diff --git a/e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts b/e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts
index ab4ce8f..f290eae 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts
@@ -438,6 +438,18 @@ test('compare chart on mobile shows school chips with tap-to-focus', async ({ pa
   await expect(chips.first()).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'false');
 });
 
+test('admissions guide renders its key milestones', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Static content page — assert the guide loads and the load-bearing
+  // milestones parents rely on are present (dates are statutory, so these
+  // strings are stable invariants, not data-refresh-sensitive).
+  await page.goto('/admissions');
+  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: /School Admissions Guide/i })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: /Primary school admissions/i })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: /Secondary school admissions/i })).toBeVisible();
+  // National Offer Day is the milestone the whole guide builds toward.
+  await expect(page.getByText(/National Offer Day/i).first()).toBeVisible();
+});
+
 test('rankings page loads a populated table', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/rankings');
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: /rankings/i }).first()).toBeVisible();
diff --git a/nextjs-app/components/AdmissionsView.tsx b/nextjs-app/components/AdmissionsView.tsx
index 73b14c0..b3d8264 100644
--- a/nextjs-app/components/AdmissionsView.tsx
+++ b/nextjs-app/components/AdmissionsView.tsx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ interface Step {
 const SECONDARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
   {
     title: 'Check entry criteria',
-    body: 'Look at each school\'s admissions policy — catchment areas, faith criteria, sibling priority, and aptitude tests vary widely.',
+    body: 'Look at each school\'s admissions policy — catchment areas, faith criteria, sibling priority, and aptitude tests vary widely. Two deadlines catch parents out: grammar and other selective schools need separate entrance-test registration months earlier (often by September), and faith schools often want a supplementary information form sent directly to the school alongside the council application.',
     tool: { label: 'Find schools & view their admissions history', href: '/' },
   },
   {
@@ -73,14 +73,14 @@ const SECONDARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
   {
     date: '31 October',
     title: 'Application deadline',
-    body: 'Submit your ranked list of up to six schools. Councils treat all preferences equally — list schools in the genuine order you want them, not strategically.',
+    body: 'Submit your ranked list of schools — most councils allow three to six preferences (London boroughs typically six). Councils treat all preferences equally, so list schools in the genuine order you want them, not strategically.',
     highlight: 'deadline',
     tool: { label: 'Compare performance to order your preferences', href: '/rankings' },
   },
   {
     date: '1 March',
     title: 'National Offer Day',
-    body: 'Results are published online, usually from 12:01 am. You\'ll receive an email or letter with your allocated school.',
+    body: 'Your allocated school appears on the council\'s online admissions portal and is sent by email. Release times are set by each council — often from late afternoon, though some publish overnight — so check your council\'s page rather than refreshing at midnight.',
     highlight: 'offer',
     tool: { label: 'Look up your allocated school', href: '/' },
   },
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ const SECONDARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
 const PRIMARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
   {
     title: 'Research entry criteria',
-    body: 'Faith schools, language units, and distance-based catchments differ by school. Start by reading each school\'s admissions policy on their website or the council\'s website.',
+    body: 'Faith schools, language units, and distance-based catchments differ by school. Start by reading each school\'s admissions policy — and note that faith schools often require a supplementary information form sent directly to the school, in addition to the council application.',
     tool: { label: 'Find schools & view their admissions history', href: '/' },
   },
   {
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ interface Tip {
 const TIPS: Tip[] = [
   {
     heading: 'Equal preference rule',
-    body: 'Councils rank offers by your eligibility for each school, not by the order you listed them. You cannot game the system — put schools in the order you actually want them.',
+    body: 'Councils consider every school you list before making any offer, then give you the highest-ranked one you qualify for. Your order only decides which qualifying school you get — you can\'t game it, so list schools in the order you genuinely want them.',
   },
   {
     heading: 'Late applications go to the back',
diff --git a/nextjs-app/components/RankingsView.tsx b/nextjs-app/components/RankingsView.tsx
index 0c4a618..dbf7949 100644
--- a/nextjs-app/components/RankingsView.tsx
+++ b/nextjs-app/components/RankingsView.tsx
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ export function RankingsView({
       <header className={styles.header}>
         <h1>School Rankings</h1>
         <p className={styles.subtitle}>
-          Top-performing schools by {metricLabel.toLowerCase()}
+          Schools ranked by {metricLabel.toLowerCase()}
           {!selectedArea && rankings.length > 0 && <span className={styles.limitNote}> — showing top {rankings.length}</span>}
         </p>
       </header>
@@ -143,7 +143,10 @@ export function RankingsView({
         <p className={styles.metricDescription}>{currentMetricDef.description}</p>
       )}
       {isProgressScore && (
-        <p className={styles.progressHint}>Progress scores: 0 = national average. Positive = above average.</p>
+        <p className={styles.progressHint}>
+          Progress scores: 0 = national average. Positive = above average.
+          {isPrimary && ' KS2 progress isn’t published for 2023/24 or 2024/25 (there’s no key stage 1 baseline) — pick an earlier year to rank by it.'}
+        </p>
       )}
 
       {/* Filters */}
@@ -218,7 +221,11 @@ export function RankingsView({
         {rankings.length === 0 ? (
           <EmptyState
             title="No rankings found"
-            message="Try selecting a different metric, area, or year."
+            message={
+              isPrimary && isProgressScore
+                ? 'KS2 progress scores aren’t published for the most recent years (2023/24 and 2024/25) because there’s no key stage 1 baseline. Select an earlier year to see progress rankings.'
+                : 'Try selecting a different metric, area, or year.'
+            }
             action={{
               label: 'Clear filters',
               onClick: () => router.push(`${pathname}?phase=${selectedPhase}`),