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School admissions in the UK – childcare hours, starting school and university fees for newcomers

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Free childcare hours, a school place and, later, university fees all follow UK rules that differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here is how school admissions work when you arrive, what your visa means for childcare help, and what changed in 2026.

Smiling teacher hugged by a group of children in a colourful classroom
Photo: Jess B/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock

If your children move with you, 2026 brings changes. From the 2026/27 school year, every child in England whose household gets Universal Credit qualifies for free school meals, and since September 2026 schools in England may require at most three branded uniform items for primary pupils and four for secondary. School admissions in England go through your local council, while childcare offers and school starting ages differ between the UK's four nations.

How many free childcare hours can you get in the UK?

In England, every three- and four-year-old gets free hours from the term after the third birthday until reception, whatever the parents' work or immigration status. Working parents can get more. Tax-Free Childcare works UK-wide.

SchemeWhat you getWho qualifies
Universal hours (England)570 hours a year, usually 15 hours a week for 38 weeksAll 3- and 4-year-olds
Working parents (England)30 hours a week for 38 weeksAges 9 months to 4 years; each parent (21+) expects to earn at least £2,643.68 over the next 3 months, and neither over £100,000
Extra support (England)15 hours a week for 2-year-oldsSuch as Universal Credit households with income of £15,400 a year or less after tax
Tax-Free Childcare (UK-wide)£2 added for every £8 you pay, up to £500 per child every 3 monthsChildren aged 11 or under (16 if disabled)

Source: Department for Education and the government's Tax-Free Childcare guidance, read 23 September 2026.

You can apply for the 30 hours from when your child is 23 weeks old, and must reconfirm every 3 months. Providers may charge for meals or trips, but not as a condition of the funded place.

What your visa means for childcare help

For the 30 hours and Tax-Free Childcare, both parents need a National Insurance number, and the applicant must be British or Irish, have settled or pre-settled status (or a pending EU Settlement Scheme application), or have permission to access public funds. Most work, study and family visas carry an NRPF (no recourse to public funds) condition, so a visa holder usually cannot apply.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland gives all three- to five-year-olds up to 1,140 hours a year of free early learning and childcare, about 30 hours a week in term time. Wales's Childcare Offer gives working parents of three- and four-year-olds up to 30 hours a week for up to 48 weeks a year, if each earns no more than £100,000. Northern Ireland funds a free pre-school place in the year before primary school, applied for through the Education Authority.

When do children start school in the UK?

In England, most children start reception full-time in the September after their fourth birthday, and school becomes compulsory on 31 December, 31 March or 31 August after the fifth birthday, whichever comes first. Every child aged 5 to 16 is entitled to a free state school place.

AgeYear groupStage (England)
4–5ReceptionEarly Years Foundation Stage
5–7Years 1–2Key Stage 1
7–11Years 3–6Key Stage 2
11–14Years 7–9Key Stage 3
14–16Years 10–11Key Stage 4 – most pupils take GCSEs

Source: Department for Education (national curriculum), read 23 September 2026.

Pupils in England may leave school at 16 but must stay in education or training, such as an apprenticeship, until 18. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own leaving rules.

Scottish children usually start primary school in August, aged between 4½ and 5½, and a child still four on the start date can defer by a year, with an extra year of funded childcare. In Northern Ireland, primary school runs from age 4 to 11; Primary One applications for September 2026 closed on 21 January 2026.

How do school admissions work when you move to the UK?

In England, you apply for a state school place through the council where you are going to live, even from abroad; it may ask for proof of your new address and that you will live there before term starts. Arriving mid-year, you make an in-year application.

ApplicationDeadline or ruleWhat happens next
Primary school, normal roundOpens in September, closes 15 JanuaryOffers on 16 April, or the next working day
Secondary school, normal roundApply by 31 OctoberOffers on 1 March, or the next working day
In-year applicationThrough the council, when you arriveYour child usually starts at the beginning of the following term
AppealAt least 20 school days to appealHeard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline

Source: Department for Education, read 23 September 2026.

If none of your preferred schools has space, the council must offer a place elsewhere. Reception, year 1 and year 2 classes are limited to 30 pupils.

State-funded schools in England must not check immigration status or ask for passports as a condition of admission, or refuse a child because of nationality or status; checking your child's right to study is your job. Children of settled parents or of work or student visa holders can attend, as can refugee and asylum-seeking children. Children on a visit or a Short-term Study visa may not enrol at a state school, and EEA and Swiss newcomers without EU Settlement Scheme status are treated like other foreign nationals.

What does school cost – meals, breakfast clubs and private schools?

State school is free, but extras add up. In England, pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 at government-funded schools get free school meals, and from 2026/27 so does every child in a Universal Credit household – before, only if income was £7,400 a year or less. Families with NRPF may still qualify, so ask the school or council. Over 1,400 more state primaries were launching free breakfast clubs in autumn 2026, taking the total past 2,700.

Private (independent) schools charge fees, need not follow the national curriculum, and are registered and inspected; since 1 January 2025 their fees carry VAT at 20 per cent. A child coming to the UK only to study needs a Child Student visa: ages 4 to 17, an unconditional offer from an independent school, £558 plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.

What do university fees and student finance cost in the UK?

Universities set their own tuition fees. For student finance in England as a home student, UK and Irish nationals and people with settled status need a home in England and three years' continuous residence in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before the course starts – which can catch out returning British families. Others, including people with pre-settled status and refugees, use the student finance checker.

ItemAmountApplies to
Tuition Fee Loan, full-timeUp to £9,790Students from England, 2026/27
Maintenance LoanUp to £9,118 living with parents, £10,830 away from home, £14,135 in LondonStudents from England, 2026/27
Lifelong Learning EntitlementTuition Fee Loans of up to £39,160 in total, around 4 years of studyCourses starting on or after 1 January 2027
Student visa living funds£1,529 a month in London, £1,171 elsewhere, for up to 9 monthsUntil 30 November 2026; from then £1,570 and £1,203

Source: Department for Education and UKVI, read 23 September 2026.

International students also pay the £558 Student visa fee and £776 a year in Immigration Health Surcharge. After a UK degree, the Graduate visa lasts two years if you apply by 31 December 2026 and 18 months from 1 January 2027 (three years after a PhD). UK ENIC compares foreign qualifications for £69.60.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Check which childcare scheme fits your nation and visaBefore choosing a nursery
2Apply for the 30 hours if you qualifyBy 31 December, 31 March or 31 August
3Contact the council about a school placeAs soon as you have an address
4Apply in the normal round for the next school yearBy 31 October (secondary) or 15 January (primary)
5Ask about free school meals, even with NRPFWhen the place is confirmed
6Run the student finance checker or plan visa fundsWell before the course

Source: Department for Education, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.