Desk research against primary sources, with the issuing authority linked where a page states an official fee, rule or deadline.
Waiting lists at the top-rated British and IB schools do not refill evenly across the year — the seats mostly move at one point, so arriving even a few weeks after the list has formed can cost a full academic year rather than a short delay. Applying from abroad avoids that entirely, since the school only needs a passport copy to open the file and start counting your place from the date you applied, not the date you land.
Mid-tier and rolling-admission schools behave differently: a place can still open partway into the year, so don't rule a school out just because the intake has technically started. What decides where you fall on that spectrum is less the school's reputation and more its specific year group — a single year can be full while the one either side of it still has room.
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