Nursery Admissions Policy

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR NURSERY 2021/2022

IMPORTANT: Please note that admission to a nursery class does not guarantee admission to the main school on the nursery site.

The criteria listed in order of priority are:

1. Looked after children or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements order, or special guardianship order (NOTE definitions of looked after children or previously looked after children are detailed at the end of the criteria)

2. Children with a brother or sister who are attending the main school (not the nursery class) at the time of application*.

– NOTE: The words brother and sister refer to all blood, half, foster, step and adoptive brothers and sisters (not cousins) who live at the same home and in the same family unit as the child on a permanent basis or for the majority of time in any calendar year. A sibling relationship does not apply when the older child(ren) will leave before the younger one starts.

3. The distance from home to school is measured by straight-line, from a point in the property to a point in the school determined by the grid references for the centre of the school’s postcode for the purposes of Nursery is Summerfield Road W5 1ND. The measuring system used is provided by UK Postcode.net. If two or more children have equal priority under the criteria, the criterion of distance will then be applied.

4. Children will be admitted in age order.

DEFINITION OF LOOKED AFTER AND PREVIOUSLY LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN

A “looked after child” is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1)of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.

Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after. A child arrangements order is defined in s8 of the Children Act 1989 as amended by s12 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order. A special guardianship order is defined by s14A of the Children Act 1989 as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

TIE BREAK

In the event that the distances are equal, the school will draw lots to determine which applicant should be offered the place.

In accordance with Ealing Special Education Provision:

Statement of Special Educational Needs/Educational Health and Care Plan

Children with Statements of Special Educational Needs/Educational Health and Care Plans that name a school in the statement are required to be admitted to the school that is named.

TWINS, TRIPLETS OR OTHER CHILDREN FROM MULTIPLE BIRTHS

The school does not give priority under its admission criteria for twins, triplets or other children from multiple births, however, the school will admit twins and children from multiple births when one of the siblings is the twenty-fifth child admitted*. This must still be within EYFS ratio 1/13.

PROOF OF DATE OF BIRTH

Nursery place offers are subject to providing documentary evidence of proof of date of birth e.g. the child’s medical card, birth certificate or passport.

PROOF OF ADDRESS

Nursery place offers are subject to providing documentary evidence of proof of your home address. We may ask Ealing council to check internal council databases in order to verify your address. The claimed address must be your permanent address where you are living with your child on the date you submit your application and the proof provided should be in the name of the applicant.

Documentary evidence of your permanent address: Your current year’s Council Tax Bill. If you do not pay Council Tax then the following may be accepted: Letter confirming entitlement to benefits e.g. child benefit, child tax credit, housing benefit, income support or Jobseekers allowance for the current year or any new benefits which may be introduced or replace any of these. Tenancy agreement from a registered private letting agency with 2 copies of recent bills e.g. bank/mobile/phone statement, utility bill (gas/water/electricity) or wage slip Car Insurance Letter from Social Services, National Asylum Support Service (NASS), United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) or Housing Department confirming placement at your address If you are living with friends or relatives, you will need to provide a copy of their Council Tax bill, a letter from the Council Tax payer confirming that you are residing with them for the foreseeable future and two of the documents referred to above. If you and/or your child are living abroad but intend to move back to this country you must provide the home address in the country you are currently residing.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

Where the parents have shared responsibility and the child is residing with one parent for the majority of the time or on a permanent basis, the address of this parent will be used for the purposes of the application. Where parents have shared responsibility and the child lives with each parent for half of the calendar year, the parents must come to an agreement as to whose address will be used for the application. This address will be used to process the child’s application and can only be changed after the beginning of the academic year unless the address of the chosen parent changes during the admissions process. Proof of residency will be required. In all other cases of personal or family arrangements the address of the mother will be taken as the main residence unless there is irrefutable evidence that the child lives elsewhere either full-time or for most of the year with an adult under arrangements which have been endorsed by a court.

30 HOUR NURSERY PLACES

30-hour Nursery places will take place from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. Places are prioritised for families with a Department of Work and Pensions eligibility code. The criteria for filling the vacancies will be the same as for 15-hour Admissions (see above).

Parent/Carers may provide a Packed Lunch or pay for a school meal via Harrison Catering. Universal Free School Meals start in the Reception Year. There is no provision for children to receive a free school meal in Nursery.

Please note that if the 30-hour code submitted upon the application becomes invalid, parent(s)/carers will be charged for an additional 15 hours per week. The current rate is £4.89 per hour.

North Ealing reserves the right to withdraw a 30-hour place if the code becomes invalid and sufficient funds are not received for the place.

If you wish to change your 30-hour place to a 15-hour place this may not be possible. You will need to make a separate application for a 15-hour place and go on the waiting list if a place is not available.

ROLLING INTAKE

If there are any vacancies in the nursery class we shall offer them on a rolling basis. Applications will be received throughout the academic year and a waiting list will be ranked on the day a place becomes available in accordance with the criteria.

SETTLING IN PERIOD

Children will usually begin a phased entry. Children will start on different dates/times to allow children to settle easily. You may need to be flexible in the first few weeks of your child starting Nursery. An individual settling in plan may need to be arranged.

PERSONAL HYGEINE

As children grow and develop they become increasingly independent and confident in everyday tasks such as toileting and hand washing and if your child is joining us in nursery for September please encourage and nurture this independence by offering encouragement and showing them what to do. If your child is experiencing toileting issues please ensure you let us know as it may be necessary for a care plan to be put into place.

You can help your child by putting him or her in the school uniform which has been designed with this in mind. Please ensure uniform is loose fitting and easy to pull up and down. Spare uniform is held in the Nursery, however if you would prefer to provide a spare set of uniform then please do so in a small named bag for their peg.

PUNCTUALITY AND ATTENDANCE

Children are expected to arrive on time for Nursery sessions and should be collected promptly. Punctuality and attendance are monitored by the local authority. Persistent absence may result in the place being withdrawn.

JOINING NORTH EALING IN RECEPTION

The Local Education Authority is responsible for deciding and administering the admissions policy for this school and the admission process for Reception is handled centrally via Ealing Council.

PLEASE NOTE:

The offer of a Nursery place does not guarantee an automatic progression from Nursery to Reception.

The committee with oversight for the policy
Resources
Policy to be approved by
Resources Committee
Policy last reviewed by the Resources Committee
23/06/2021
Policy last ratified and adopted by Full Governing Body
23/06/2021
Policy/Document due for review
06/2022