School Admission Register and Local-Authority Returns Procedure

This procedure applies to maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England. Local-authority return requirements apply at the relevant transition point or where the local authority extends or requests the relevant information. Address and deletion requirements apply only when the relevant event occurs.

Entering a pupil on the admission register

Enter the pupil’s name on the admission register from the beginning of the first session on the first day that the school and a person with control of the pupil’s attendance have agreed that the pupil will attend.

Where the school has a duty to admit the pupil, enter the name on the first day that a person with control of the pupil’s attendance has told the school that the pupil will attend. If no attendance date has been agreed or notified, enter the name on the first day the pupil attends the school.

If a pupil does not attend on the agreed date, undertake reasonable enquiries to establish the child’s whereabouts.

A school being named on an education, health and care plan does not, by itself, mean that the child is or should be entered on the school admission register.

Keeping the admission register accurate

Keep the admission register accurate and up to date.

When a parent notifies the school that the pupil will normally live at another address, whether in addition to or instead of the current address, record the address, the full name of each parent with whom the pupil will normally live, and the date on which the pupil will start normally living there.

New-pupil returns

When a pupil’s name is added to the admission register at a non-standard transition point, make a new-pupil return to the local authority within 5 days and provide all information held in the admission register about the pupil.

The 5-day new-pupil return requirement applies at non-standard transition points unless the local authority has asked for the information at another point.

Returns for additions and removals

Make a return to the local authority in line with regulation 13 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 whenever a pupil’s name is added to or removed from the admission register outside standard transition times.

The local authority may extend this return requirement to include standard transition times. Apply any such extension or request from the relevant local authority.

Deletion returns

When making a deletion return to the local authority, provide the following information from the admission register:

the pupil’s full name;

the pupil’s current address;

the full name and address of any parent with whom the pupil normally lives;

at least one telephone number by which any parent with whom the pupil normally lives can be contacted in an emergency;

where applicable, the pupil’s future address, the full name and address of the parent with whom the pupil is going to live, and the date the pupil will start living there;

where applicable, the name of the pupil’s new school and the date the pupil began or will begin to attend; and

the reason set out in regulation 9 under which the pupil’s name has been deleted.