A brief guide to starting primary school in Lambeth 2021/22 For children born between 01/09/16 and 31/08/17. Full information for parents/carers of children starting primary school in September 2021 can be found via lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions Apply online and apply on time Deadline: Friday 15 January 2021 lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions If you apply after this date the likelihood of gaining a place at your preferred school may be significantly reduced. Introduction This small booklet provides a General information Primary transfer meetings for brief guide for parents/carers The Education Act 2002 and the parents/carers and their children through the School Admissions Code 2014 Meetings for parents/carers have admission process for primary provide a framework to ensure been organised on the following school for September 2021 that on National Offer Day as many dates to explain the primary transfer entry. It accompanies the main children as possible (whose parents/ co-ordinated admission process ‘Starting Primary School in carers have submitted an ‘on time’ and give you the opportunity to ask Lambeth 2021/22’ booklet application for a school place) receive questions about the procedure. which is available online via an offer (if an offer can be made) at lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions. a school that they have expressed Tuesday 3 November 2020 a preference for. 4-5pm Please read these booklets Kings Avenue Primary School carefully as it is important you Basics of the procedure Kings Avenue use them to make the best • The aim is that every child SW2 8BQ choices for your child. If you are will receive the single highest unsure about any aspect of the preference offer possible. Thursday 5 November 2020 transfer process please contact • To make it easy to apply and fair 4.30-5.30pm Lambeth School Admissions for parents/carers. Julian’s Primary School Team on 020 7926 9503 and/ 16 Wolfington Road, West or attend one of the primary • Well organised with good Norwood transfer meetings organised to communication between schools SE27 0JF provide information and support. and boroughs. These meetings are open to all Do not complete a Common What the procedure cannot do parents/carers of children starting Application Form (CAF) if your • It cannot guarantee every child primary school in 2021, even if child has an Education, Health and a school place. This is because they do not attend the above Care Plan. Please contact your some schools receive many more schools. Please ensure that if you home borough’s SEND Team applications than places available, bring any children to the above for details about applications and this may be the case for all meetings they remain with you at for primary school. schools applied for. In this all times. Lambeth Council and If you are a Lambeth resident instance, allocations of offers for school staff cannot be held liable further information is available schools not applied for will be for unaccompanied children in the from: made where possible. building, nor can they take any Special Education Needs and • It cannot guarantee your child will responsibility for children brought Disabilities (SEND) Team get a place at your first preference to meetings PO Box 734 school. Winchester • It cannot limit some multiple offers SO23 5DG being made after 16 April 2021, Telephone: 020 7926 9460 (but Lambeth School Admissions Email: Team will be aware of them and will [email protected] ensure that parents/carers reject Website: lambeth.gov.uk one of these offers quickly). SECTION 1 / PROCESS AND PROCEDURE 3 Starting Primary school and the Pan-London co-ordinated admissions procedure How to apply applied for as they have to consider, determine the order (rank) in which – essential information but not have to accept, your child to applicants will be offered places. • Parents/carers only need be taught out of cohort. An admissions authority may to complete one Common What is an admissions require parents/carers to complete Application Form (CAF) to authority? a Supplementary Information apply for up to six schools A schools admissions authority Form (SIF) requesting information anywhere in London excluding – the body of people who make which is not contained on the CAF, fee-paying. decisions about admissions – will e.g. church attendance. This form • The deadline for applications is determine which children can be is obtained from the school or Friday 15 January 2021 via offered a place at a school. For lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions for lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions community schools the admissions Lambeth schools and needs to be authority is the LA itself and for an sent back to the school and not the • All parents/carers who apply on academy, voluntary-aided (religious), borough by the school’s deadline. time and online will know what foundation or free school it is the school their child has been offered School staff will not know what governing body of that school. (if any) on 16 April 2021. This number preference their school offer will be the highest preference Where the school is oversubscribed, has been listed on the CAF, offer that can be made. the school’s admissions authority all are considered the same at the will use their admission criteria to same time. Lambeth School Admissions Team do not decide which school a child is offered. There is a process undertaken together with School Admissions Teams in other boroughs. Decisions about how a child’s application for a school is ranked are made by the schools admissions authority. This is dependent upon how well the child meets the schools admissions criteria. If delayed entry has been agreed within the past year for your child to be taught in a year group different to their chronological age (out of cohort) you need to apply using a paper Common Application Form. A copy of the letter confirming delayed entry was agreed must be attached to your application form. Applications will be considered on a child-by-child basis by the admissions authority for the schools 4 PROCESS AND PROCEDURE 11 stages parents/carers must follow Stage 1 Research It is important to consider as much information as possible about the schools you wish to apply to. • Check whether your child is likely to be offered a place based on the school’s published admissions criteria, which can be found on the individual school’s pages of the ‘Starting Primary School in Lambeth 2021/22’ booklet. • Check how offers were made for National Offer Day for 2019/20 and 2020/21 entry. Details regarding Lambeth schools can be viewed via the primary transfer 2021/22 page from lambeth.gov.uk/ eadmissions These details only Stage 2 The preferred way for Lambeth relate to the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Apply on time and apply online! residents to apply for a primary school intakes and children applying which The deadline for applications place is online. This can be done via will vary each year. Therefore this is Friday 15 January 2021. If lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions from information cannot be used to you apply after this date the 1 September 2020. A step-by-step guarantee how offers will be made likelihood of gaining a place at guide to applying online is available for 2021/22 intake and is only your preferred school may be in the ‘Starting primary school in made available to give an indication significantly reduced. Lambeth 2021/22’ booklet. of how the admissions process You must complete the CAF for your Please note that any false or impacted on Lambeth schools last home borough regardless of whether deliberately misleading information year. Please note that Lambeth you are applying for schools in or given on this form and/or supporting Community Schools do not have outside of that borough. The home information may render your child’s catchment areas. Some voluntary borough is the borough where you are application invalid, or lead to any aided schools may prioritise children residing at the time of application, even offer of a place being withdrawn. who live within a set parish. if you have been placed in temporary Please check each school’s accommodation. Please check that Stage 3 admissions criteria for more details your child’s address is in Lambeth Proof of address regarding this. borough before completing the The application address stated • Contact the school directly for a Lambeth CAF. Residents of boroughs on your child’s CAF must be the copy of their prospectus or visit other than Lambeth who wish to apply address where you and your child their website. for a Lambeth school must complete currently live, even if you have been • For schools in other boroughs the CAF provided by the home placed in temporary acommodation. please check their literature. borough in which they live. Applications received without PROCESS AND PROCEDURE 5 11 stages parents/carers must follow all the required proof of address be a copy of your child’s NHS card, Team of your new address as soon documents for the parents/carers medical letter or doctor’s prescription as possible after the date of the and child may result in the child’s stating the child’s date of birth. move so we are able to contact you application being withdrawn if if we need further information or to the address cannot be verified. Stage 5 communicate the outcome of your This means that your child will not Provide additional application. A change of address receive an offer of a school place documentation form can be found on our webpage. on 16 April 2021. Two documents In additional to the proof of address You also need to inform us in writing are needed to confirm your address documents, you may need to if you have a change of medical as the applicant and one for your submit additional supporting circumstances or a sibling starts at a child.