
Best schools - Redcar and Cleveland
Unitary authority · 64 open schools
Best schools - South Tyneside
Metropolitan borough · 58 open schools
Best schools - Stockton-on-Tees
Unitary authority · 85 open schools
Best schools - Sunderland
Metropolitan borough · 113 open schools
Best schools
North West
- Blackburn with Darwen
Unitary authority · 83 open schools
Best schools - Blackpool
Unitary authority · 50 open schools
Best schools - Bolton
Metropolitan borough · 138 open schools
Best schools - Bury
Metropolitan borough · 88 open schools
Best schools - Cheshire East
Unitary authority · 174 open schools
Best schools - Cheshire West and Chester
Unitary authority · 177 open schools
Best schools - Cumberland
Unitary authority · 174 open schools
Best schools - Halton
Unitary authority · 66 open schools
Best schools - Knowsley
Metropolitan borough · 61 open schools
Best schools - Lancashire
County council · 665 open schools
Districts: Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre
- Liverpool
Metropolitan borough · 177 open schools
Best schools - Manchester
Metropolitan borough · 207 open schools
Best schools - Oldham
Metropolitan borough · 126 open schools
Best schools - Rochdale
Metropolitan borough · 103 open schools
Best schools - Salford
Metropolitan borough · 130 open schools
Best schools - Sefton
Metropolitan borough · 110 open schools
Best schools - St. Helens
Metropolitan borough · 74 open schools
Best schools - Stockport
Metropolitan borough · 125 open schools
Best schools - Tameside
Metropolitan borough · 108 open schools
Best schools - Trafford
Metropolitan borough · 101 open schools
Best schools - Warrington
Unitary authority · 91 open schools
Best schools - Westmorland and Furness
Unitary authority · 158 open schools
Best schools - Wigan
Metropolitan borough · 136 open schools
Best schools - Wirral
Metropolitan borough · 132 open schools
Best schools
South East
- Bracknell Forest
Unitary authority · 46 open schools
Best schools - Brighton and Hove
Unitary authority · 73 open schools
Best schools - Buckinghamshire
Unitary authority · 263 open schools
Best schools - East Sussex
County council · 215 open schools
Districts: Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother, Wealden
- Hampshire
County council · 598 open schools
Districts: Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Hart, Havant, New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley, Winchester
- Isle of Wight
Unitary authority · 50 open schools
Best schools - Kent
County council · 683 open schools
Districts: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells
- Medway
Unitary authority · 106 open schools
Best schools - Milton Keynes
Unitary authority · 117 open schools
Best schools - Oxfordshire
County council · 357 open schools
Districts: Cherwell, Oxford, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, West Oxfordshire
- Portsmouth
Unitary authority · 66 open schools
Best schools - Reading
Unitary authority · 64 open schools
Best schools - Slough
Unitary authority · 53 open schools
Best schools - Southampton
Unitary authority · 82 open schools
Best schools - Surrey
County council · 501 open schools
Districts: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, Woking
- West Berkshire
Unitary authority · 96 open schools
Best schools - West Sussex
County council · 328 open schools
Districts: Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Worthing
- Windsor and Maidenhead
Unitary authority · 79 open schools
Best schools - Wokingham
Unitary authority · 81 open schools
Best schools
South West
- Bath and North East Somerset
Unitary authority · 91 open schools
Best schools - Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Unitary authority · 110 open schools
Best schools - Bristol, City of
Unitary authority · 156 open schools
Best schools - Cornwall
Unitary authority · 289 open schools
Best schools - Devon
County council · 409 open schools
Districts: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon
- Dorset
Unitary authority · 175 open schools
Best schools - Gloucestershire
County council · 328 open schools
Districts: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury
- Isles of Scilly
Unitary authority · 1 open school
Best schools - North Somerset
Unitary authority · 84 open schools
Best schools - Plymouth
Unitary authority · 99 open schools
Best schools - Somerset
Unitary authority · 299 open schools
Best schools - South Gloucestershire
Unitary authority · 119 open schools
Best schools - Swindon
Unitary authority · 90 open schools
Best schools - Torbay
Unitary authority · 45 open schools
Best schools - Wiltshire
Unitary authority · 263 open schools
Best schools
West Midlands
- Birmingham
Metropolitan borough · 468 open schools
Best schools - Coventry
Metropolitan borough · 123 open schools
Best schools - Dudley
Metropolitan borough · 113 open schools
Best schools - Herefordshire, County of
Unitary authority · 113 open schools
Best schools - Sandwell
Metropolitan borough · 131 open schools
Best schools - Shropshire
Unitary authority · 183 open schools
Best schools - Solihull
Metropolitan borough · 87 open schools
Best schools - Staffordshire
County council · 443 open schools
Districts: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth
- Stoke-on-Trent
Unitary authority · 113 open schools
Best schools - Telford and Wrekin
Unitary authority · 81 open schools
Best schools - Walsall
Metropolitan borough · 123 open schools
Best schools - Warwickshire
County council · 275 open schools
Districts: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick
- Wolverhampton
Metropolitan borough · 113 open schools
Best schools - Worcestershire
County council · 267 open schools
Districts: Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest
Yorkshire and The Humber
- Barnsley
Metropolitan borough · 95 open schools
Best schools - Bradford
Metropolitan borough · 219 open schools
Best schools - Calderdale
Metropolitan borough · 112 open schools
Best schools - Doncaster
Metropolitan borough · 134 open schools
Best schools - East Riding of Yorkshire
Unitary authority · 154 open schools
Best schools - Kingston upon Hull, City of
Unitary authority · 98 open schools
Best schools - Kirklees
Metropolitan borough · 197 open schools
Best schools - Leeds
Metropolitan borough · 295 open schools
Best schools - North East Lincolnshire
Unitary authority · 67 open schools
Best schools - North Lincolnshire
Unitary authority · 90 open schools
Best schools - North Yorkshire
Unitary authority · 370 open schools
Best schools - Rotherham
Metropolitan borough · 123 open schools
Best schools - Sheffield
Metropolitan borough · 185 open schools
Best schools - Wakefield
Metropolitan borough · 149 open schools
Best schools - York
Unitary authority · 70 open schools
Best schools