September 2023 Admissions
Starting School
By clicking on the link below you will be taken directly to the Kent County Council website where you can find out more about how to apply for a school place.
www.kent.gov.uk/education_and_learning
What we offer ...
We are a large Infant School who are proud to specialise in child centred early years provision. In January 2019 we formally federated with our link Junior School to form the unique partnership of The Willesborough Schools.
We want your child to have the best possible start to school life. We offer you and your child an exceptional transition programme from pre-school to school. We strongly encourage you to seize every opportunity offered to you and your child throughout this process.
- There is a Welcome Evening in April for parents and carers
- There are information sessions and workshops for parents during the summer term
- There are class visits for children during the summer terms
- There is a fun 'My grown up 'n' me!' session for parents and children in the summer term
- There is a 'Kittens' pre-school which offers ‘starting school’ sessions
- We visit all of the children in our feeder nursery and pre-schools throughout the summer terms
- We ask to come and visit you and your child in your home in September
We work in partnership with you as your child’s first educator and enjoy excellent partnerships with local pre-schools, nurseries, child minders and children’s centres.
Kittens
We offer 'Kittens' sessions to children who are due to start school with us in September.
They are led by the Headteacher and Assistant Headteachers and supported by key Reception staff who will be teaching the children in September.
Kittens Topic Plan:
How are children admitted to school?
We admit children on a part time basis for the first few days (one week).
Whilst the children attend part time, this will be either a morning or afternoon session. Both are of equal length. In each part time session and in each class, there will be fifteen children. The higher ratio of practitioners to children at the earliest stages of their school induction has advantages in fostering relationships between adults and children. Amongst many other measures, this will ensure that every child has the best possible start to school.
Reception children usually start school three days later than Year One and Two children to allow for home visits.
To apply for a place in Reception at an Infant or Primary School for your child for September 2024, you will need to complete a special form called a Reception Common Application Form (RCAF for short).
You apply online at www.kent.gov.uk/ola.
If you have missed the cut off date, you will need to get in touch with Kent County Council in the first instance.
After the closing date of your online application, KCC will email you to tell you which school you have been offered. They cannot guarantee the exact time you will receive your email, this will depend on your email service provider.
KCC no longer accept postal applications, therefore please contact us if you are having difficulty online and we will be pleased to help you.
After you get your school offer:
You will then need to inform the school in writing as to whether you will accept the place or not.
At this point, you will also need to come to school with proof of address as to the only or main residence of you and your child.
To provide evidence showing that you were resident at the address given at the time of your child’s application, which must also be the address you will still be living at on the application closing date, please supply one of the documents:
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Credit Card statement
- Council Tax Bill
- Recent Pay Slip showing address
To provide evidence of your child’s main address as given on your child’s application form which must also be the address he/she will be living at on the application closing date, please supply one of the following documents:
- Child Benefit letter
- Child Tax or Working Tax Credit letter that gives you child’s name and address
- Child’s medical card
- Child’s Hospital/GP or clinic appointment letter
- Statement of savings account in the child’s name
- Nursery school invoice or statement
To provide evidence of your child’s date of birth please supply your child’s original birth certificate.
If you have any queries about the Admission process please email on admissions.1@willesborough-js.kent.sch.uk or come into school
You can also contact the Kent Admissions Team on 03000 41 21 21 or visit their website.
Appeals:
If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2024, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Tuesday, 16 April 2024). You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday 14 May 2024 for it to be considered by Tuesday 16th July 2024. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.
For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education
in Year Admissions
Admission for children already attending an infant / Primary School - Determined Admissions Arrangements 2023/2024
From time to time, we are able to admit children into different year groups at different times if places become available.
Please contact the school office to enquire whether a place is available for your child by emailing admissions.1@willesborough-js.kent.sch.uk
By clicking on the link below you will be taken directly to the Kent County Council website where you can find out more about how to apply for a school place.
If you contact the school office they will be able to arrange a time for you to come and visit our school. On your visit, one of our Assistant Headteachers, Shelly King or Emily Sparrow, will take you around our school and will be able to answer any questions that you may have.
