Reception
Children whose 4th birthday falls between 1st September and 31st August the following year are eligible to start school in September. However, there is no obligation for a child to attend full time until the term after their 5th birthday.
If parents/carers or the Nursery/Playgroup are concerned that a child may not be mature enough to start in September, it can be discussed, and if necessary, entrance delayed until January.
At Brighstone we have a good relationship with the onsite Pre School and have developed a robust and successful induction program for starting school.
From January, a member of staff from preschool brings a group of children to visit every week, where they get to know the classroom, the school staff and some of the routines and activities that take place in school.
Parents are invited to an informal evening meeting to talk to the school staff, meet one another, see the learning environment and discuss anything they may be concerned about.
During the summer term we offer Home Visits and these have proven to be extremely supportive in the induction process. When a child’s teachers visit their home environment, the child feels more confident and relaxed. This often leads to conversation at a later date as well. “I remember when you came to see me and you played with my toys.”
Parents are invited to “stay and play” sessions with their children in school during the summer.
We have had very positive feedback from parents during this process and children do settle in very quickly in September.
In-Year Admissions
We welcome children joining us at any time in any of the year groups. You are welcome to have a look around at a time that suits you; please contact the school office to make an appointment. For details of how to apply to join the school, please see our Admissions Policy on our policies page.
Admission Arrangements for Pupils with Disabilities
Please see the SEND policy on our policy page for further information about admission arrangements for pupils with disabilities.
Consultation for Admissions Policy for September 2021
Consultation Notice – Reduction in Brighstone CE Primary School Published Admissions Number (PAN)
This consultation took place from Monday 16 December 2019 to Monday 27 January 2020
In accordance with 1.42 of the Schools Admissions Code the Governing Body for Brighstone CE Primary School had consulted on the Admissions Arrangements for September 2021 because changes were proposed. The amendment was to:
- To reduce the Published Admission Number at Brighstone CE Primary School from 30 to 15 places in Reception with effect from September 2021. This means that the number of places available for children in Reception in 2021 and all subsequent Reception cohorts will be 15.
This was the only proposed change to the admission criteria, all other criteria, including over subscription, remained the same.
A full version of the proposed changes to the admission arrangements is attached and hard copies are available from the school office.