Primary School ADMISSIONS HANDBOOK

Primary Admissions 2019 2020 Contents Glossary 3 Pupil Referral Unit 13 Apply Online 4 School milk 13 Who is responsible for admissions 5 School dress 13 in Derby’s primary schools? Access to school records 13 When children have to start school 5 Child Health Department 13 Admission limit 5 School governors 14 Changing schools during school year 6 Annual school prospectus 14 Starting school 7 Admission policies for Community 15 Applying for a school place 7 Schools and Voluntary Controlled schools Summer Born Children 8 Admission Policies in Derby 15 Schools outside Derby 8 Admissions Authority schools Out-of-city children 8 Community schools 16-25 Transfer to junior school 8 Map of schools in Derby 34-35 Closing date for applications 8 Voluntary-controlled/ Academy/ 26-61 Change of address 9 Foundation/ Trust/ Free/ Admission criteria 10 Voluntary aided Schools Transfer between nursery, infant and 10 Special schools 62 junior school Nursery schools 62 Appeals 11 Nursery entitlement 64 How do I appeal? 11 Useful contacts 66 Transport 12 Term Dates 67 Other information 13 Attending school 13 Please note: If a child has special educational needs or disabilities you may find the free booklet ‘Which Primary School for my Child?’ helpful. If a child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), this Primary Admissions Handbook is not relevant because the admission arrangements are different. We can send you a booklet called ‘Which School for my Child?’ which explains the special arrangements for these children. To get a copy, contact the council on 01332 641414 or email [email protected] 2 Primary Admissions Handbook 2019/20 Glossary “All-Through” Schools serve nursery, primary Private and voluntary sector nursery providers and secondary age children. The Governors are provide educational settings that are not maintained responsible for all admissions. Bemrose School is by the Council. They include nurseries, playgroups, an All Through Trust School. private or independent schools, kindergartens and childminders. Academies are all ability schools established by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups The catchment area is a defined geographical area, working in partnership with central Government. which the school serves. If your child lives in the Governors are responsible for all admissions. normal area of a school at the time of application and at the closing date and you request a place Community and voluntary-controlled schools there, you will have priority over other children when are managed by the head teacher and governors in the applications for admissions are considered. If partnership with Derby City Council, which arranges you want to know which catchment area you live in, admissions to these schools. contact the Admissions Team on 01332 642725. Voluntary aided schools are jointly supported by The curriculum is the range of learning the Church Diocesan Boards and Derby City Council. opportunities provided by the school including the The governors employ all the staff and manage their subjects studied and activities inside and outside the admissions. classroom such as extra curricular clubs, educational visits and field studies. Foundation schools are maintained by the local authority, but the governors are responsible for all We use the word parent throughout this booklet. It admissions. means anyone who has legal responsibility for, or care of, a child. Free schools are all-ability state-funded schools set up in response to parental demand. Independent Appeal Panels are set up to hear any appeals against a refusal to offer a place at a Trust schools are maintained schools owned by school. The panels are completely independent of the a trust, where the governors are responsible for all school and the Council. Their decision is binding on admissions. everyone. All of the above schools are called ‘mainstream Where to go for more information schools’. For general enquiries contact: Derby City Council, People Services Directorate, The Council House, Corporation Street, Derby DE1 2FS Special schools are attended by children with a Tel: 01332 293111 Web: www.derby.gov.uk Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Special schools For admission enquiries contact 01332 642730 or provide for pupils whose degree of disability requires email [email protected] a more comprehensive specialist approach than a mainstream school or enhanced resource school can Church of England Schools in Derby provide. The Council is the admissions authority for all The Derby Diocesan Board of Education, Church special schools. House, Full Street, Derby DE1 3DR Tel: 01332 388660 Enhanced Resource Schools are mainstream schools with additional resources for children with Catholic Schools in Derby Statements of Special Educational Needs or EHCP The Education Service, The Diocesan Centre, where there is more specialist support and staff. Mornington Crescent, Mackworth, Pupils are not generally taught separately and are Derby DE22 4BD Tel: 01332 293833 included in the mainstream classes. Primary Admissions Handbook 2019/20 3 Apply Online If your child is due to start primary or infant school for the first time or is transferring from an infant school to a junior school in September 2019, you will have to apply for a school place. Paper application forms are available but many parents and carers find it easier and quicker to apply electronically using the online facility. Advantages of applying online include... • It is quick and easy to do. • You will get an email confirmation that your application has been received. • The system helps you by checking for errors. • There is no risk that your application will get lost in the post. • The system has security procedures that will prevent anyone seeing information they are not entitled to see. • Available 24 hours a day seven days a week up until the closing date of 15 January 2019. • On National Offer Day - 16 April 2019 - you can log into your account and see which school you have been offered. Paper applications will have to wait for a letter. Username: Password: To apply online visit www.derby.gov.uk/primary 4 Primary Admissions Handbook 2019/20 There are eight types of primary school in Derby: - this is the start of the term after their fifth birthday. ■ Academies It is parents’ responsibility to establish which is the ■ Community Schools catchment area school for their child and whether ■ Free Schools any travel assistance is available before applying for ■ Voluntary Controlled Schools a place at that school. It is also parents’ responsibility ■ Voluntary Aided Schools, sometimes called to know which council’s area they live in. ‘faith’ or ‘denominational’ schools ■ Foundation Schools All the Council’s primary schools offer children places ■ Special Schools in reception classes before they reach compulsory ■ Trust Schools. school age. You can delay your child’s start at school until later than the school’s normal admission date, For all Derby’s Community Schools and Voluntary but you must take the place up within the same Controlled Schools, Derby City Council is the school year - September to July - in which it is offered. admissions authority and is responsible for deciding the admission arrangements for children at these It is important that you apply for a place at the schools. The head teacher and school governors school or schools you would like your child to attend. follow the Council’s arrangements. You have a legal right to do this as a parent. The admission authorities must meet your application For Voluntary Aided, Academies, Trust, Free and wherever possible - as long as this doesn’t make Foundation Schools the school governors are the the school overcrowded. See Admission limit. If admissions authority. your religious beliefs or convictions inﬂuence your choice of school, you should mention this in your Special Schools only admit pupils with Statements application. of Special Educational Needs or EHCP, and the admissions for these schools are covered by Admission limit separate arrangements. Each school has a limit to the number of pupils it can admit to the first year in the school - this is known as See the free booklet ‘Which School for my Child?’ the ‘intake year’. We show each school’s admission that explains the special arrangements for these limit at the back of this booklet - see pages 16 - 61. children. To get a copy, contact the Council on 01332 This limit is based on the amount of space available 641414. in the school and on past admissions. Once the admission limit is reached, the admissions authority The admissions authority decides on things such as: cannot offer any more places, even to children who ■ which area a school should normally serve - this have moved into the school’s catchment area. This is ‘the catchment area’ - so the school serving limit covers admissions for the whole school year. the area is called ‘the catchment area school’ In years other than the intake year, the admissions ■ the admissions criteria - the things the authority authority may be able to admit pupils above the takes into account when deciding which children admission limit if they choose. They must take into to admit to their school if the applications go over account the school’s physical capacity and must the school’s admission limit how parents can keep infant class sizes to no more than 30 children. appeal against a decision not to offer a place at their preferred school. When children have to start school This section does not apply to children born on or after 1 September 2015. For information on education for these children contact Childcare and Families Information Service on 01332 640758. If your child was born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015, you should apply for a school place, even if your child already attends a nursery class attached to an infant or primary school.

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