Starting School September 2017 Applying for a place in a reception Class for the 2017/18 school year The deadline for applications is 15 January 2017 www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions Starting School 2017 Contents Welcome 3 Where to get help 3 About starting school 4 Applying for a school place 6 When you are ready to apply 10 How places will be allocated 11 After you have submitted your application 12 Home to school transport 14 Special Educational Needs 16 School meals/free school meals 18 School information 19 School details 20 Data protection statement 57 Glossary 58 2 www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions Starting School 2017 Welcome Starting school is an important step for every child and their family. This booklet aims to provide all of the information you need to complete the application for a place in a reception class. Please do not hesitate to contact the School Admissions Team or Family Information Service if you have any queries or concerns. I wish your child every happiness and success as they start school. Councillor Andrew Wallis Portfolio Holder for Young People Where to get help School Admissions Team Family Information Service Website: For help with completing the www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions application, understanding the process or other aspects of starting school, or if Email: a parent/carer’s first language is not [email protected] English, please contact the Family Information Service. Post: School Admissions Team Telephone: Cornwall Council 0800 587 8191 County Hall Treyew Road Truro TR1 3AY Telephone: 0300 1234 101 www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions 3 Starting School 2017 About starting school When do children start school? If you have a child born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013, they will be eligible for a full-time place in a reception class from September 2017. This is a national offer for all children who have a birthday within these dates. Compulsory school age starts at the beginning of the term after a child has their fifth birthday. Does my child have to start school full-time? Places in reception will be allocated as full-time from September 2017. However, if you wish to ask for part-time admission until your child reaches compulsory school age you must do so as soon as possible after receiving your notification of a place and before the end of the summer term 2017 by contacting the school. Please note that if you wish to combine a part-time school place with any other provider, your child’s free entitlement will be used to pay for the school provision. There may therefore be an additional charge from the provider of any other care should the total equate to more than 15 hours per week. What if I want my child to start school earlier than outlined above? Children below compulsory school age or below the age for consideration for a reception class place are entitled to free funded places for nursery education for up to 15 hours per week. This provision is quality assured and Ofsted inspected and would be expected to meet the individual needs for children including those who could be ‘gifted and talented’ or who have Special Educational Needs. Therefore these children would not be expected to start school early. What if I want my child to start school later than outlined above? You are entitled to defer your child’s entry to school as detailed in the table on the next page. You can also request that your child starts in the reception class a year later than normal – this decision is made on a case-by-case basis. For more information visit the ‘Deferring or delaying admission to school and educating pupils out of their chronological year group’ page at www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions or contact the School Admissions Team. 4 www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions Starting School 2017 About starting school – information table Child born Compulsory school age Between Compulsory school age from January 2018 1 September and 31 December 2012 You can defer the school place until January 2018 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know. Between Compulsory school age from April 2018 1 January and 31 March 2013 You can defer the school place until April 2018 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know. Between Compulsory school age from September 2018 1 April and 31 August 2013 You can defer the school place until April 2018 – the school place will be held for you once you let the school know. You can also legally defer the school place until September 2018 BUT the offer of a school place will be withdrawn and you will need to reapply for a place in year one. This will be treated as a new application and you need to make this in the summer term 2018 and there is no guarantee that a place will be available at your preferred school. Please note that if you decide to request a place in a reception class rather than year one in September 2018, having deferred the place for a year, this would be called delayed admission and needs to be agreed by the admission authority, usually in consultation with the Local Authority and other professionals. For more information visit the ‘Deferring or delaying admission to school and educating pupils out of their chronological year group’ page at www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions or contact the School Admissions Team. www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions 5 Starting School 2017 Applying for a school place Responsibility for admissions Cornwall Council co-ordinates applications for all schools in Cornwall using a process set out in the ‘Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme’ which is summarised in this booklet. The Scheme can be found at www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions. Cornwall Council and schools must follow the School Admissions Code 2014. Each school has an ‘admission authority’ which sets the arrangements including the priority order they will use if there are more applications than places available – the ‘oversubscription criteria’. Cornwall Council is the admission authority for community and voluntary-controlled schools. For foundation, trust and voluntary-aided schools the admission authority is the school’s governing body and for academies it is the academy trust. Identifying your preferred schools Before you make your decision regarding the schools you would prefer for your child, you may wish to visit several schools in order to find out more about them. You should contact the schools direct to arrange this. You could also have a look at the schools’ websites or ask for a copy of their prospectus. Listing more than one preference The application form allows you to list up to three schools in order of preference. All of your preferences will be considered equally against each school’s oversubscription criteria and if we are able to offer a place at more than one of your preferred schools we will offer a place at the one you have ranked highest. Naming a second or third preference does not give you any less chance of getting a place at your first preference school. If we are not able to allocate a place at your preferred school we will allocate a place at the nearest school with a place available – listing a second and third preference means that you are more likely to secure a place at a preferred school rather than a school that you have not considered. It is strongly recommended that at least one of your preferences should be your nearest or designated school – you will not automatically be allocated this school should we be unable to allocate a place at one of your preferred schools. When making your decision, you should consider how you will get your child to school – see the ‘Home to School Transport’ section later in this booklet. Designated areas Cornwall Council has divided the County into geographical areas called ‘designated areas’ (sometimes called ‘catchment areas’) which are each served by a specific school or schools. Designated areas assist the Council in ensuring there are enough school places and are also used to determine entitlement to school transport. Please note that the designated school for an address may not always be the one nearest to that address. 6 www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions Starting School 2017 Please be aware that not all schools include ‘living in the designated area’ as a priority in their oversubscription criteria (the criteria that will be used to decide who should be allocated places when there are more applications than places available). However, entitlement to transport to all schools is determined by Cornwall Council with regard to whether the school is in the designated area for a child’s home address or is their nearest school. If you want to identify the designated school or schools for your address, access www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions or contact the School Admissions Team. Applying for a school outside Cornwall If you live in Cornwall you need to apply to Cornwall Council for your preferred schools even if one (or more) is not in Cornwall. Cornwall Council will ensure your application is forwarded to the appropriate local authority. You should also contact the schools for details of any additional information that they may require from you to determine your child’s priority for admission, to be returned direct to them. Living outside Cornwall If you live outside Cornwall but you wish to apply for a school in Cornwall as one of your preferences you should apply to your home local authority.