The key dates in education that UK parents need to know in 2025 - from results days to application deadlines

• English and Welsh parents will need to start the year off picking out primary school options, with the deadline fast approaching
• Students aiming to head off to university wanting equal consideration will also need to get their applications in this month
• As usual, secondary school exam periods and results days will vary across the UK’s four different countries
• The university Clearing process will open a whole month before students start getting their A Level or Higher results

The new year is here, and 2025 is set to be a big one for the UK’s education sector.

An expert panel is currently carrying out a review of England’s entire National Curriculum which could see sweeping changes to what children learn at school and how it is assessed, with its recommendations due in autumn 2025. A new bill now making its way through Parliament aimed at better protecting children in the education system could also bring big changes for schools and home-schooling families alike.

Scotland could see the SQA replaced with an entirely new qualifications body. In Northern Ireland, members of three of the country’s largest teaching unions recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

But just as importantly, 2025 will see a continuation of the old. New cohorts of pupils will sit their SATs, GCSEs, A Levels, Nationals or Highers. They will start at new primary or secondary schools (which their parents have usually had to apply for well in advance), or even apply to university - perhaps even making their way through the Clearing process.

So what are the dates parents across the UK need to be aware of in 2025? Here are some of the most important that we know so far:

Key dates for primary and secondary school pupils in 2025

January

• 15 January: Primary school application deadline for September 2025 (England and Wales)
• 24 January: Primary school application deadline for September 2025 (Northern Ireland)
• 29 January: University application deadline for equal consideration

February

• 20 February: Secondary school application deadline for September 2025 (Northern Ireland)
• 26 February: Extra university application opens for prospective students without any offers

March

• March TBC: Student finance applications open for students starting university in September
• 3 March: Parents will find out which secondary schools have offered their child a place (England and Wales)

April

• April TBC: Parents will find out which primary schools have offered their child a place (Scotland)
• 9 April: Parents will find out which primary schools have offered their child a place (Northern Ireland)
• 16 April: Parents will find out which primary schools have offered their child a place (England and Wales)
• 28 April: Scottish National and Higher exam period begins

May

• 5 May: GCSE summer exam season begins (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• 10 May: Parents will find out which secondary schools have offered their child a place (Northern Ireland)
• 12 May: A Level summer exam season begins (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• 12-15 May: Primary school SAT exams
• 30 May: Scottish National and Higher exam period ends
• 31 May: Deadline for student finance applications, to ensure funding by September

June

• 4 June: Deadline for accepting conditional university offers
• 20 June: GCSE summer exam season ends (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• 24 June: A Level summer exam season ends (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• 30 June: Last day to add extra choice to university applications

July

• 5 July: University Clearing process opens

August

• 5 August: Scottish Qualifications Authority Results Day
• 13 August: The 2025/26 school year begins (Scotland)
• 14 August: A Level Results Day (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• 21 August: GCSE Results Day (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

September

• 1 September: The new 2025/26 school year begins - and the summer holidays end (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

October

• October TBC: University applications close for Oxford and Cambridge, plus most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses for 2026 (this is typically around the middle of the month)
• October TBC: Performance data for English schools in the 2024/25 school year is usually published late October (it was delayed until December in 2024, however)
• October TBC: Secondary school application deadline for September 2026 for English and Welsh parents (this is typically around the end of the month)

November

• November TBC: Primary school registration for August 2026 for Scottish parents (for those councils that require parents to pre-register, the deadline for this is typically early to mid-November each year)
• November TBC: Scottish parents of primary school leavers will be notified about transferring to a local secondary school by their council

We’ve also written guides on term and school holiday dates for 2025. You can find England’s one here, Northern Ireland’s one here, and Scotland’s one here. These can vary a little based on factors like local authority area, so it’s also worth checking with your child’s school directly.