Guidance

Academy conversion: important dates

Deadlines for schools converting to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 3 September 2015
• Last updated: 8 May 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 8 May 2026

     Added key dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 July and 1 December 2026. Removed dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 January and 1 May 2026, as those dates have now passed.

  2. 4 December 2025

     Removed dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 October and 1 December 2025 as those dates have now passed.

  3. 16 October 2025

     Added key dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 January and 1 June 2026. Removed dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 June and 1 September 2025, as those dates have now passed.

  4. 16 May 2025

     Added key dates for schools converting to academy status between 1 August and 1 December 2025. Removed dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 March, 1 April and 1 May 2025, as those dates have now passed.

  5. 5 February 2025

     Added key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 May, 1 June and 1 July 2025. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 November and 1 December 2024 and 1 January and 1 February 2025, as those dates have now passed.

  6. 15 October 2024

     Added key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 January, 1 February, 1 March and 1 April 2025. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 August, 1 September and 1 October 2024, as those dates have now passed.

  7. 12 July 2024

     Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 2024. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 April, 1 May, 1 June and 1 July 2024, as those dates have now passed.

  8. 21 March 2024

     Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 July, 1 August and 1 September 2024. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 January, 1 February and 1 March 2024 as those dates have now passed.

  9. 3 October 2023

     Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 February 2024.

  10. 2 October 2023

      Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 December 2023 and 1 January, 1 March, 1 April, 1 May and 1 June 2024. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 June, 1 July, 1 August, 1 September, 1 October 2023 as the dates have now passed.

  11. 5 May 2023

      Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 September, 1 October and 1 November 2023. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 February, 1 March, 1 April and 1 May 2023, as those dates have now passed.

  12. 13 January 2023

      Added the key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 June, 1 July and 1 August 2023. Removed the dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 January 2023, as the dates have now passed.

  13. 14 December 2022

      Added attachments for schools converting to academy status on 1 April and 1 May 2023. Removed expired documents for November and December 2022.

  14. 29 September 2022

      Added attachments for schools converting to academy status on 1 January, 1 February and 1 March 2023. Removed expired documents for August, September and October 2022.

  15. 5 July 2022

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 November and 1 December 2022 and removed expired documents for May, June and July 2022.

  16. 7 April 2022

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 September and 1 October 2022 and removed expired documents for March and April 2022.

  17. 16 February 2022

      Updated documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 May, 1 June and 1 July 2022 and added document for 1 August. Removed expired document for February 2022.

  18. 7 January 2022

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 May, 1 June, 1 July 2022 and removed expired documents for November and December 2021 and January 2022.

  19. 12 October 2021

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 January, 1 February, 1 March, 1 April 2022 and removed expired documents.

  20. 2 August 2021

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 2021. Removed expired documents for February, March and April 2021.

  21. 22 January 2021

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 May, 1 June, 1 July, 1 August, 1 September 2021 and removed expired documents for October, November, December 2020 and January 2021.

  22. 15 September 2020

      Added key dates for schools converting to academy status on 1 January, 1 February, 1 March, 1 April 2020.

  23. 2 June 2020

      Added October, November and December dates and removed March, April and May.

  24. 28 January 2020

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 July, 1 August and 1 September 2020 and removed expired documents for November 2019 to February 2020.

  25. 22 October 2019

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 March, 1 April, 1 May and 1 June 2020, removed expired documents for September and October 2019, and displayed documents in reverse chronological order.

  26. 7 October 2019

      Added documents for schools converting to academy status on 1 January and 1 February 2020, removed expired documents for June, July and August 2019, and displayed documents in reverse chronological order.

  27. 15 April 2019

      Added important dates for schools converting to academy status in September, October, November and December 2019.

  28. 7 January 2019

      Added 5 timeline documents for 2019.

  29. 30 July 2018

      Updated documents 'Important dates for schools converting to academy status' dated 1 September 2018 to 1 March 2019. Removed documents dated 1 July 2018 and 1 August 2018.

  30. 13 June 2018

      Added updated set of dates for academy conversion and removed old dates.

  31. 18 December 2017

      Added dates for April to September 2018 academy conversions.

  32. 19 June 2017

      Added important dates from October 2017 through to March 2018. Removed outdated April to June 2017 information.

  33. 1 March 2017

      Updated documents for schools converting to academies between April 2017 and June 2017. Added new documents for schools converting between July 2017 and September 2017.

  34. 20 May 2016

      Added January to June 2017 timelines; removed outdated April and May 2016 timelines.

  35. 15 March 2016

      Added important dates guidance for schools wanting to open as an academy in September, October, November or December.

  36. 12 January 2016

      Added the dates for schools converting on 1 May, June, July and August 2016. Removed the December 2015 and January 2016 documents.

  37. 5 November 2015

      Removed November 2015 document.

  38. 2 October 2015

      Removed October 2015 document.

  39. 28 September 2015

      Added the dates for schools converting on 1 January, February, March and April 2016.

  40. 3 September 2015

      Added the dates for schools converting on 1 December 2015.

  41. 3 September 2015

      First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Important dates for schools converting to academy status

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Details

This guidance sets out the deadlines for schools wanting to open as an academy in a chosen month.

Guidance for schools converting to academy status is also available.