Admissions to Nursery Classes 2006-2007

Guidance for headteachers on the arrangements for admission to nursery classes for April 2007

You will by now have an idea of the number of vacant places remaining in your nursery class, which may be filled in April 2007.

We will collect the data electronically, via anycomms (If you require instructions how to do this please contact Sue Brown on the number below and a copy will be faxed). A faxed or emailed list is not acceptable. You are requested to provide a waiting list of children whose birthdates fall between 1.09.2002 and 31.03.04 immediately after Friday 2nd February 2007. These will be passed on to the Early Years Childcare and Extended Schools Team for administration.

Additionally, you are required to provide the number of children currently attending your nursery. This information should be either emailed or telephoned through to Sue Brown, Senior Administrative Assistant on 01603 223462.

Where a school wishes to prioritise a child according to the first rule, "Children with independently verified evidence of additional need", the head teacher will be expected to keep on file, for future verification, the evidence used to support the application. At present it is not possible to collect this information electronically. Where schools have a child or children on their waiting list with independently verified evidence of additional needs, they are asked to e-mail this information to Sue Brown in the Early Years, Childcare and Extended Schools Team giving the following information in respect of each child:

Name

Date of Birth

Nature of evidence held on file

(E.g. SEN Statement, health visitor or speech therapy report, letter of support from a social worker etc.) It is not necessary to send the evidence to the early year's team. The above information should be e-mailed to Sue Brown

Where a nursery class is already full you are asked to inform Sue Brown at the Early Years Childcare and Extended Schools Team by telephone or e-mail (details above) and no further correspondence will be required.

Where a nursery class is able to accommodate all of the children on the list, the school will be returned the list of children, to whom places in the nursery class may be offered, via anycomms. Schools should inform parents of this offer by letter on Friday 2nd March 2007.

When children are offered places in a nursery class, it would be helpful to point out to parents in the letter that transport to and from early education provision is not available. Similarly a place at the nursery class does not guarantee a place in the school, neither is there an expectation that the child offered a place should apply for a place that school. An example of a letter is attached.

Where a nursery class is oversubscribed, the Early Years and Childcare Department will prioritise the applicants according to the admissions criteria. The school will be sent a list of the children who may be offered a place in the nursery class on Friday 2nd March 2007 and a prioritised list of applicants who may be offered places if any places become vacant, via anycomms. If required, the Early Years, Childcare and Extended Schools Team will send letters to unsuccessful applicants suggesting alternative options.

Where a school receives a request for a place in the nursery class after Friday 2nd February 2007, the information should be kept on file at the school and sent to the Early Years, Childcare and Extended Schools Team for allocation.

If there are any further queries please contact Sue Brown.

Timetable

Example Letter