Nursery admissions procedure

Reviewed every three years by the Resources Committee / FGB

Signed …………………………………….. Date Spring 2017

Chair of Committee /FGB Date of next Review Spring 2019

This policy applies to the Infant School, including the Nursery, and is underpinned by our
Equality and Diversity Statement available on the school web site.

The policy will be reviewed to take account of changes to legislation and advice.

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Admissions procedure for Nursery

 Admission to Iver Village Infant School Nursery Class is in accordance with Buckinghamshire
Education Authorities Policy and has been approved by the Governors of the school.
 The Governing Body has an admissions panel and is involved in nursery admission
arrangements.
 Applications for a nursery place may be made at any time.
 The school’s admission policy is issued when any application is made.
 The Nursery class accommodates 26 - 2/3 and 4-year-old children for each session (9.00am –
12.15pm or 9.15am – 3.15pm). If 3-year-old children are offered a place for their allocated 15
hours a week, they can start in the Nursery at the beginning of the term after their third
birthday.
 There is no automatic admission into the main school from our Nursery class, and this is stated in
the letter offering a place in the nursery. Parents must apply for places in the main school under
Buckinghamshire County Council co-ordinated arrangements.

Applications
 Applications for admission are filed in date of the birth order, in monthly age groups: January,
February, etc.
 As the Nursery is not limited to a catchment area, applications made from children who live
outside of this area will be filed in their appropriate age group.
 If the applications do not exceed the number of places available, the children on the waiting
list will be admitted in date of birth order.
 If anyone defers or removes themselves from the list, then more places will be offered using the
same rules as above.
 Currently, children are admitted based on the needs of the child as nursery session are 9.15am
– 12.15pm or 9.15am – 2.15pm Monday to Friday, term time only.
 If the number of applications exceeds the number of places then once children who already
hold a statement of special educational need or Education, Health and Care Plan have been
allocated places, the remaining places will be allocated in the following order:

1. Looked after children ( see appendix note 1)

2. Children who have exceptional medical, or social needs supported by written evidence
from an appropriate professional (see appendix note 2)
3. Children wishing to take up the full entitlement of 5 mornings a week.
4. Siblings of children who are attending Iver Village Infant School in Year R – Year 2 at the
time allocations are made (see appendix note 4).
5. Children living within the catchment area of the school (see appendix note 3)
6. Once the above rules have been applied then any further places will be offered in
distance order; using the distance between the child’s Normal Home Address and the
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 school's nearest open entrance gate. We use a straight line distance then offer the
closest to the gate first. The straight line distance definition is 'the distance from the
address point of the pupil’s house, as set out by Ordnance Survey, to the nearest school
gate available for pupils to use.'
7. Where one place remains and the next two applicants are equal distance from the
school a random allocation will be made. This applies to all cases, including flats and
apartments, where addresses are equidistant.
 The terms used in these rules are as defined in the primary rules above. The catchment area
used is also as defined in the primary rules.
 Where the nursery can take some, but not all, of the children who qualify under one of these
rules, we will give priority to children by taking account of the next rule (or rules) in the
numbered list to decide who has priority for places. For example, if all the children who qualify
under Rule 1 can be offered places but there are too many children who qualify under Rule 2,
we use Rules 3, 4 and 5 to rank the children qualifying under Rule 2 and decide who can be
offered a place
 If there are any children who in exceptional circumstances are felt to be in need of a nursery
education, priority places will be granted at the discretion of the Headteacher and Governors.

Applying for a place in Nursery class

 Parents will be required to fill in the school’s own application form for admission to the Nursery.
 Parents will be required to show their child’s birth certificate and proof of address when
submitting their application form.
 Places will be allocated, and parents informed in the week following the closing date.
 Parents who have been unsuccessful in gaining a place for their child may keep their child’s
name on a waiting list in case a place is available at a later date.

Acceptance

 Parents will be informed of a nursery place during the first half of the term before their child is
due to start.
 Replies will be returned the following week.
 Parents who have not returned an acceptance form will be contacted by telephone.
 Parents offered a place will be invited to an induction visit at the nursery with their children.
 In addition, the Nursery staff will make an appointment to visit the child and parents at home.
Before the child can be admitted to the Nursery, this visit must take place.

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Appendix
The terms used in these rules are as defined in the primary rules above. The catchment area used
is also as defined in the primary rules.
Note 1 Definition of Looked after children
 For admissions purposes a ‘looked after child’ is a child who is
o In the care of a local authority
o Being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social
services functions (see the definition in Section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989).
 This covers accommodated children and those who are in care under a Care Order/interim
order. This can include: living with family or friends, in foster care, a children's home, residential
school, and special school or in supported lodgings.
 This includes children who were previously looked after and immediately after being looked
after became the subject of an adoption, residence order or special guardianship order as set
out below.
 Other definitions:
 Residence order: is an order setting the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom
the child is to live under section 8 of the children's Act 1989
 Special guardianship order: 'an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child's special
guardian (or special guardians) under Section 14A of the Children Act 1989
Note 2 Exceptional Social and Medical process for nursery admissions
 The governing body of Iver Village Infant school will consider the applications under this rule on
receipt of information from the parent to indicate strong reasons for the child attending a
particular nursery/school. When making an application parents should send evidence from an
independent professional person (this might be a doctor, health visitor, or Education Welfare
Officer, for example) who knows about the child and supports the application to the school.
 They must also provide evidence that they are entitled to receive Free School Meals or
Disability Living Allowance. It must clearly show why the school is the most suitable and any
difficulties if alternate schools were offered.
Note 3: Definition of sibling
 A sibling is a brother or sister. For admission purposes we mean one of two or more individuals
who have one or more parents in common, or any other child (including an adopted or
fostered child) who lives at the same address and for whom the parent also has parental
responsibility or, (in the case of a fostered child) delegated authority.
Note 4: Primary School Catchment Areas
 The primary school catchments can be viewed at
http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/schooladmission/

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