Primary Admission Information September 2019 Information for parents applying for a school place Apply online at thurrock.gov.uk/admissions Information for parents applying for a primary school place Apply online at thurrock.gov.uk/admissions Foreword Starting primary school is a very important time all aspects of school life which are important to in a child’s life and here in Thurrock Council you and your child, and that you also consider we appreciate what a worrying time this is for how likely it is that your child will be offered a parents. We are determined to make this as place at one of your preferred schools. straightforward and worry free as we can. The information that follows is designed to help you Many primary schools are very popular, with make informed decisions when you come to a large number of applications each year. make an application for a primary school place. Each school has a set number of places and oversubscription or admissions criteria are Our online application facility has proved used to decide who will be offered places. 3 to be very popular and almost 9 out of 10 Whatever your school preferences, I hope you applications are now made this way. The find the process of getting there as smooth as advantages are that it is immediate, you will get possible. automatic confirmation your application has been received and it will remove any risk of an I would like to take this opportunity to wish your application being delayed or lost in the post. child an enjoyable and fruitful time at primary school and every success for the future. Apply online and you will, from 12.30am on the 16 April 2019, be able to check online which Please go online at school place has been allocated. This is nearly thurrock.gov.uk/admissions and two days earlier than offers in response to follow the instructions on screen. paper applications are likely to arrive. Thurrock has a wide range of primary schools Rory Patterson and each is unique just as individual children Corporate Director of Children’s Services are different. It is important that you consider Information for parents applying for a primary school place Apply online at thurrock.gov.uk/admissions Who is this brochure When do I need to you will be able to complete an application, review, amend and for? apply? submit it online. You will also If you have a child who was You need to get your application get an automatic confirmation born between 1 September to us by the closing date of 15 that your application has been 2014 and 31 August 2015, you January 2019. You can apply received. must apply for a school place from Thursday 1 November for September 2019. Even if you 2018. Once you have submitted your do not want your child to start application online, if you make full time schooling until reaching In order to maximise your any changes e.g. change statutory school age in the term chances of being offered one preference order, you must following their fifth birthday you of your preferred schools you re-submit the application. should apply now and defer are strongly advised to get your admission. application in on time. If you change your email address you must notify the Alternatively, if your child was How do I apply? Admissions Team at born between 1 September school.admissions@ The easiest way to apply is 2011 and 31 August 2012 and thurrock.gov.uk is starting year 2 at an infant online. Go to thurrock.gov. school in September 2018, you uk/admissions and follow the must apply for a school place at instructions on screen. If you a Junior school for September do not have internet access at 2019 (Infant to Junior transfer) if home you can still apply online 4 your child is currently attending at your local library or at the an infant school outside council offices in Grays. Thurrock. Once you have a ‘My Account’ Which schools are oversubscribed it is schools for which you are should I apply to? important that you consider most likely to be successful. as many schools as possible You should also try to attend In Thurrock there are when you are thinking about one of the briefings by community and voluntary which schools to apply for. Thurrock Council designed controlled schools, for which to help you through the the council is the admission Our advice is that you should application process. These will authority, as well as schools not base your decisions solely include sessions where you that are their own admission on reputation or what other will be able to put questions authority. These can be either people say about a school or to our admissions staff about voluntary aided, or foundation schools. We recommend that how the process works. in which case the governing you make up your own mind. body of the school determines The two briefing sessions for the admissions arrangements, Schools are usually happy parents will be on: or academies, including to welcome visitors by free schools, in which case arrangement and to show you Thursday 11 October the academy trust is the around and answer questions. 2018 at the Civic Hall, admission authority. When thinking about which Blackshots Lane, Grays, schools to apply for, it is Essex RM16 2JU. The law gives you the right very important that you take First session begins at to state a preference for the into account each school’s 4.00pm – 5.30pm and the school that you want your oversubscription criteria. second session begins at child to attend rather than These describe how offers 7.00pm – 8.30pm. to be given your choice. of places are determined, 5 This is because there will and who gets priority when a Please be aware that a be times when there are school is oversubscribed. number of Thurrock schools more applications than are becoming academies places. When this happens, The number of preferences and that, therefore, the listed oversubscription criteria (often that you can make on your status of these schools in the called admission criteria) are application is limited, and we table in the second half of this used to determine priority for recommend that you include booklet is subject to change. admission. As many schools in your list of preferences Information for parents applying for a primary school place Apply online at thurrock.gov.uk/admissions How do I complete (their principal address) must only be discussed with the the application? be given on the application. person/people named on the This must not be a business, application. We recommend you apply a relative’s or child minder’s online at thurrock.gov.uk/ address. The address will Parent/carer details admissions usually be the address of the The person applying on behalf Each local authority has its parent/s or carer/s. of the child will normally be own application form whether the person with Parental it is electronic or a paper If the parents do not live Responsibility for the child as copy. You must complete together, it should be the defined by the Children Act the application for the local address of the parent with 1989 and amended by the authority in which you live, whom the child spends the Adoption and Children Act regardless of which schools majority of the time and who 2002. you are applying for. If you are receives Child Benefit for the a Thurrock resident and want child, if this is paid. You will be Reasons for preference required to provide proof of to apply for schools outside There is space on the address. We will require you Thurrock you must do so on application for you to give to provide your council tax the Thurrock application. reasons for naming a school reference number which can as a preference and this will be cross referenced with the It is important that the be shared with the relevant address you give. application is fully and school. Whilst admission If you move after completing accurately completed. If there authorities will take this into the application or change are omissions or inaccuracies consideration, this alone would 6 your email address, you your application may be not normally give priority for must inform us so that adversely affected. a place. If you wish to apply correspondence continues under a special criterion, you to reach you. A change of Child’s address must ensure that you comply address may affect your offer The child’s home address, with the requirements for of a place at the school of or address where they live providing supporting evidence. for the majority of the time your choice. As a starting point, applications will Your preferences living in a children’s home, at any child who is not a sibling, You are invited to name up to the time an application for a nor any child who attends a four preferences. You must school is made; and different school to the school name the schools in the order named as a preference. that you prefer them, with Children who have previously your most preferred school been in the care of a local Submitting your application named first. All preferences authority or provided with Please do not submit more are given equal weight and accommodation by a local than one application. schools will not know your authority in accordance with If you apply online, please do order of preference on your Section 22 of the Children Act not send a paper application application.