Admissions

If you would like to visit the school before requesting a placement for your child with the Local Authority Admissions Team, please make an appointment with the school office, who will be happy to show you around.

If you want to apply for a school place you can:

• apply online:  https://www.derby.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/school-admissions/primary-school-admissions/
• apply by phone on 01332 642617 – this will take around 10 minutes and you will need to know the name of the school you are applying to
• apply using a paper form – telephone 01332 642730 to ask for a form.

Once the school is informed by the Local Authority of the offer of a placement, we will then write to you with our Admissions Procedure. As the school is an academy, any comments can be sent to the admission authority which is “Derby Diocese Academy Trust.”

Names are accepted for our Nursery waiting list from the age of two. Children are offered places in the Nursery Class for either: 5 mornings; 5 afternoons; or 2 ½ days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning OR Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday) in the school term following their 3rd Birthday. We are happy to offer places to children in our Nursery outside of our catchment area, who will possibly be taking up Reception placements at their local school at the appropriate age.

Are you eligible for help to pay for your childcare?

Government helps many families with childcare costs, whether you have toddlers or teens, you could get support.

Visits Childcare Choices to find out more about what you are eligible to receive and how to make childcare as cost effective as possible.

Information about Tax Free Childcare can be found here

https://www.derby.gov.uk/community-and-living/family-hub-childcare/childcare-and-early-years-education/reducing-the-cost-of-childcare/#page-1

All Reception Class admissions are dealt with centrally via Derby City Council:

http://www.derby.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/primary-school-admissions/.

When applying for a reception place at Firs, the maximum number of admissions we are allowed to take is 60.

Children are eligible for entry into the Reception Class in September of the School Year in which they are 5 years old. A meeting for all parents offered places by the Admissions Team is held at the school in June/July, prior to admission in September. If your child attends our Nursery, you will automatically receive an application pack from the Admissions Team when the admission process commences.

All in-year admissions are dealt with centrally via Derby City Council. Please see the link at the bottom of the page.

Over-subscription

Our capacity for each year group is 60 children.

When the school is oversubscribed, after the admission of pupils with Education Health and Care Plans where
the school is named in the Statement, priority for admission will then be given to those children who meet the
criteria set out below, in order…

1. A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after
   became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order in accordance with Section 22(1)
   of the Children Act 1989.
2. Children who are both living in the catchment area served by the school and have brothers or sisters* of compulsory school age still attending the school at the time of their admission.
3. Other children living in the catchment area at the time of admission.
4. Children who do not live in the catchment area served by the school but who have brothers or sisters* of compulsory school age attending the school at the time of their admission.
5. Other children whose parents have requested a place.
6. Children whose parents did not request a place by 15 January 2019.

* For the purposes of admissions, we class a brother or sister as:

■ having one or both natural parents in common

■ are related by a parent’s marriage

■ are adopted or fostered.

Note: a brother or sister must be living at the same address. Cousins are not classed as brothers or sisters.
Where we have to make a choice between children who meet the same criteria, we will give priority to the child living nearest the school, measured by a straight line. The line will be measured from the home address to the school using the national Ordnance Survey set points.

When children apply for Firs there is no selection process. We follow all of Derby City’s admission procedures and policies which can be found on Derby City Council’s Website.

When your child enters Year 6 you will automatically receive an application pack from the Education Service requesting your Secondary School Preference Application Form.

An Admissions Handbook produced by Derby City Council outlining the admissions procedure, is available on the Derby City Council Website.