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Proof of address: transfer to year 7 and start of school in reception year

When is proof of address needed?

Proof of address may be needed when you submit your child's application for transfer to secondary school or to start reception school.

If your child has been attending nursery or school in Birmingham, we will probably have an address on record for your child, and proof will not be needed.

Proof of address is likely to be required (but not exclusively) if you have moved in the last 12 months.

Important: All proof of address must be submitted, without exception, by the national closing date for school applications. For applications for September 2024, this is 31 October 2023 for transfer to secondary school and 15 January 2024 for starting school in Reception. If proof of address is submitted after the relevant closing date, the address will not be considered for processing your child's on-time application.

Moving addresses during the process

If you move address after the national closing date, you will need to send proof of address to us so we can update your address after the national offer day.

The national offer day is 1 March 2024 for transfer to secondary school and 16 April 2024 for starting school in Reception. Proof of address will also be required if you move address after the relevant national offer day.

This proof will allow us to update your child's record in relation to waiting lists once waiting lists have been released.

How do I provide proof of address?

After you submit your online application, you can provide proof of address by emailing admissions@birmingham.gov.uk.

You must state "Proof of address" in the email subject line. In the body of the email, state your online application reference number and your child's full name and date of birth. Photographs or scans attached to your email are usually acceptable, provided they are clear and readable.

If you do not provide proof of address and this is required, we will contact you to request it.

Failure to provide proof of address will result in us being unable to consider this address when processing your application. This failure may have an impact on the school place that your child is offered.

Our request will be emailed to you. We recommend you use an email address you regularly monitor, including the Junk folder. This monitoring is important to make sure that you do not miss any important communications from us.

The information you provide will go through a series of validations within Birmingham City Council and may be shared with other organisations where necessary for verification.

Read more on how Birmingham City Council processes personal data.

What is considered the child's home address?

The child's home address is the residential property that is the child's only or main residence and which is either:

  • owned by the child's parent, carer(s) or the person(s) with parental responsibility for the child
  • leased to, or rented by, the child's parent, carer(s) or the person(s) with parental responsibility for the child

Important: If the parent or carer(s) have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with either for part of the week, then the main residence will be the address where the child lives for most of the school week. We can only accept one application from one address per child. The parent or carer(s) must ensure they are both happy with the schools listed on the child's application.

Addresses of convenience

Birmingham City Council will only use a child's legal guardian's address, their child's only or main residence, for their child's application for a school place. The following examples below are considered addresses of convenience and informal living arrangements, which will not be accepted:

  • relative' addresses which are not the child's legal guardian's address or their main residence
  • friends' addresses which are not the child's legal guardian's address or their main residence
  • temporary addresses (used to improve your priority for a school place)

Important: If it is discovered that a school place has been offered based on an address of convenience, that school place will be withdrawn (retracted) under the School Admissions Code (2021).

You can read more about fraudulent addresses and addresses of convenience.

What is considered acceptable proof of address?

See the below examples of acceptable proof of address:

  • a copy of your most recent Council Tax bill
  • a copy of a recent utility bill (gas, water, electric etc., dated within the last six months)
  • a solicitor's letter confirming contracts have been exchanged and specifying a completion date and the new address
  • a signed and dated tenancy agreement from either Birmingham City Council or a known Birmingham Housing Association, and the commencement date

Documentation should be in the applicant's name. Bills should be actual, not estimates.

The below are usually not acceptable proof of address on their own:

  • bank statements
  • mobile phone bills
  • television (TV) licence

Neither of the above lists are comprehensive. We may contact you to request additional proof where necessary.

If you cannot provide any documents from the "acceptable" list, you should send whatever you can; we will take it under consideration and contact you if we require further proof.

We understand that families can sometimes find themselves in difficult circumstances where it is not easy for them to access documentation. Important: If you have any questions or need advice or support, call us on 0121 303 1888 or email us at admissions@birmingham.gov.uk.

Temporary addresses due to homelessness

If you are classed as homeless and are residing in temporary accommodation awaiting a housing placement in Birmingham from Birmingham City Council or a recognised Birmingham Housing Association, we will be able to accept your temporary address for your child’s school application. We will require proof of this in the form of a letter from the hostel you are residing at or, if you have any other official documentation from the relevant agency confirming your living arrangements.

If your housing placement is not completed by the national closing date (31 October 2023 Secondary/15 January 2024 Primary), your school application and preference(s) must be considered from the temporary accommodation you were residing at, at the time you submitted your application. However, you must send proof of your new address as soon as you have it so we can ensure any letters are sent to the correct address and that your address can be updated after the offer of places for any waiting lists your child may be eligible to be on.

Applications from UK Crown Servants and UK Military Families

Birmingham School Admissions will process applications from UK crown servants or UK military families. These applications must include evidence from their employers or commanding officers that they are returning to the area ahead of any move.

We will accept any posting or quartering address as a 'home' address in the absence of any actual home address.

Families in the process of moving to Birmingham from another local authority in England

If you cannot provide any of the proof listed above for a Birmingham address, you must apply for a place through the local authority you currently pay your council tax to.

This does not prevent you from applying for a place at any Birmingham school via your own local authority's Common Application Form, as transfers are coordinated between local authorities.

Families in the process of moving to Birmingham from outside England

If you cannot provide any proof listed above for a Birmingham address, we will accept an application from your current address.

This is only if it is located outside of England (as opposed to outside of Birmingham). We may ask you to provide proof of the address where you currently reside.

Important notice

We expect you to provide complete and accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If any of the information provided is found to be false or deliberately misleading (including missing information), then an offence may have been committed - for example, offences created by the Fraud Act 2006.

If a school place is allocated based on a fraudulent address, that place may be withdrawn.

Further proof of address may be requested by the School Admissions and Fair Access Service at any point, and an unannounced home visit may take place.


Page last updated: 26 March 2024

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