Applying for a Primary School Place​​

The information below explains how you can apply for your child's place in a primary school reception class.

Applications should be made online wherever possible. Paper forms will be available for those who do not have access to the online facility. You can apply online using the online Primary School Admissions service.

Applications should be made by all parents living within Redcar & Cleveland, who wish to express a preference for their child to be admitted to a reception class of a primary school within the Redcar & Cleveland area.

Parents can express up to three preferences for schools in rank order and to give reasons for their preference. Parents should also provide supplementary information in support of any special reasons for their preferences. 

The Local Education Authority will make arrangements to ensure that application information is sent to all parents whose children are eligible for admission to reception classes in the 2023/2024 school year and who are resident within Redcar and Cleveland. The application information will be posted to home addresses week commencing 15 November 2023. If you do not receive this information by 1 December 2023​, please contact the school admissions team on 01642 837740 / 837730 / 837702

Paper application forms and supplementary forms must be returned to the Local Authority. 

A quick guide to the application process will be included in the application packs. Full details for primary admission arrangements will be published in the booklet Primary Education - A Guide for Parents​​. The booklet is available on the Redcar and Cleveland website, or from the school admissions team on 01642-837740 / 837730 / 837702.

Mid-Year Admissions and Transfer into Primary 

Changing your child's school is a very important decision to make and could affect your child's education. There are a range of reasons that may result in a parent/carer considering a move of school for their child but it may be possible to resolve these concerns.

• If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Education Health and Care Plan you must contact the SEN team first if you are looking to move to another school;
• If this request is not due to a house move from elsewhere an Officer will contact you to discuss your request for a transfer further;
• The Local Authority would strongly discourage unnecessary transfers between schools as it is extremely important that a child has continuity in their education.

If you are thinking about a change of school unrelated to a house move, please consider the following before making your decision:

• If your child already attends school, you must discuss the reasons for requesting a move with the current school as it is important that you try to resolve any difficulties by working with the school rather than seeking to transfer. A school cannot ask you to withdraw your child from school or withdraw your child from the school roll without your permission or first establishing that your child has a new school place;
• Each school teaches the National Curriculum in different ways and at different times of the academic year. How will your child cope with learning new arrangements and doing things in different ways? They may have done the work before, missed important earlier work, or find the work new or strange.  Different schools offer different examination boards with different syllabuses- it might be a whole different content set is needed for a course that your child is half way through;
• Children need to feel happy at school and relationships with the right friends, and with teachers, are an important part of this. Will your child be able to settle in and get to know new people quickly, so that their learning does not suffer;
• How would your child get to a new school? What will be the cost involved? A change will usually be regarded as parental choice. In most circumstances, you are unlikely to qualify for travel assistance to the preferred school;
• Will it be a problem for you if your children attend different schools? There is no automatic right for your other children to also transfer to the new school. Will you be able to transport your children to different schools at the appropriate times;
• You might need to buy a completely new uniform, including PE kit, if your child changes school​;
• Many things that worry parents, carers and children can be resolved without the need to move schools. Often moving schools does not resolve these concerns and can have a bad effect on your child's education and their health and wellbeing. If your child is unhappy at school you should speak to the Headteacher. Problems can usually be resolved quickly.

Once you have had the opportunity to consider the above information, and feel you have considered all aspects of a potential move for your child, and still wish to proceed with a transfer request, please contact the School Admissions Section on Tel: 01642 837740 / 837730 who will advise you on the Admissions Process and School Availability.​

Admissions Policy

Children are admitted to the Nursery, on a part-time basis, as soon after their third birthday as possible. The school follows the admissions policy set out by the Local Education Authority.

Priority is given to

• four year olds living within the school admission zone
• three year olds living in the admission zone
• children outside the admission zone who have siblings in school
• four year olds living outside the admission zone
• three year olds living outside the admission zone.

There is a single intake for Reception children in September each year. The allocation of Reception places is managed by the local authority.

In the case of over subscription the following criteria are followed in priority order:

• Children who are cared for by the local authority
• Children with Statements of Special Educational Need
• Children permanently resident in the admission zone defined for the school
• Children who have elder brothers or sisters attending the school
• Children who have exceptional social and/or medical reasons for attending a particular school, professionally supported by an independent third party and sustained by the authority’s professional advisers
• Children living closest to the school

All parents and carers have the right to appeal

The admission authority must inform a parent or carer of the decision to refuse their child a place at a school they've applied for.

It must tell parents and carers:

• Why admission was refused
• About their right to appeal
• The deadline for lodging an appeal
• Contact details for making an appeal
• How to make an appeal, including setting out their grounds for appeal in writing

Admission authorities cannot limit the grounds on which appeals can be made.

This is set out in paragraph 2.5 of the school admission appeals code and on paragraph 2.32 of the school admissions code.

While the admissions appeals code applies directly to maintained schools in England, academies are also required to comply with the code through their funding agreements.

Timetable for appeals

Admission authorities must set a timetable for organising and hearing appeals that:

• Includes a deadline for lodging appeals
  •  The deadline must allow appellants at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge their written appeal
• Gives appellants at least 10 school days’ notice of their appeal hearing 
• Includes reasonable deadlines for:
  • Appellants to submit additional evidence
  • Admission authorities to submit their evidence
  • The clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
• Ensures that decision letters are sent within 5 school days of the hearing, wherever possible

Appeals timetables must be published by admission authorities on their website by 28 February each year.

Here are the deadlines for hearing different types of appeals: 

Type of appeal	Deadline for hearing appeal
Applications made in the normal admissions round	Within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals
Late applications	Within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged
Applications to sixth forms where the offer of a place was conditional upon exam results	Within 30 school days of confirmation of those results
Applications to sixth forms where the offer of a place was not conditional upon exam results	Within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals
Applications for in-year admissions	Within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged