Applying to Start Primary School 2017–18 Information About Admissions Arrangements
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Applying to start primary school 2017–18 Information about admissions arrangements Contents Primary school starting age 2 Deciding which primary schools to apply for 2 Admissions criteria 2 How to apply and what proofs are required to complete an application 6 Supplementary information forms 7 Important dates 8 Last year’s application and appeal rates (community schools) 9 Applying for a reception place after the closing date 11 Offers 11 Appeals 12 Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities 12 Primary schools in Lewisham 13 Map of primary schools in Lewisham 20 Useful websites: All you need to know about applying to start primary school in Lewisham www.lewisham.gov.uk/primaryadmissions Find out about primary schools in Lewisham and which are closest to you. www.lewisham.gov.uk/primaryschools Apply online for primary school places. www.eAdmissions.org.uk Contact: Admissions and Appeals Team, Third Floor, Laurence House, Catford SE6 4RU. Tel: 020 8314 8282 (lines are open Monday–Friday, 9am–12 noon). Email: [email protected] Applying to start primary school 2017–18 Information about admissions arrangements 2 Primary school starting age Siblings Children who were born between 1 September 2012 Most schools will give priority to children whose older and 31 August 2013 are eligible to start full time in the brother or sister (sibling) attends the school. Please Reception class in September 2017. Legally, children ensure you add the name, date of birth, gender and must receive full-time education from the beginning of home address of any older child you have attending the the school term following their fifth birthday. school you are applying for. Failure to do so may result in your younger child not being offered a place at your Deciding which primary schools to apply for preference school and the school may not be able to You can apply for up to six mainstream state primary accommodate your child later in the admissions process. schools which may be within Lewisham or in authorities outside the borough. As not every child can be offered Children of staff their preferred school you are advised to research a range A small number of schools will give priority to children of schools including those which are closest to your whose parent is employed at the school. Please read the home address before submitting your application. school’s definition of ‘children of staff’ to ensure that if your child qualifies under this criterion you complete the We strongly recommend you look at your nearest schools relevant information on the online application. (whether they are faith or non-faith schools) as most schools in Lewisham are expected to be oversubscribed. Admissions policy for community schools We also advise you to use all six preferences and not The community schools in the borough use the same restrict your application. A list of the primary schools in admissions criteria (see below). Voluntary-aided faith the borough, including contact details, age ranges and schools, foundation schools, free schools and academies number of places available is on page 13. have their own criteria for deciding which children to To find out more about primary schools in the admit. The full admissions policy, annual intake and other borough and see which are nearest to your home, information about each of these schools in Lewisham can visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/primaryschools. be found on the school’s own websites. See page 13 for details of primary schools in the borough. Visiting schools When a community school in Lewisham is oversubscribed Before deciding which schools you wish to apply for, for the reception class in September 2017 the following we also recommend that you arrange to visit the school criteria will be used and places offered to: to meet the staff, see the facilities and opportunities available. 1. A looked after child or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after Headteachers will be pleased to show you around the became subject to an adoption order (in accordance school and answer your questions. Please contact the with the Children Act 2002), child arrangements, or school(s) direct to arrange your visit. special guardianship order (sections 8 or 14A of the Admissions criteria Children Act 1989). When a school is ‘oversubscribed’, ie they receive more A looked after child is a child who is: applications than there are places available, the school’s a) in the care of a local authority (in accordance with admissions criteria is applied to decide which children qualify Section 22 of the Children Act 1989), or for a place. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the admissions criteria for the schools you wish to apply b) being provided with accommodation by a local for to gauge whether your child is likely to qualify for a authority in the exercise of their social services place. Most primary schools in Lewisham and neighbouring functions (Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989). boroughs are expected to receive more applications than Confirmation of a child’s LAC status must be supplied there are places available. Limiting the number of schools by the allocated social worker or foster carer with the you list on your application can limit the chance of your application along with a copy of the Adoption Order, receiving an offer from one of your preferences of school. Care Order or Special Guardianship Order. Do not include fee paying (independent) schools or special needs schools on your application as they are not part of Children who were adopted from overseas do not the co-ordinated admissions arrangements. qualify under this criterion. Contact: Admissions and Appeals Team, Third Floor, Laurence House, Catford SE6 4RU. Tel: 020 8314 8282 (lines are open Monday–Friday, 9am–12 noon). Email: [email protected] Applying to start primary school 2017–18 Information about admissions arrangements 3 2. In exceptional circumstances there is discretion to frequently transfer to the main school; however there admit a child on the grounds of their or their family’s is no automatic transfer and children attending the severe medical or social need for that particular school nursery are not given priority. Parents of nursery and who would not otherwise qualify for admission. children who permanently live in Lewisham must The application must be supported by a letter apply for a reception place by participating in the from a hospital consultant, social worker or similar coordinated reception scheme by making an online professional, setting out the reasons why the school application. Applications from parents of children on is the only one to meet the child’s needs, before an the roll of the nursery will be considered with all other admission decision is made. The admission decision will applicants. be considered in consultation with a panel of teaching Twins, triplets and other multiple births and medical professionals. The medical professional Where twins, triplets or children from other multiple provides advice on applications made under medical births qualify for the last school place to be allocated conditions and teaching professionals advise on Lewisham will admit all of the qualifying siblings in applications made for social or special reasons. excess of the published admissions limit and they will Supporting evidence must be provided with the be considered as ‘excepted pupils’. application and by the closing date for applications. Tie break 3. Children whose brother or sister is on roll of the school On the rare occasion where two or more identical on the closing date for applications and is expected to applicants qualify for the last available place, lots will be be on the roll of the school (or of the junior school in drawn to decide which qualifying child is offered the place. the case of separate infant and junior schools – this applies to children attending Sandhurst Infant and Waiting lists Junior Schools, Stillness Infant and Junior Schools and In accordance with the pan London agreement, and to Torridon Infant and Junior Schools), at the intended ensure Lewisham meets its duty to continue to co- date of admission. Children in Year 6 who will have ordinate admissions beyond offer date and comply with transferred to secondary school by the time the the parents’ highest possible preference, Lewisham will younger child is admitted do not confer sibling priority. ensure that waiting lists do not contain lower ranked If the school is over-subscribed entirely with siblings, preferences except where it (or the home LA) has agreed priority will be given to: to a parental request to change the order of preferences. In such cases, where there is a parental request to change i) those with an exceptional social or medical need the order of preferences during the admissions round, (see 2 above) and then to the original application, including any offer made under ii) those who are permanently living nearest to the co-ordination, will be withdrawn and the applicant will be school (see 4 below). required to re-apply. Siblings include all blood or adoptive siblings, half- Waiting lists for Lewisham’s community schools will siblings, foster siblings of Looked After Children and include those who have moved to the area since the step siblings. Siblings must all live at the same address national closing date and were therefore unable to make as the child applying. Proof of the sibling relationship an ‘on-time’ application. Waiting lists will be held in may be required. criteria order and childrens’ names may go up as well as down a list as new applicants are added. 4. Children living nearest to the school. All distances will be measured to a central nodal point in the school The reception co-ordinated scheme continues until the premises, using digitised mapping software of the end of the summer term 2017.