Open Evenings

Event	Date
Southmoor Academy Open Evening 2026	Wednesday 16th September at 4:30pm
Southmoor Sixth Form Open Evening 2026	Wednesday 14th October at 5pm

Our Pupil Admission Numbers (PAN) for the Current Academic Year

Year	Admission Numbers
Current Year 7 (2026 Cohort)	240
Current Year 8	240
Current Year 9	240
Current Year 10	240
Current Year 11	253
Current Year 12	125
Current Year 13	125

The Admission Process

Applications for a place should be made through Sunderland City Council using the link at the bottom of this page.

Admissions open during the school preference period. The preference period for 2027 secondary admissions is 14th September 2026 until 31st October 2026

Parents are required to apply online through the Local Authority’s website or by a paper application form. If your application is received after 31 October 2025, it will reduce your chance of being offered your preferred school.

National Offer Day for next year’s school places is 1st March 2027. Parents/carers will also receive their email notification on 1st March 2027 if they apply online, rather than waiting for a letter being posted second class on 2 March 2026.

More information can be found on this page.

Admissions Timeline 2026

Date	Event
Week beginning 1 September 2026	Information packs sent to primary schools
Friday 4 September 2026	Information pack handed out to parents
Monday 14 September 2026	Online system available up until closing date
Monday 7 September –Friday 24 October 2026	Open Evenings with prospective year 7 pupils
Saturday 31 October 2026	Closing date for secondary applications.
Friday 13 November 2026	Exchange preference data with other LAs
By Friday 27 November 2026	Details of applications provided to schools that are their own admission authority
Monday 11 January 2027	Own admission authority schools provide the Authority with list of offers/refusals
Monday 18 January 2027	Authority exchanges offers/refusals with other LAs
Friday 12 February 2027	Schools will be notified which pupils have been allocated places at their schools
Monday 1 March 2027 (National Offer Day)	Secondary ‘Offer Day’ notification sent to parents
Friday 19 March 2027	Deadline for parents to accept places
Monday 22 March 2027	Authority will begin to allocate any places that have become available for oversubscribed schools
Friday 2 April 2027	Appeal forms to be returned to Governance Services
May 2027	Appeals to be heard
June 2028	Appeals to be heard
New Year’s 7 Parents’ Evening	Monday 28th June
Tuesday 29 June to Wednesday 30 June	Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Days
July 2027	Appeals to be heard
Friday 31 December 2027	No waiting list available after this date

Appeal dates to be confirmed

The Appeals Process

If you wish your appeal to be considered by the School Admission Appeal Panel, you should complete the appeals form found in ‘Admission Documents’ below and return it to Kelly Dormand, Southmoor Academy, Ryhope Road, Sunderland, SR2 7TF within 14 days of receipt of the appeal forms, from whom further advice can be obtained on the arrangements for the hearings. If no reply is received within 14 days, it will be assumed that you do not wish to pursue the matter.

• You will be given at least 10 working days notice of the hearing, which will be held at a local venue. Please note that you may waive this notice by stating clearly on the form that you wish to do so.
• At least 7 working days prior to the hearing, the Clerk to the School Admission Appeal Panel will send to you (the Appellant) by post, a written statement summarising the application of the Authority’s School Admission policy to the case in question and the reasons for the decisions taken. Please ensure that any change of address by you is notified to the Clerk to the School Admission Appeal Panel to enable relevant correspondence to be sent to you.

Sixth Form Admissions

To apply to our associated Sixth Form at Southmoor Academy, please follow their online application process found here.