A&T – Citizens can now submit late applications through the Citizen Portal (3.89)
Description
The Admissions Citizen Portal has been updated to allow citizens to submit late school applications online. This feature enables the portal to remain open for specific transfer groups after the standard closing date has passed. To do this, the Enable Late Applications Online flag must be active in the back office.
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Administrators can configure the informational message displayed to users during the late application window. This is managed in Citizen Portal | Administration | Edit Site Texts for the Admissions component. Default English and Welsh templates are provided and can be updated to include specific end dates and times.
The system now supports the automated transfer of late school applications from the Citizen Portal to the Admissions and Transfers (A&T) Back Office. This includes the integration of late application data into the existing Incoming Students and Incoming Applications processing workflows. This automation replaces manual data entry. It ensures that late applications are managed with the same rigour and visibility as standard on-time applications.
A new automated email notification system has been implemented to provide parents and carers with a Late Application Submission Confirmation upon submitting a school application after the standard closing date. This includes a new email skeleton and a configurable online text field for the message body. This ensures parents receive immediate feedback that their late application has been received and recorded by the Local Authority. It maintains consistency with the standard application process.
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The Portal has been updated to ensure that Phase Transfer groups and application management actions (Continue application and Change application) remain accessible during the late application window. This is regardless of the offer publication date. Additionally, the application status logic has been refined to display Submitted instead of Place Offered for late applications when the late window closing date falls after the publication date.
The Portal has also been updated to dynamically display late application deadlines across key user interfaces. When the Enable Late Applications Online window is active, the system displays the specific late application end date and time on the following:
- Preference selection
On the Your Preferred Schools page, users see the late application end date and time instead of the standard closing date. - Modifying applications
When choosing to change an existing application, the Confirm you wish to change your existing application page displays the late deadline. - Final submission
The final submission and Submit Successfully confirmation pages explicitly state the late application end date and time within the informational text.
For example, where the Late Application Closing Date is 15/03/2026 00.00:
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