Guidance for Headteachers on the Arrangements for Admission to
Nursery Classes for April 2009

You will by now have an idea of the number of vacant places remaining in your nursery class, which may be filled in April 2009.

We will collect the required data electronically, via anycomms, if you require help please click here.

However for those schools who are now using the new E1 system the information will be retrieved from County Hall.

You are requested to provide a waiting list of children whose birthdates fall between 1. 09.2004 and 31.3.2006 by Friday 30^th January 2009. These will be passed on to the Early Years Childcare & Extended Schools Team for administration.

Additionally, you are requested to provide the number of children currently attending your nursery, so it can be established as to how many spaces you have available in the nursery in April. This should be either emailed or telephoned through to:
Sue Brown - Senior Administrative Assistant - 01603 223462 - sue.brown@norfolk.gov.uk.

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 lists with independently verified evidence of additional needs, they are asked to e-mail this information to Sue Brown in the Early Years Department, 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, however if the early years team request it please send to:
Sue Brown - Senior Administrative Assistant - 01603 223462 - sue.brown@norfolk.gov.uk

Where a nursery class is able to accommodate all of the children on the list, the school will be returned the list of children (via anycomms), to whom places in the nursery class may be offered. Schools should inform parents of this offer by letter posted from the school on Friday 27^th February 2009.

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 in that school. An example of a letter is attached.

Where a nursery class is oversubscribed, the Early Years Childcare & Extended Schools Team will prioritise the applicants according to the admissions criteria. The school will be sent a list, via anycoms, of the children who may be offered a place in the nursery class by Friday 27^th February 2009 and a prioritised list of applicants who may be offered places if any places become vacant, via anycomms. If required, the Early Years Childcare & 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 between Friday 30^th January and Friday 27^th February, the information should be kept on file at the school and sent to the Early Years Childcare & Extended Schools Team for allocation if the nursery class is over subscribed.

Please click on the below links for additional information:
Timetable for the Admission to Nursery Classes
Nursery Class Admissions April 2009 - Template Letter
Timeline for Admissions to Nursery Classes 2008/09

If there are any further queries please contact:
Sue Brown - Senior Administrative Assistant - 01603 223462 - sue.brown@norfolk.gov.uk.