Admissions

Admission to school – Policies and Procedures

Choosing the right school for your child is a big decision for any family. Whether you are about to send your child to school for the first time, or moving into the area with older children, you are always welcome to come along and have a look round to see what we have to offer. You can arrange a visit by telephoning the School Office, on 01626 772901, or by emailing [email protected]. We will be able to discuss admission with you.

Foundation Stage Admission

It is important to us that your child feels happy and confident when they start school. In order to provide a smooth transition we offer: two half day ‘Stay and Play’ introduction sessions in July, a parents meeting, a home visit and a phased induction in September. The key to successful induction is good communication between home and school and this ensures we are able to be flexible in our approach and respond to individual needs.

For the Normal Round intake into school, children are offered places to start in Reception at the beginning of the September term after their fourth birthday. Children who are admitted to a vacancy at any time after this point are called ‘In-Year’ Admissions.

There is an option for your child to attend part time until the term after their fifth birthday. In practice, parents choose not to take up this option, preferring their child to start alongside their peers. We tailor our approach to suit your child’s individual stage of development. If you decide to start your child at school part time the school offer is five mornings a week, 8.50 – 11.55am. Schools are not required to accommodate individual requests for different part time hours (eg. Only attending Monday, Wednesday or Friday). If you have been offered a place for your child to start school in September we will assume that that they will be starting full time unless you have contacted the Foundation Stage Teacher or the Headteacher to discuss other arrangements. Please contact the school office on 01626 772901 if you wish to discuss any aspect of admissions.

Applying

All schools have a limited number of places they can offer in the Foundation Stage for new children joining the school – this is called the Published Admission Number (or PAN). For us, this has been set at 60. If we are oversubscribed Devon County Council’s Admission Team hold a waiting list and allocate places, if they become available, using the criteria in the admissions policy.

A fresh application must be made for children who are attending our Nursery. Applications for nursery places are made direct to the school. Please see further information on our Pre-School page.

There are no selection tests and students of all talents and abilities are welcome, providing we can accommodate their needs.

‘The First Step’ booklet explains the admission arrangements for infant and primary schools and is published by Devon County Council. It is available online and in paper format from The School Admissions Team, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX4 2QG. Devon’s education helpline is 0845 155 1019. Further information and information leaflets are available online from www.devon.gov.uk/admissions

The Local Authority

Devon County Council publishes information about admissions and its own policies to support the admissions application and appeals process. This is at www.devon.gov.uk/admissions

Applications can be made online at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonlineor by using the forms available at http://devon.cc/applicationforms

The appeals process is detailed at www.devon.gov.uk/school-appeals

For questions about your child joining the school or just about the admissions process in general, please don’t hesitate to contact the school direct or contact Devon School Admissions Service on 0345 155 1019 or by email to [email protected].

Our Admissions Policies

You can find our admissions policies below – we review the school policy annually and may make changes if we feel this would be in the best interests of the school and our community.

Each academic year has its own policy document, with details about how to apply for a place in school from the start of Reception through to Year 6.

You can apply from home 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a place in our new Foundation Stage intake – it’s quick and easy to use and there is no risk that your application will be lost in the post. You can apply for an Infant or Primary school place by clicking on www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline from November to January. You can also apply on a paper version of the form which is called a D-CAF1.

In-Year Admissions

Some of our children join the school after the beginning of the Foundation Stage year as a result of transferring schools or moving into the area. Parents of such children are encouraged to make an appointment to visit the school before they apply for a place. Parents must then apply on a Devon Common Application Form which are available from the Admission Team or by clicking the following link http://devon.cc/applicationforms .The same criteria will be used if we need to prioritise applications for a place at the school outside of the normal Foundation Stage admissions round.

If your child is successful in securing a place, we pride ourselves on supporting them to settle in quickly and feel confident in their new class. We also encourage your child to visit our school before they start.

The designated area or catchment area map for our school can be found by following www.devon.gov.uk/schoolareamaps