Moving House During the 11+ Process: How Address Rules Really Work

Relocating your family is a big undertaking at any time, but when a house move coincides with your child's transition to secondary school, it can feel overwhelming. Your home address plays a central role in school admissions — it determines which schools you can realistically access and, for oversubscribed schools, whether your child gets a place. If you are planning a move, or have recently moved, this guide explains how the address rules work for the September 2027 intake, with practical steps you can follow right now.

Why Your Address Matters So Much

In England, most state school admission authorities use your child's home address to apply oversubscription criteria. This typically means:

• Catchment areas: Some schools give priority to families living within a defined geographical zone.
• Distance tie-breakers: When a school receives more applications than it has places, distance from home to school is almost always the final deciding factor.

For grammar schools, academic merit (the 11+ score) comes first. But when more children pass the test than there are places available, distance from the school is the tie-breaker used to separate equally qualified candidates. In practice, this means that your address can determine whether a qualifying score translates into an actual offer.

The National Timeline for September 2027 Entry

Every Local Authority (LA) in England follows a framework set by the national School Admissions Code. While councils add their own local deadlines, the key national dates are fixed:

What Counts as a "Permanent Address"?

Councils are experienced at detecting what they call "addresses of convenience" — temporary arrangements designed to gain an advantage in school admissions. To protect fairness, they apply strict definitions of permanent residency.

Evidence You Will Typically Need

• Proof of ownership or tenancy: A solicitor's completion letter for a purchase, or a formal tenancy agreement (usually for a minimum of 6 or 12 months).
• Council tax registration: You must be registered to pay council tax at the new address.
• Utility bills: Gas, electricity, or water bills showing your name at the new address.

The "Disposal" Rule

Many councils will not accept a new address if you still own or rent a property within a reasonable distance of your previous home. You may need to demonstrate that the old property has been sold, is on the market, or is being rented out to a third party. If you own a second property near a school but currently live elsewhere, most councils will not allow you to use that property as your application address until you are physically resident in it and it is your sole or main home.

Scenario 1: Moving Before the Application Deadline (October 2026)

This is the simplest scenario. If you complete your move before 31 October 2026, you simply use your new address on the application. Make sure you have the evidence listed above, because councils may verify your address at any point.

Action steps:

1. Register for council tax at your new address immediately upon moving.
2. Update your child's school records to reflect the new home address.
3. Submit your secondary school application using the new address by 31 October 2026.
4. Keep your evidence file ready in case the council requests verification.

Scenario 2: Moving After the Deadline but Before the Cut-Off (November 2026 – January/February 2027)

This is the most common situation for families who are mid-move during the application period. The good news is that most councils allow address updates after the October deadline, provided you notify them before their local address change cut-off.

How it works:

• You submit your application in October using your current (old) address.
• You complete your move and gather evidence of residency at the new address.
• You contact your Local Authority and submit an "address change" notification with supporting evidence.
• If the council accepts the change before their cut-off date, your application is processed using the new address on Offer Day (1 March 2027).

Typical LA address change deadlines:

Scenario 3: Moving After the Cut-Off but Before Offer Day (February – March 2027)

If you move after the address change cut-off, your application will be processed using your old address on Offer Day. This means:

• If your old address was further from the school, your child may not receive a place in the first round of offers.
• However, you can notify the council of your new address immediately after Offer Day.
• Your child will be placed on the school's waiting list using the new, closer address — which may significantly improve their position.

The School Admissions Code requires that waiting lists for oversubscribed schools must be maintained for at least the first term of the academic year (until 31 December). During this period, positions on the list are determined by the school's published oversubscription criteria — not by how long you have been waiting. So a later move to a closer address can place you above families who were on the list before you.

Scenario 4: Moving After Offer Day (March 2027 Onwards)

If you move house after 1 March 2027, the place your child was offered does not change. You keep the school place you were given. However, if you want a place at a different school (perhaps one closer to your new home), you can:

1. Accept the offered place (always do this as a safety net).
2. Contact the council to update your address.
3. Request to be added to the waiting list for your preferred school using the new address.
4. Wait for second-round offers, which typically happen between April and July 2027.

Many families successfully gain places during this period. Waiting lists can move substantially as other families decline offers, accept independent school places, or relocate themselves.

Case Study: How It Works in Kent

Kent is one of the largest grammar school areas in England, with 32 grammar schools admitting around 5,500 pupils each year. It is a useful example because the rules are well-documented and many families relocate specifically to access Kent grammar schools.

The Kent Test

• Registration typically opens in May and closes in early July of Year 5.
• The test is sat in September of Year 6.
• Results are released in mid-October, telling you whether your child has been assessed as "grammar suitable" or "not assessed as suitable."

Address Rules in Kent

Kent uses your address at the time of the application deadline (31 October) as the starting point. If you move after submitting your application, Kent typically allows you to update your address up until their published cut-off date in December.

How distance works in Kent grammar admissions:

1. Children assessed as grammar-suitable are ranked.
2. Priority is given to Children in Care, then children attracting Pupil Premium, then siblings.
3. After these priority groups, remaining places are offered by straight-line distance from the child's home to the school, measured by the LA's geographic information system.

Moving Into Kent After Kent Test Results

This is a scenario many families ask about. Here is what typically happens:

• If your child sat the Kent Test and was assessed as grammar-suitable, you can apply for Kent grammar schools regardless of where you live at the time of application.
• If you then move closer to a Kent grammar school before the address change cut-off, Kent will use the new address for distance calculations on Offer Day.
• If you move after the cut-off but before offers, your old (more distant) address is used. You can then update your address post-offers and join the waiting list at the closer distance.

