On Wednesday 4 February 2026, we held a webinar to help schools understand the recent Office of the Schools Adjudicator ruling on sixth form admissions and what it means for their application processes.
The session attracted strong attendance from Applicaa schools across England, all seeking clarity on how to ensure their sixth form admissions comply with the School Admissions Code.
What we covered
The OSA ruling
On 12 January 2026, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator issued a determination (ADA4408/ADA4425) regarding sixth form admissions at two Camden schools. The ruling found that certain information was being collected through application forms that should only be gathered after offers are made.
While the ruling specifically addressed two schools, it clarified long-standing School Admissions Code requirements that apply to all school sixth forms in England.
Three-stage framework
We recommended structuring sixth form admissions into three clear phases:
Stage 1 - Application (pre-decision)
- Eligibility checking only
- Application form treated as Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
Stage 2 - Provisional/conditional offers
- Still treated as part of admissions process
- Same data restrictions apply as Stage 1
Stage 3 - Enrolment (post-results, firm place)
- Medical, SEN, welfare, census, and operational data may be collected
- This is when you gather information for pastoral care and support
What you cannot collect at application stage
The webinar clarified that schools must not request:
- Medical conditions or disability information
- EHCP or SEN status
- Safeguarding or welfare information
- Ethnicity or religion (unless part of oversubscription criteria)
- Personal statements, hobbies, interests, or career aspirations
- Preference ranking between institutions
- Information about attendance or behaviour
- Photographs (except for selection test identity verification)
- Nationality or residency details
What you can collect at application stage
- Name, date of birth, address, contact details
- Current school and academic information
- Course choices
- Predicted grades (to confirm eligibility only)
- Information needed to apply your oversubscription criteria (e.g., LAC/PLAC status, sibling information, distance)
- Access needs for reasonable adjustments at events (handled separately from admissions decisions)
Questions schools asked
The Q&A session covered a wide range of practical concerns, including:
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EHCP & SEN: How to collect access needs information without breaching the Code, and what to do about planning for SEN support when you can't ask in advance
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Medical & accessibility: When and how to collect medical information for events and duty of care
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Predicted grades: Confirming that predicted grades can be used for eligibility checking but not for ranking applicants
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Oversubscription: What to do when you have more eligible applicants than places, and what can and cannot be used as oversubscription criteria
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Parent information: What contact details can be collected and when
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Personal statements: Why these cannot be on application forms but can be discussed in guidance meetings
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FSM & Pupil Premium: When you can ask about eligibility (only if it's in your oversubscription criteria)
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References: What information can and cannot be included in academic references
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Photos & biometrics: When these can be collected (only at/after enrolment)
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Timing: Confirming there's no grace period - schools should act immediately
For detailed answers to these questions, including suggested compliant wording, download our full Q&A document.
What Applicaa is doing
We're implementing the following changes to help schools maintain compliance:
Removing preference ranking visibility - This will be removed from the student profile, but data will still be available for filtering and in student tables for timetabling planning purposes.
Core questions in Form Templates updated - Questions that should only be collected post-enrolment have been removed from the application stage to ensure future forms are compliant.
Important: Your existing forms will not be updated automatically by Applicaa and must be reviewed and amended by you.
Building compliance alerts - Coming soon: system flags to warn when questions may breach the Code.
What schools should do now
- Review your current application forms against the guidance from the webinar
- Update your forms - remove prohibited questions and move them to your enrolment stage
- Review your references - ensure they only request predicted grades and subjects studied
- Check your published admissions arrangements - ensure oversubscription criteria are compliant
- Train your team - make sure everyone understands what can and cannot be discussed in meetings with applicants
Remember: Your existing forms will not be automatically updated. You must review and amend them yourself to ensure compliance.
Resources
Download the presentation slides
Read our detailed Q&A document
Need Help?
If you have questions about your Applicaa setup, contact our team via Live Chat.
For compliance questions specific to your school's circumstances, we recommend reviewing the School Admissions Code or seeking advice from your legal team or local authority.
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