Admissions

Preschool Admissions

Our Preschool is available to all children who have turned 3, throughout the academic year. Morning, afternoon and full day sessions are available. Preschool children can also access our wrap around care. We can offer a full 30 hours of provision (should you meet criteria). Please contact the office for more details or to arrange a visit, you will be warmly welcomed.

Starting School (for reception aged children upwards)

Children must, by law, start school at the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. At Elmley Castle CE First School, we encourage children to start school at the start of the academic year in which they become five.

All parents (including those living within the catchment area) who wish to be admitted to Elmley Castle CE First School in the September must complete an online application form from:

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20099/school_admissions.

Applications will be accepted until the closing date which this year falls on 15th January 2022. If applicants do not have access to the internet, they are advised to telephone: 01905 822700 for assistance. After the closing date, all Late Applications will need to be made on forms which will be made available online to download.

Joining the school at a later stage

We welcome admissions of all pupils aged 5 - 10 years during the year, providing we have space in the relevant year group. Please contact the school office to arrange a visit.  If you decide to move a child into our school, other than at the beginning of the Reception Year you will need to complete a CA1 form which can be collected from the school office or again from:

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20099/school_admissions

Priority of Admissions

When there are more applications than places, in a Community or Voluntary Controlled school First/Primary, children are admitted in the following order of priority:

1. Relevant *‘Looked after’ and previously *‘Looked after’ children.
2. Siblings (see below for definition) of pupils attending the school and living within the catchment area of the school. In order to qualify for a place on the grounds of a sibling attending the school, the sibling must already be attending the school at the time of application and still be attending at the time of admission. Copies of catchment area maps, if required are available from the LA, or can be viewed in schools. In the event of a school catchment area change being approved, pupils who would still have a sibling connection (see below for definition) at the time of admission and who are living at the same address in the previous catchment area for a school, (but not within the revised catchment area), at the time the change was approved will be considered as living within the catchment area.
3. Pupils living within the catchment area of the school. Copies of catchment area maps, if required, are available from the LA, or can be viewed in schools.
4. Pupils living outside of the catchment area but who would still have a sibling connection (see below for definition) at school at the time of admission. In order to qualify for a place on the grounds of a sibling attending the school, the sibling must already be attending the school at the time of application and still be attending at the time of admission.
5. Children of staff at the mainstream school, where that member of staff has been employed for two or more years, and/or is recruited to fill a post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
6. Pupils who live nearest to the school by the shortest straight line distance. The measurement will be taken using the GeoCode Points for each property and the GeoCode point for the School. The Local Authority uses a software package called Arcview GIS to determine distance. Ordnance Survey supplies the co-ordinates that are used to plot an address within this system. (In the event of equi-distance applicants, any place will be allocated by random selection (lottery). Someone totally independent of Children’s Services will supervise this process).

In accordance with legislation, a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan will be offered a place at the school named in the Statement or the Plan.

*’Looked after’ means all those currently in the care of a Local Authority or accommodated by a Local Authority under the terms of the Children Act 1989 and children who were previously in the care of or accommodated by a Local Authority but immediately after being looked after, became subject to an adoption, a child arrangements order or special guardianship order.

Where there are too many applications from within the catchment area, priority will be decided in the following order, i.e. sibling connection then children of staff then according to distance, each assessed as indicated above.

The sibling connection, as well as brother and sister will include half-siblings, adopted children, step-siblings or a child of the parent/carers partner. They must also be living at the same home address. Children who are brought together as a family by a same sex civil partnership and who are living at the same address, are also considered to be siblings.

In the event that one or more but not all children from a multiple birth can be allocated a place(s), all of the children from that multiple birth will be admitted even if this takes the school over PAN. These children are exceptions to the Infant Class Size legislation.

There are a number of additional limited exceptions to the Infant Class Size legislation, including children of UK service personnel admitted outside the normal admissions round, children with statements of special educational needs, looked after children, children with special educational needs who are normally taught in a unit attached to the school, where a procedural error has occurred, children admitted following successful appeal and children admitted outside of the normal admissions round where no other place is available.

Please note that final decisions about admission lie with the Local Authority, not the school.

For full details regarding our Admission Policy, please see the policies section.