Admissions
School Prospectus 2019 - 2020
As we are now managing our own Nursery Admissions, please find the link below to information and the application form regarding the Admissions process for Nursery places. Please contact us if you are interested in your child attending our Nursery class.
http://www.hertfordheath.herts.sch.uk/nursery-place-applications/
Admissions Policy – Hertford Heath Primary School
1 Introduction
The governing body of Hertford Heath School applies the regulations on admissions fairly and equally to all those who wish to attend this school. The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 introduced a new framework for school admissions as of September 2000. This policy conforms to the regulations that are set out in that Act and also further explained in the statutory School Admissions Code of Practice and the statutory Appeals Code of Practice.
We follow the guidelines laid out in the Hertfordshire ‘Determined Admission Arrangements’ for community and voluntary controlled schools. Access to this will be made available to anyone upon request from the school office.
2 Aims and objectives
We are an inclusive school that welcomes children from all backgrounds and abilities.
All applications will be treated on merit and in a sensitive manner.
The only restriction we place on entry is that of number. If the number of children applying for entry exceeds the places available, we follow County’s appeal procedure. It is our wish to allow parents the right to have a place at the school of their choice. However, this is not always possible, due to the excess demand on the school places available.
The level of ability of a child plays no part in the admissions policy of this school.
3 How parents can apply for their child to be admitted to our school (Reception – Year 6)
As our school is a community school, the school determines the admission arrangements in agreement with the LEA. The LEA is therefore the ‘Admissions Authority’ for our school. The regulations for entry to each school, where the Admissions Authority is the LEA, are published each year by the LEA. Parents can receive a copy of these regulations directly from the LEA.
The LEA publishes a composite admissions prospectus each year, which gives information about how parents can apply for a place in the school of their choice. Parents have a right to express a preference for the school of their choice and they should do so on the application form. Expressing a preference does not, in itself, guarantee a place at this school. Application forms can be obtained from the Education Department of the LEA and should be completed by the date stipulated on the forms. Parents are encouraged to apply on-line – all is explained in the booklet sent out to parents. To apply on-line go to: www.hertsdirect.org/admissions. The LEA notifies parents about the school place as soon as all the applications have been considered.
In this area, children enter school in the academic year they become five, in the September following their fourth birthday. For Reception our PAN (published admission number) is 30. We therefore admit 30 children to the Reception Class in one intake, September, during each academic year. Therefore, parents who would like their child to be admitted to this school during the year their child is five should ensure that they complete the necessary Primary application form supplied by County.
- Nursery Applications March 2021 update - we still have vacancies for September 2021, please contact the school office for further details.
We have a Nursery class for children who turn four during the academic year. All Nursery children start in September and are expected to attend five mornings (8:50-11:50) each week during term time, 15 hours weekly.
Nursery applications are made via our school and the school office coordinates Nursery allocations and offers. Parents are encouraged to visit our school before applying.
For Nursery entries into the academic year September 2021-July 2022, for children who will be turning four during the year, our applications open in November 2020 and close at midday on Friday 26/2/2021). Applications for Nursery places will be considered in the first week of March and the school office will make offers to parents on 8/3/21. Parents are asked to confirm their acceptance of a place in our Nursery by Thursday 25th March 2021.
We can take up to 26 children in our Nursery. We cannot take more than 26.
Offers into Nursery will be based on the following criteria:
- Children Looked After.
- Evidenced medical or social need (from a doctor, psychologist or social worker – saying why closer schools to their home address will not meet the child’s needs. Why our school fits their specific needs?)
- Sibling of a child here (in the current Reception – Year 5).
- Son/daughter of a member of our school staff.
- Closest distance, as the crow flies from your front door to our school gates (as measured by Googlemaps).
If you do not receive a place in our Nursery when offers are made on 8/3/2021
we will be very happy to put you on our ‘Continuing Interest list’ and we will contact
you should a place become available.
5 Primary Admission appeals
If you are not offered a place (Reception – Year 6) at this school for your child, it is because to do so would prejudice the education of other children by allowing the numbers of children in the school to increase too much.
If parents wish to appeal against a decision to refuse entry, they can do so by applying to the LEA. An independent appeals panel then meets to consider all appeals by parents who have been refused a place at our school and who wish to appeal against this decision. An appeals panel’s decision is binding for all parties concerned. If the appeals panel decides that we should admit a child to our school, then we will accept this and continue to do all we can to provide the best education for all the children at our school. (Further details of appeals arrangements are set out in the revised Code of Practice on School Admissions Appeals, which came into force in Sept. 2004).
6 The standard number
The standard number is the number of children the school can accommodate. The standard number from Reception to Year 6 is 30. We keep this number under review and the governors will apply to change the number if circumstances allow. However there is no current likelihood that our standard number will change.
The standard number in Nursery is 26. Therefore we admit 26 children to our Nursery class. Please note that a child’s attendance in our Nursery class does not guarantee admission to the school for Primary education (from Reception onwards). A separate application must be made when parents would like their child to transfer to or start our Reception class.
7 Key Stage One or Infant class size
Our standard number in Years 1 and 2 is 30. This matches the Government’s recommended number for infants/KS1.
8 In-year admissions
Children may only be admitted during the school year into classes that have available spaces. County handles all in-year admissions. Parents who are interested in transferring to our school should contact the HCC website at www.hertsdirect.org/admissions or call the Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043.
Parents may make an appointment with the school to talk to the Head Teacher and to look round the school. Parents will be asked to complete a ‘Hertfordshire In-Year Application Form’ and return this to County. The form is available from the Admissions team at County or direct from the school. Upon confirmation of vacancy/ies the school will propose a start date to the parent and offer a place. Then the County ‘In Year Admissions Officer’ will process the form and send out a formal offer letter to the parents.
9 Continuing interest list
If the particular year group that you are applying to is full, you may join our continuing interest list which is referred to should a child leave and a place suddenly becomes available. A continuing interest list is held by County for places in our Reception – Year 6. Any queries regarding a child’s position on the continuing interest list must be referred to the local admissions team at County Hall.
10 Extended leave
There is no longer such a thing as ‘Extended Leave’. Parents no longer have a right to seek an agreed period of Extended Leave for their child. The school cannot keep a child’s place open and in the case of a child being absent from school for more than 4 weeks (20 school days) the child will lose their place at our school, in line with Herts. Attendance Improvement Officer advice
In exceptional circumstances the school may keep a child’s place open, at the discretion of the Head Teacher and Governors, for 4 weeks. In this instance there will be a named date when the child is expected to return to school. If the child fails to return by that date the child’s place will then be offered to people on our Continuing Interest List. On the original child’s return their parent/s will need to apply to County for their place again.
11 Review
This policy will be reviewed annually in the light of any changed circumstances in our school or within the local area/education authority.
Signed:
Date: September 2019