Sibling Priority
An oversubscription rule that gives applicants higher priority if they already have a sibling at the school.
Sibling priority is an oversubscription criterion that gives applicants higher priority if they already have a sibling attending the school at the time of application or admission.
Almost every state school in England uses sibling priority, but the exact definition varies:
- Some schools require the sibling to still be at the school at the time the new sibling starts, not just when the application is made
- Some include step-siblings, half-siblings and foster siblings; others don’t
- A few schools restrict sibling priority to children living at the same home address
Sibling priority can absorb a large share of places in popular schools in stable neighbourhoods. If a school’s sibling-priority figures are 50% or more of the intake, the distance cut-off for non-siblings tightens dramatically.
If you have a child already at a school, this is the single most powerful factor when applying for the next - so it’s worth factoring into your original primary or secondary choice.
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