Primary Admission Information September 2017 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 18 April 2017, 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 2012 and 31 August 2013, you January 2017. You can apply received. must apply for a school place from Tuesday 1 November for September 2017. Even if 2016. Once you have submitted your you do not want your child to application online, if you make start full time schooling until In order to maximise your any changes e.g. change reaching statutory school age chances of being offered one preference order, you must in the term following their fifth of your preferred schools you re-submit the application. birthday you should apply now are strongly advised to get your and defer 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 2009 and 31 August 2010 and thurrock.gov.uk is starting year 2 at an infant online. Go to thurrock.gov. school in September 2016, 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 2017 (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 an account Which schools schools are oversubscribed it schools for which you are should I apply to? is 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, in which schools. We recommend that how the process works. case the governing body of you make up your own mind. the school determines the The two briefing sessions for 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 Wed 19 October 2016 at the the academy trust is the around and answer questions. Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane, admission authority. When thinking about which Grays Essex RM16 2JU schools to apply for, it is from 4.00pm - 5.30pm and The law gives you the right very important that you take 7.00pm - 8.30pm. to state a preference for the into account each school’s school that you want your oversubscription criteria. Please be aware that a child to attend rather than These describe how offers number of Thurrock schools to be given your choice. of places are determined, are becoming academies 5 This is because there will and who gets priority when a and that, therefore, the listed be times when there are school is oversubscribed. status of these schools in the more applications than table in the second half of this places. When this happens, The number of preferences booklet is subject to change. oversubscription criteria (often that you can make on your called admission criteria) are application is limited, and we used to determine priority for recommend that you include admission. Because many 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 Child’s address change your email address, the application? The address you give on the you must inform us so that application must be your correspondence continues to We recommend you apply child’s permanent place of reach you. online at thurrock.gov.uk/ residence at the closing date admissions for applications. It must not Parent/carer details Each local authority has its be a business, a relative’s, The person applying on behalf own application form whether a carer’s or childminder’s of the child will normally be it is electronic or a paper address. The address will the person with Parental copy. You must complete normally be the parents’ Responsibility for the child as the application for the local address. If the parents do defined by the Children Act authority in which you live, not live together, it should 1989 and amended by the regardless of which schools be the address of the parent Adoption and Children Act you are applying for. If you are with whom the child spends 2002. a Thurrock resident and want the majority of the time. This to apply for schools outside will normally be the main Reasons for preference address held by the primary Thurrock you must do so on There is space on the school and the address of the Thurrock application. application for you to give the parent who receives child reasons for naming a school benefit in respect of the child. It is important that the as a preference and this will You are required to provide application is fully and be shared with the relevant your council tax reference accurately completed. If there school. Whilst admission number which can be cross are omissions or inaccuracies authorities will take this into 6 referenced with the address your application may be consideration, this alone would you give. If you move after adversely affected. not normally give priority for a completing the application or place. If you wish to apply under a special criterion, after receive top priority for a Submitting your application you must ensure that you school place. If the child you Please do not submit more comply with the requirements are applying for is looked after than one application. for providing supporting or has previously been looked If you apply online, please do evidence. after and you would like your not send a paper application application considered under form as well. If you submit Your preferences this criterion, it is important more than one application You are invited to name up to that you include this on the for the same child, we will four preferences. You must application and provide consider only the most name the schools in the order supporting evidence from the recent one received before that you prefer them, with child’s social worker or other the closing date. your most preferred school supporting professional. named first. All preferences Supporting evidence are given equal weight and Siblings Please ensure that you comply schools will not know your For most schools in Thurrock with schools’ requirements order of preference on your that give priority to siblings, for supporting evidence and application.