Castle Hill Admissions
Nursery Admissions
Nursery Admission Policy
In Foundation Stage we are committed to ensuring:
- a fair and equal allocation of nursery places.
- that those children with additional support needs are provided with a suitable nursery place.
- that all nursery places are allocated using the same criteria.
Castle Hill Primary School works with all communities, sectors and groups to deliver high-quality Early Years care which is accessible, accountable, responsive and which provides value for money. Castle Hill seeks to provide a flexible integrated service where extended care and education are seamless.
The policy of Castle Hill is:
- To secure a nursery place for all children in their pre-school year.
- To provide (if there are spaces) education for children in the year before, when they have turned three. If there are no places at Castle Hill Primary School Nursery, parents will be signposted to other providers in the area.
All children aged three and four are entitled to 15 hours a week of free nursery education during school term times (38 weeks a year), from the term following their third birthday. At Castle Hill, from September 2022, we are offering 30 hours of free education for all children in the nursery.
Rising Threes
Children will be eligible for entry to nursery education the term after the child's third birthday.
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A child turning 3 years old between 1st September and 31st December in the term of their pre-nursery year will be eligible for entry in the Spring term.
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A child turning 3 years old between 1st January and March 31st in the term of their pre-nursery year will be eligible for entry in the Summer term.
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A child turning 3 years old between 1st April and 31st August will be eligible to start nursery in the September of their nursery year.
Nursery Allocation Procedure
Nursery applications are made via the school, please contact the school office for a nursery application form.
Decisions on applications for nursery places will be in accordance with our admissions criteria (see allocation of places). Children who attend a school’s nursery class do not have priority for admission to the reception year as decisions on primary school admissions are taken separately by the local authority.
To facilitate the allocation of places where demand exceeds availability, the Headteacher and Foundation Stage Leader will meet to ensure that places are allocated efficiently and fairly.
The Foundation Stage Leader will inform parents by letter, indicating that a place has been allocated for their child. Where a place is not available, a letter stating this will be sent to the parent. This letter will include the following information: We regret that a place is not available; however, you have been placed on the waiting list and will be kept up to date with any changes.
Parents must inform the school if they no longer wish their child’s name to be on a waiting list or if the home address changes.
Nursery Allocation of Places
If we receive more nursery applications than places available the decision
on whether or not a place can be offered will be made in accordance with the admission criteria set out in priority order below:
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Children looked after by the local authority including adopted children who were previously looked after and children who leave care under a special guardianship or residence order.
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Children for whom it is deemed there are strong educational, medical or social reasons to attend the school applied to.
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Children living within the catchment area who have a sibling attending the school and who will continue to do.
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Children who live within the catchment area of the school and for whom the school applied is their nearest community school within the catchment area.
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Other children from within the catchment area of the school.
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Children living outside of the catchment area of the school applied for.
In the event of oversubscription within categories 3, 4, 5, and 6 above, priority will be given to children who live closest to the school by the shortest walking distance.
As far as possible, we will inform parents/carers of the outcome of their application by letter or email, at least one term before admission. Parents/carers must confirm acceptance directly with the school by the date stipulated in our offer letter.
If our Nursery is oversubscribed, we will maintain a waiting list in the order of criteria listed above.
Nursery Extended Hours Admission Policy
Parents are entitled to nationally agreed hours of pre-school education. For most children, this will be taken as a regular session over a week.
The sessions run from 8.50 -12.00 and 12.00 - 3.15. Other patterns of attendance may be agreed upon to suit the parent and their childcare needs. A full day is 6 1⁄2 hours and runs from 8:50 – 3:15.
There may be occasions when, in the best interest of the child and family, an extension to the child's normal entitlement can be provided at a charge. Any hours above your funding entitlement are charged at £4 per hour.
Nursery Attendance
Although enrolment and attendance at nursery is voluntary, it is desirable for the child to have a regular pattern of attendance. There may be occasions, however, when attendance becomes irregular or may stop. Staff should take every possible step to discuss the situation with parents, or other agencies and to encourage and offer support to the family.
A record of attendance is maintained daily and monitored regularly. No child should be removed from the nursery roll without prior discussion with the parent and other involved professionals.
Reception - Year 6 Admissions
Choosing the right school for your child is an important decision and parents/carers are warmly welcomed to visit our school with their child before applying for a school place. Please contact the school office to book an appointment during the school day on 01706 813163/admin@castlehill.calderdale.sch.uk
The school operates Calderdale's Primary Admissions Policy and the administration of admissions is dealt with by the local authority. All applications for school places from reception - year 6 are made online.
Please click here This takes you to the Calderdale Admissions website home page where you will find further information about admissions, including how to apply for a primary school reception place, In-year transfers and appeals.
Contact Details for Calderdale Admissions Team
Email address: cyps.admissions@calderdale.gov.uk
Westgate House
Halifax
HX1 1PS