Nursery admissions policies

How admissions to nursery places are assessed if there are more applicants than places.

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Nursery admissions policy 2024 to 2025 (accessible version)

Community and Voluntary Controlled Nursery Schools and Infant/Primary Schools providing Nursery Education

Where there are more applications than sessions available in a community or voluntary controlled nursery class, applications will be prioritised using the criteria below.  They will be applied in conjunction with explanatory notes 1 to 5 which form part of the policy.  

  1. Children looked after, i.e. in public care, giving priority, if necessary, to the youngest child(ren); children who were previously looked after; and children who were previously looked after outside of England - see note 1.
  2. In relation to infant/primary schools providing nursery education, children living in the catchment area who have brothers or sisters in the school (or associated junior school) at the time of admission. See notes 2 and 3.
  3. In relation to infant/primary schools providing nursery education, children living outside the catchment area who, at the time of their admission, have brothers or sisters in the school (or associated junior school) who a) have an Education, Health and Care Plan that names that school or b) were directed to that school by the LA in the absence of a place being available in the catchment area school due to oversubscription and the school was identified by the LA as the next nearest with a place available – see note 4.
  4. In relation to infant/primary schools providing nursery education, other children living in the catchment area giving priority to those living closest to the school, measured in a straight line between the centre of the pupil’s home address and a common point on the school site as determined by the LA. - see note 5.
  5. In relation to infant/primary schools providing nursery education children living outside the catchment area who have brothers or sisters in the school (or associated junior school) at the time of their admission - see notes 2 and 3.
  6. Children living outside the catchment area, giving priority to those who live closest to the school, measured in a straight line - see note 5.

Applications will be prioritised on the above basis.  An exception will be made under the Authority's policy for the education of children with special educational needs where a child holds an Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school.

Explanatory notes

[These notes are part of the policy]

Note 1

A child looked after is a child in public care, who is looked after by a local authority within the meaning of Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.  Children previously looked after are children who were looked after, but have ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002) or became subject to a Child Arrangements Order or Special Guardianship Order (Children Act 1989).

Advice issued by the Department for Education (DfE) in July 2021 states that a child previously looked after outside of England is one that was looked after, outside England, by a public authority, a religious organisation or another provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.  

For a previously looked after child to be considered under criteria 1, the parent or carer must provide appropriate written evidence to support the application.  Without this evidence it will not be possible to consider the application under category 1 of the LA Nursery Admissions Policy.       

Note 2

In criteria 2, 3, and 5, priority will be given to those children with the youngest siblings.  Brothers and sisters are those living at the same address and includes step and foster children.  Priority will only be given where it is known at the time of allocating places that a sibling will be attending the school [excluding a nursery class] at the time of admission.

Note 3

Where reference is made to ‘associated’ junior schools this is to describe those situations where infant and junior schools share the same catchment area.

Note 4

If parents or carers believe they qualify for consideration under criterion 3, they should indicate this on their preference form in the place provided for this purpose.  

Note 5

Distance measurements will be undertaken using the Local Authority’s computerised Geographical Information System (GIS).  This measures a straight-line measure between the centre of the pupil’s home address and a common point on the school/nursery site as determined by the LA.