Primary School Applications
Applying for a Primary School Place
The thought of applying for a primary school place for your child can be daunting, however the following information will hopefully help ease some of the questions that you may have.
When can my child start Primary School?
Children can start in Reception year at primary school from the September after their fourth birthday however, by law, children don’t have to start school until the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday.
When do I need to apply?
1 September – Parents can apply online for their preferred primary settings from this date.
School places are not allocated on a first come, first served basis. All applications received up to the closing date are given equal priority, but if you miss the deadline, a late application may reduce your chance of getting your preference of school.
15 January – National closing date for primary applications (statutory).
During this period all applications are processed and all preferences are considered against the published admissions policy. Where there are more applications than places available, decisions will be made as to which children should be offered the available places. Lancashire County Council will then liaise and exchange information with all other admission authorities, including neighbouring local authorities. Once this has been undertaken, the allocation of a primary school place is made.
17 April – Primary School Place Offers are issued to parents.
What do I need to be able to apply?
The responsibility for applying for a Primary School place for your child lies with yourself. Once you have visited the school/s that you are interested in, you will be better informed about the choices you make. In order to apply, you will need to have the following handy:
- A valid email address – this is the address that will be used to confirm your application and the school place you will be offered in April
- Your name, address and telephone number
- The first name, last name and date of birth of your child
- The child’s permanent address (if this is different from the parent/guardian applying for a place)
- The names of your first, second and third school preferences
- Details of brothers or sisters who will be attending one or more of the schools you are applying to when the younger child starts in September
- If the child receives care, you need the name of the Local Care Authority that is responsible for this care and the child’s social worker
- You will need to choose your own user ID, this must be 6-16 characters long and contain letters and numbers only
- You will also need to choose a password of at least 8 characters, one uppercase, one lowercase, one of the following special characters: ! @ # % ^ & * () and one number.
If you are struggling with the application process or have any questions about the primary school transition, then please do pop in and ask us - we will be happy to help!
How can I help prepare my child for Primary School?
We will have been working closely with your child during their time with us, to help them become as 'school ready' as possible. ‘School readiness’ is a term used to describe how ready children are to start school in reception class. Lancashire County Council has some really useful tips and ideas for parents, including a guide to support you with ideas, reduce any anxieties and feel confident that you have shared all the information that you wanted, to help the school begin to get to know the individual needs of your child.
Please click on the link below to be taken to their website.