Enrolment Day is Thursday 20 August 2026. It is the busiest, highest-stakes day in the admissions calendar, and the schools that sail through it tend to have one thing in common: they started early. The good news is that getting ready is more straightforward than ever this year, and there is still plenty of time to get ahead.
Here is what has changed for 2026, the setup worth doing now, the training still open to you, and a two-minute job that makes sure you never miss an update.
What's new this year
Three changes remove friction from results day, plus a safety net for the day itself.
- The embargo window has been removed. All applicants can log in from 8:00am on results day, unless your school chooses to direct them differently. One less thing to manage, and a smoother start for students.
- Bulk pre-enrolment. Process every internal student who meets your requirements in a single action, and automatically release their enrolment offers on results day. What used to take hours of clicking now takes moments.
- DfE Education Record integration. Students can connect their DfE Record to Admissions+, so their achieved grades pull through automatically - less manual entry, fewer errors, and faster enrolment.
- The Enrolment App, your contingency plan. An on-premise app that works completely offline and picks up right where you left off, should there be any issue with system performance or your school's internet connection on the day. We will release this year's version by the end of June.
Work through your Enrolment Navigator now
Your Enrolment Navigator walks you through setup step by step. The steps that shape the day most are 3 to 6, so get those done first.
- Steps 1-2: Welcome and Training. Review the process and book the sessions your team needs.
- Steps 3-4: Student Process and Grade Requirements. Set when the enrolment form opens, and configure grade rules and evidence uploads - these decide what students experience on the day.
- Steps 5-6: Timetable and Classes, and Subject Requirements. Make sure students see the right subjects, combinations and class allocations.
- Step 7: Embargo Settings. Review and extend embargo periods, and update the messages where needed.
- Step 8: Testing (recommended). Walk through the process as a student to catch anything before the day, not during it.
Aim to complete the priority steps over the next few weeks so you have time to review before enrolment opens.
Training and walkthroughs
The fastest way to feel confident is to see the process in action and ask your questions live. Two sessions are still open:
- 18 June and 2 July, 2pm - Group training. A full walkthrough of the enrolment process from start to finish.
- 19 August, 9.30am - Grade import walkthrough. A focused session on importing grades ready for the big day.
Two minutes now
Before anything else, these two quick checks make sure every update reaches the right people in the run-up to the day.
- Add us to your safe sender list. Allow-listing applicaa.com means our emails always reach you rather than landing in spam. This is best done organisation-wide by your IT or network manager.
- Update your key contacts. Check the right people are set as key contacts in the system, so nothing important is missed.
Enrolment Day always goes best for the schools that prepare in good time. Start now, work through your Navigator, and you will walk into 20 August calm, confident and ready.