If you are a parent wishing to apply for a place for your child at our school you will need to complete the In Year Admission Form (kent.gov.uk) from this link or collecting a paper copy from the school office. Please return the completed form back to our Admissions Officer on admissions.1@willesborough-js.kent.sch.uk or send it via post or in person to our school office. You will need to fill in a separate form for each child.
You will hear from us within ten (school) days. If we are unable to offer a place, your child’s name will be added to our waiting list. You have the right to appeal against the refusal of a place.
In the event of over-subscription for in year admissions or at the start of a school year, the Governors will allocate places to children according to the following criteria:
- Children in Local Authority Care– a child under the age of 18 years for whom the local authority provides accommodation by agreement with their parents/carers (Section 22 of the Children Act 1989) or who is the subject of a care order under Part IV of the Act. This applies equally to children who immediately after being looked after by the local authority became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order. (As defined by Section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or Section 8 or 14A of the Children Act 1989).
- Current attendance at Willesborough Infant School orWillesborough Junior School. Current Family Association – a brother or sister who will be in Willesborough Junior School or Willesborough Infant School at the time of entry. In this context, brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, step-brother or sister or foster brother or sister.
- Health and Special Access Reasons– medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally, this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical, or other practitioner, who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school.
- Nearness of children’s homes to school- we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, as provided by Kent County Council. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody.
SEN - Before the application of over-subscription criteria, children with a statement of special educational need (SSEN) or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this, the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly.
Notes:
In the event of over-subscription for in year admissions or at the start of a school year, the Governors will allocate places to children according to the criteria stated above.
Where the school has two identical applications that cannot otherwise be separated using the admissions criteria, the application received first by date will be ranked highest.
Published Admissions Number for year of entry (Year R) is 120.
The school's Waiting List will be re-ranked, in line with the published over-subscription criteria, every time a child is added to the list.
Requesting admission outside of the normal age group - We work in partnership with Willesborough Junior school and we do not routinely consider admitting children outside of their normal age.
To request admission outside of the normal age group, you should contact the Headteacher as early as possible during the application period for the child's date of birth. You are not expected to provide evidence to support your request to defer your application, but where provided, it must be specific to the child in question. This might include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, but failure to provide it may impede any decisions made.
Moving to Year 3
At the end of their third year with us (Year Two), the majority of children move on to Willesborough Junior School. Willesborough Infant and Willesborough Junior Schools officially federated on the 15th January 2019 to form the Willesborough Schools.
Entry to Willesborough Junior School is still not automatic; an application will need to be made via the on-line process available at www.kent.gov.uk/ola, using the on-line Junior Common Application Form (JCAF).
The on-line application process opens from the November before your child is due to move on.
Click on the link at the top of our website to access Willesborough Junior School's site.
The staff and governors of The Willesborough Schools work together to ensure the best possible outcomes in the continued learning journey of our children.
After you get your school offer:
You will then need to inform the school in writing as to whether you will accept the place or not.
At this point, you will also need to come to school with proof of address as to the only or main residence of you and your child.
To provide evidence showing that you are resident at the address given please supply one of the documents:
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Credit Card statement
- Council Tax Bill
- Recent payslip showing address
To provide evidence of your child’s main address as given on your child’s application form, please supply one of the following documents:
- Child Benefit letter
- Child Tax or Working Tax Credit letter that gives you child’s name and address
- Child’s medical card
- Child’s Hospital/GP or clinic appointment letter
- Statement of savings account in the child’s name
To provide evidence of your child’s date of birth please supply your child’s original birth certificate.
If you have any queries about the Admission process please ring or come into school. You can also contact the Kent Admissions Team on 03000 41 21 21 or visit their website.
Our places are offered based on KCC Admissions criteria. You can find further information about the admissions process on Kent County Council Primary Admissions website.
If your child is due to start primary, infant or junior school in 2024 and you do not receive a place at the school of your choice, you can appeal. For applications made in the normal admission round, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 schools days of the appeals being lodged.
If you are not happy with this decision, you can appeal to an independent appeal panel for a place. Please contact the Local Authority for details about the appeals process. An appeal hearing will be arranged and you can attend this in person and/or contact your local County Councillor for support.
Online appeals can be made at:
www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/appeal-a-school-offer
where you will also find further guidance on the appeals process.
You may also email to appeals@kent.gov.uk or call the 0300 041 4222 for support Email Us