Admissions

Admissions

As a Community School, we follow the Cambridgeshire County Council Policy for first admission to school which is as follows:

By law children must start statutory education full time at the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. Where admission is offered prior to compulsory school age, parents may defer their child’s entry into school until later in that academic year.

Our admissions policy allows children to start school earlier than the law requires. However, the law also allows parents to ask for their child to be admitted but lets them delay the start date until later in the school year. Your child must start school by the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday and the place must be taken up by the start of the summer term. If you inform us that you wish to delay your child’s entry, the place will be held and will not be offered to another child.

Parents seeking places in other year groups may apply to the LA at any time. Click here to visit the Cambridge admissions page. If there is a place it will be offered. If the year group is full, the child will be placed on a reserve list and the parents will be offered the right of appeal.

You can find more information about applying for a school place at the following address: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Follow the link for School Admissions and then Primary: reception, junior or middle. Cambridgeshire County Council must receive your completed application by Saturday 15^th January 2023. Please also register with the school by calling the school office on 01945 870374. Offers will be made on 17th April 2023. Further information about the admissions process can be obtained by contacting Admissions at admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or 0345 045 1370.

If you wish to apply for a place for children who are not yet of statutory age, you must complete the Council’s Parent/Carer declaration form which is available by clicking here, from the school office, or the Early Years Funding team.

All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of free early learning from the term following their third birthday. Some 2 year olds are also eligible for 15 hours a week of free early learning. Subject to available places we offer fee paying places for 2 year olds not eligible for a free place. Please contact the school office for further information.

Catchment Area:

Tydd St Giles village and the surrounding area bounded by the Lincolnshire border to the west and north and by the North Level Main Drain to the south and east. Newton village and the surrounding area bounded in the west by Block Drove; in the north by the North Level Main Drain to the Lincolnshire and Norfolk borders; and in the south by, and including Ferry Lane, Sutton Road, to and including Littler Ramper and thereafter south to, but not including, Fitton End. The catchment area also includes Foul Anchor, Four Gotes and Fenland area of Tydd Gote.

Oversubscription Criteria for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools;

Children who have a Statement of Special Educational Need (SEN) / Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school will be admitted. NB. Those children with a statement of SEN / EHCP that does not name the school will be referred to the Statutory Assessment Team (SAT) to determine an appropriate place.

1. Children in Care, also known as Looked After Children (LAC), and children who were previously Looked After but ceased to be so by reason of adoption, a residence order (now known as a child arrangement order) or special guardianship order ;

2. Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceases to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

3. Children living in the catchment area with a sibling at the school (or partner infant/junior school) at the time of admission;

4. Children living in the catchment area;

5. Children living outside the catchment area who have a sibling at the school (or partner infant/junior school) at the time of admission;

6. Children of members of staff, providing that they have been employed for a minimum of two years and/or are recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage.

7. Children who live outside the catchment area, but nearest the school as measured by a straight line.

School admissions in Cambridgeshire are managed by the School Admissions Team. We deal with applications for places in all school year groups, with the exception of sixth forms and colleges. Click here for all details relating to admissions and appeals information.

In cases of equal merit in each set of criteria, priority will go to children living nearest the school as measured by a straight line. Please refer to the Glossary of Terms on pages 127-128 for further information.