Nursery and Reception enrolment opens for 2026/2027 school year

The Department of Education has opened the application window for Nursery and Reception enrolments for the 2026/2027 academic year, with all applications to be completed online via www.education.gov.gi.

Parents and carers who are ordinarily resident in Gibraltar can register children due to start Nursery and those due to start Reception in September 2026.

Nursery enrolments are open to children born between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023.

Reception enrolments are open to children born between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2022 who are not currently attending a Government Nursery. Children already attending a Government Nursery do not need to re-enrol.

Parents and carers are asked to register their children as soon as possible by completing the online enrolment form available on the Department of Education’s website.

As part of the electronic application, parents and carers must upload a long version of the child’s birth certificate, evidence of residence in Gibraltar such as an ID card or Permit of Residence, and a recent local water and electricity bill.

Once the form and documents have been submitted, the enrolment team at the Department of Education will process the application and will then contact parents and carers to confirm their child’s catchment school allocation.

Anyone wishing to request an alternative school to their allocated catchment school will be able to apply for a transfer at that stage.

The closing date for enrolments is Friday March 20, 2026. Applications submitted after the deadline may still be considered, but the Department of Education warns it may not be able to offer a place within the relevant catchment area.

The Department of Education will carefully scrutinise all applications for eligibility, especially in relation to residency. This scrutiny will also apply to pupils already at school who, if found not to be entitled to education in Gibraltar, will be advised to make alternative arrangements from the end of the current academic year.

Catchment areas are actively reviewed with each new enrolment cycle to ensure they remain as geographically appropriate as possible and to support balanced pupil to staff ratios across schools.

A Geographic Information System is used to help manage catchment areas in a more dynamic way and to respond to changes in the community’s demographic.

Any issues or queries regarding the enrolment process should be emailed to enrolments.edu@gibraltar.gov.gi. Further assistance is available by calling the Department of Education on 20077486 or by attending the counter at 23 Queensway.