In a shake-up of the current schools admissions code, the government has announced that it will lift restrictions on good, oversubscribed schools being able to expand – including the academically selective and popular Grammar Schools. It will also streamline in-year applications when a child moves to a new area. This is likely to be welcome news to relocating families who struggle to find good school places outside the normal admissions round.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a new-look admissions system that will be, according to Minister Nick Gibb, “fairer and simpler for all parents.”  The revised guidance will give greater freedom to good, successful, and therefore very often oversubscribed schools - so they can increase the number of places they offer to children in their area.

“The new Admissions Codes are slimmer, less repetitive and easier to read and use,” says Mr Gibb. “For these reasons alone they should help to reduce the stress confronting parents as they navigate the schools admissions system and find a place for their child.”

“But the new codes also remove the restriction on good schools being able to expand if they wish – a freedom that will provide more good school places.”

The government is also introducing a new in-year admissions process so fewer children will face delays in finding a new school. Parents will apply direct to schools, rather than having to go through a local authority. In-year applications happen when a child moves to a new area.

Alongside these changes, the DfE are introducing a new “national offer day”. Currently different admissions authorities release primary school offers on different dates. The government claims that this can confuse and frustrate parents, especially those making applications for school places in different local authorities.

There is already a secondary school national offer day, on March 1 each year. The primary school day is set to be on April 16 each year, starting in 2014.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb commented, “A new National Offer Day for primary schools – as recommended by the Chief Schools Adjudicator – will introduce clarity and consistency in the system for hundreds of thousands of parents. Receiving offers on different days is confusing and stressful, especially for parents making cross-border applications to schools in neighbouring local authorities.”

The draft Appeals Code has also seen a small number of changes - parents will have at least 20 days to lodge an appeal against primary or secondary school decisions. The current 10-day limit means parents must appeal quickly but many then drop the appeal because they later get an offer at another of their preferred schools.

In the last school year for which figures are available (2008/09), more than a quarter of all appeals lodged (24,550 out of 88,270) were not taken forward.