Can You Move Into Kent After Results and Still Get a Grammar Place?

Yes, but with an important caveat:

• Your child must have sat the Kent Test (or an equivalent recognised assessment) and been assessed as grammar-suitable.
• Moving closer improves your position in the distance-based oversubscription criteria, but it does not guarantee a place — it depends on whether a place is available at the school in question.
• If you move in time for the address change cut-off, the new address is used for the initial allocation. If you move after the cut-off, you join the waiting list from your new distance.
• Kent's waiting lists remain active throughout the summer before entry. Kent has confirmed in past years that places are offered from waiting lists up until the start of term in September, and sometimes even into the first half-term.

How Addresses Affect Grammar Schools vs. Non-Selective Schools

It is worth understanding the distinction clearly:

Special Cases: Military Families, Overseas Moves, and Crown Servants

The School Admissions Code includes specific protections for certain groups:

UK Armed Forces and Crown Servants

If you are a serving member of the armed forces or a Crown servant returning to the UK on a posting, you can use an intended future address for your application — even if you have not yet moved. Councils must accept a Unit postal address or a future address backed by an official letter from the Ministry of Defence or your employer confirming a relocation date. This is a legal requirement under the Admissions Code, not a discretionary favour.

Families Currently Overseas

If you are living abroad and plan to return to the UK before September 2027, you generally have two options:

1. Apply from your overseas address: You will be considered, but distance will be calculated from your current overseas address, making it very unlikely you will receive a place in the initial round. Once you move to a UK address, you update and join the waiting list from the closer distance.
2. Apply from a UK address you own: Some councils will accept a UK property as your application address if you can demonstrate it will be your sole or main residence by the start of term. You will usually need to provide a tenancy termination notice (if currently let), evidence of an employer-confirmed return date, or a statutory declaration. This varies significantly by council — always confirm in writing with the specific Admissions Team before relying on this route.

Distance Measurement: Straight Line or Walking Route?

This is a detail that catches many families out. Councils do not all measure distance the same way:

• Straight-line distance: Measured "as the crow flies" from your home address point to the school's designated address point, using the council's mapping software (typically Ordnance Survey data). Used by Kent, Buckinghamshire, and many other LAs.
• Shortest walking route: Measured along roads, footpaths, and public rights of way that a child could reasonably walk. Used by some London boroughs and other authorities.

The method can produce very different results. A family on the "wrong side" of a river or motorway might be 0.5 miles by straight line but 2 miles by walking route. Always check which method your target school's admission authority uses — this information is published in the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

What Councils Check (and How They Catch Fraud)

Admissions fraud — using a false address to gain a school place — is taken seriously. Councils use a range of methods to verify addresses:

• Cross-referencing with council tax records and the electoral register.
• Checking whether siblings at other schools are registered at a different address.
• Data-sharing agreements with other councils to detect duplicate applications.
• In some cases, home visits (particularly in heavily oversubscribed areas).

If a council discovers that an address was used fraudulently, they have the right to withdraw an offered school place — even after the child has started attending. This applies at any stage of the process. The consequences are serious: the place is removed, and you must re-apply from your genuine address.

Your Action Checklist

Whether you are already planning a move or just considering it, follow these steps to protect your child's application:

1. Download the admissions booklet from your target Local Authority's website. Look for "Moving to Secondary School 2027" or "Secondary Admissions Booklet." This document contains the exact dates for address updates.
2. Check the distance measurement method. Is it straight-line or shortest walking route? This affects which locations are genuinely "closer" to your target school.
3. Gather your residency evidence early. Tenancy agreements, solicitor's completion statements, council tax bills, and utility statements are your most important documents.
4. Contact admissions directly if your situation is complicated (e.g., overseas move, separation, second homes). Ask your question in writing and keep the response.
5. Do not panic if you miss the first round. The waiting list period from April to July sees significant movement as families decline places, and your new, closer address will improve your position.
6. Accept the best offer you receive on 1 March, even if it is not your first choice. Accepting a place does not remove you from other waiting lists — it simply ensures your child has a school place while you wait.

Quick FAQ

Q: Can I use a relative's address for my child's application?
A: No. Councils require the address to be the child's permanent, sole, or main home. Using a grandparent's or friend's address is considered fraudulent and can result in a place being withdrawn.

Q: We are separated — which parent's address counts?
A: The address used must be the one where the child lives for the majority of school nights (Monday to Friday). If care is genuinely shared 50/50, some councils use the address of the parent who receives Child Benefit. Check your council's specific policy.

Q: What if we exchange contracts but have not completed by the cut-off date?
A: Most councils will accept exchange of contracts (with a solicitor's letter) as evidence of an imminent move, provided completion is expected before the start of term. Some councils are stricter and require completion. Check with your specific LA.

Q: Does renting vs. buying make a difference?
A: Not in terms of admissions priority. A tenancy agreement is treated as valid proof of residence, provided it is a genuine, long-term arrangement (typically 6–12 months minimum). Short-term holiday lets or Airbnb-style arrangements will not be accepted.

Q: If we move further away after getting a place, do we lose it?
A: No. Once a place has been formally offered and accepted, it cannot be withdrawn simply because you move. However, if the council discovers the address used in the application was fraudulent, the place can be revoked.

Building your school shortlist? → Creating Your School Shortlist: Aspirational, Realistic, and Banker Schools

Understand how 11+ scores work → 11+ Scoring Demystified

New to the 11+ journey? Start here → The 11+ Entrance Exam: What It Really Is