Nursery Admissions Policy

East Wichel Community Primary School & Nursery

Nursery Admissions Policy

At East Wichel Nursery we will ensure that your child has the opportunity to develop into a confident, happy learner who is prepared for life in school and beyond.

Introduction

• We offer nursery places from 2 to 4 years.
• 2 year olds:
  • Non-funded places are available. 
  • 15 hours funded places – (Children may be eligible to 2 year old funding depending upon circumstances). 
• All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to free learning and care in an early years setting from the start of the term (Autumn term - September, Spring term - January or Summer term March/April) following their third birthday for 38 weeks in a full year. This is term time only.
• We offer places using the free entitlement and non-funded places should parents wish to take up more than their free entitlement.
• 15 hour and 30 hour funding can also be used for places at Breakfast Club, Lunch Club and After School Club.
• For more information about term dates please see appendix 1.

This is a non-statutory phase of education. Admission to a school Nursery class is outside of the statutory framework for admissions.

• Swindon Borough Council is not the admissions authority for Nursery classes.
• There is no Swindon Borough Council policy for Nursery class admissions, and Nursery classes are not encompassed by the Local Authority’s Primary

Admissions Policy.

• There is no statutory framework for appeals against an admission decision.
• The responsibility for agreeing and implementing an Admissions Policy for a school Nursery class lies with the individual school.

Age of Admission

• Children can be admitted to the nursery:
  • Children aged 2 will usually be admitted at the beginning of the Autumn, Spring or Summer term into a non-funded place, or a funded place if the child meets funding eligibility.
  • Children aged 3 or 4 will usually be admitted at the beginning of the Autumn, Spring or Summer term if there is a vacancy and the criteria are met. 
  • An admission can take place in any term during the academic year if there is a vacancy and the criteria are met.

• Subject to places being available, parents can request to start their child early, providing that their child has reached their second or third birthday. Parents/carers will be charged at the published rate until the child is eligible for 15 hours universal funding. Early starts are subject to agreement and on prompt payment of fees.

Application Process

• Parents requiring a place for their child should complete the Nursery application form.
• Nursery application forms will be available to any parent on request from the school or downloaded from the ‘Parent’ section of the school website,

www.eastwichel.swindon.sch.uk

• Parents must book a minimum of four sessions a week. Sessions run from 8.30-11.30 and 12.30-3.30 Monday to Friday during term time.
• Nursery applications must be received by the last day of the term before the term you would like your child to start e.g. an application for a child to start in the Autumn term (September) must be received by the end of the Spring term (March/April).
• Parents will be informed of the success of their application, by no later than the end of the first week of the half term before the child is due to start Nursery.
• Parents will be expected to confirm acceptance of their child’s place in writing within two weeks of the offer of a place.
• Offers for children who are 2 years and requiring 15 hour funded places, or 3 and 4 year children requiring 30 hour funded places are subject to the validation of the ‘eligibility code’, or will be charged at the published rate for non-funded sessions.  (Please see appendix 2).
• If the Nursery is full, children will be entered onto a waiting list in order of enrolment date within their admission group. Families not offered a place will be advised that they have been entered onto the waiting list.

It should be noted that admission to the school Nursery class does NOT constitute admission to the primary school, nor does attendance at the Nursery class give priority to admission to the primary school.

Allocation of preferred sessions.

Parents/Carers will be required to give preferences with regards to the session options when they apply for a place. Account will be taken of any preference for session options expressed by parents, but preferences will be allocated subject to availability and are not guaranteed. If the preferred session is unavailable, the child will be offered an alternative session.

If a parent/carer would like to request additional session/s or change any session/s once their child is already attending East Wichel Nursery you are required to complete and return our ‘Additional or Amendment of Session Form’.  Requests for additional or a change in sessions will be processed during week 2 of every school term (6 times per year).

Criteria for Admission and Over-subscription Criteria

The following criteria will be applied to admission and in the event of over-subscription, in the following steps.

1. An adopted child or a child in the care of the local authority or provided with accommodation by the authority.
2. Any child living in the East Wichel catchment area with siblings already attending East Wichel (proof of address will be required).
3. Any child living in the East Wichel catchment area (proof of address will be required).
4. Any child living in any other part of Swindon with siblings attending East

Wichel Community Primary School and Nursery.

1. Any child living in any other part of Swindon.

In the event that there are more applications than spaces that meet the same criteria, places will be allocated based on the date that the form is returned to the office.

Emergency Sessions

Emergency sessions can be booked on the day or up to a week in advance. Places are subject to availability and charged at the published rate for the emergency session. Please see appendix 2.

Virtual Online Meeting

Where possible, all parents/carers who have accepted a nursery place for their child will be invited to attend a virtual online meeting by a member of the nursery staff, at a pre-arranged time.

Leavers during the year

• If a child is withdrawn by their parents from the nursery during the school year, parents must give the school a minimum of four weeks’ notice.
• The place of a child who has been withdrawn cannot be held open and will be automatically made available to allocate to another child on the waiting list.
• If parents later wish their child to return to the nursery then they will have to re-apply for a place on the waiting list and the application will be considered according to the criteria along with all the other applications.
• The fact that a child has previously been in the nursery, or any other nursery, will in no way influence the decision on being offered a place.

Attendance and Loss of Nursery Place

• The staff at East Wichel look forward to working closely with children and their families with regards to attendance. If attendance and punctuality is poor or erratic the staff will talk to parents and remind them that for the child to benefit fully from nursery education, attendance needs to be regular and punctual.
• This conversation should be recorded and dated.
• If after a period of two weeks attendance and punctuality remains poor, a letter will be sent to the parents inviting them to meet with a senior member of staff.
• If, following the meeting, there is no sustained improvement in attendance within an agreed period, the child may lose their place. Parents will be notified of this in writing.
• If a child is absent for a period of three weeks without any contact from the parents and the school has been unable to make contact within this time, the child may lose their place and it may be offered to someone else.
• This will be decided by the Headteacher, and a letter explaining the situation will be sent to parents.

East Wichel Catchment Area

The following map shows streets that are included in our catchment area, and children living at these addresses will have priority to a place at our nursery if spaces are available.

Appeals Process

There is no statutory right of appeal against a decision with regard to admission to a Nursery class. Parents wishing to object to a decision concerning their application should in the first instance, put their concerns in writing to the Headteacher.

Reviewed by C Hodges:  March 2023

Approved by Governors: March 2023

Review date:  May 2024

Appendix 1 - Terms

The Nursery terms are slightly different to mainstream school, to tie in with the funding periods assigned by the government.  They are as follows:

Autumn Term: September to December

Spring Term: January to March

Summer Term: April to July 

Appendix 2 – Published rates

Additional three hour session price is £18

Emergency three hour session price is £25

Lunch Time Care one hour session price is £4.40