Choosing schoolsAdmissionsFamilies at home
How do I apply for a post-primary school in Northern Ireland?
Answered by Sam Stirling, former P7 teacher · Last checked: 2 November 2026
The short answer
You apply online to the Education Authority, listing the schools you'd like in order of preference. For children starting Year 8 in September 2027, nidirect gives the closing date as 12 noon on Wednesday 3 March 2027. Each school then applies its own admissions criteria.
The steps
- Read each school's admissions criteria before you list it. Schools use the information on your transfer application when they apply their criteria.
- Apply online through the Education Authority's system (EA Connect). You get your own login, and you upload your child's SEAG results to the application yourself.
- Start on the Education Authority's own page: Applying for a school place.
- List at least four schools, in your order of preference, including at least one non-grammar school. That's the Education Authority's advice.
- Wait for the outcome in May.
The dates
For September 2027, nidirect gives:
- Online applications close: 12 noon, Wednesday 3 March 2027
- Appeal forms must arrive by: 4pm, Thursday 20 May 2027
The Education Authority's 2027 timetable: online applications open at 12 noon on Wednesday 27 January 2027, and outcomes come out on Saturday 8 May 2027.
Special circumstances
If illness or something else may have affected your child in the test, schools may take it into account, but it needs independent documentary evidence. Each school's criteria say what it needs, so check them.
Last checked: 2 November 2026 by Sam. The official facts on this page come from:
- nidirect: Transfer to a post-primary school (2027 dates) (read 28 October 2026)
- Education Authority: Applying for a Post Primary Year 8 Place (2026 process, updated 18 Jun 2026) (read 28 October 2026)
Next step
Check your child's result
Type the numbers from the Statement of Outcomes and see what they mean, school by school.