Nursery Admissions

How do I obtain a Nursery Place for my child?

You can place your child's name on a waiting list for a nursery at the beginning of the school year (1st September to 31st August) in which your child has his or her second birthday. by visiting the nursery school or unit of your choice. You will be asked to complete and sign an application form.

You will be given a receipt which confirms that your child's name has been placed on the waiting list. This does not guarantee that your child will be given a place.

You can place your child's name on any waiting list. Schools in the same area usually work together to share information on multiple applications and final admissions. Once you accept a nursery place your child's name should be removed from other waiting lists.

Letters offering nursery places are sent out to parents in May for the following September intake.

What happens if there isn't a place for my child?

We are able to offer 87% of children some nursery education before they begin primary school, but this can vary from three to five terms depending on the demand for places in a locality. Very occasionally there are too many children on a waiting list for a nursery to offer every child a place. If this happens we will try to let you know if there are vacancies at other nurseries in the area.

What happens if I move house?

Transfers between nurseries can be very unsettling for young children and are agreed only in very exceptional circumstances, such as a house move which makes it impossible for a child to continue to attend a particular nursery school or unit. If, after your child has started nursery, your circumstances change and you think that a change of nursery may be necessary, you should talk to the nursery staff who will be able to advise you.

How can I find out more about nursery education?

Contact the nursery school or unit you would like your child to attend. It may be possible for you and your child to visit and see for yourself what goes on in the nursery classroom.

If you need information about where nursery schools and units are located within the administrative area of Durham Local Education Authority, a list is available from:

The Early Years Helpline Tel 0191 383 4800
or
Nursery Admissions
Education
County Hall
Durham DH1 5UJ
Tel 0191 383 4800

Durham County Council Nursery Admissions Policy

We are the admission authority for nursery schools and units in Community and Voluntary Controlled schools. In Aided (Church) schools, the governing body is the admission authority.

Nursery aged children with special educational needs can be supported at any Nursery School, Nursury Unit or Early Years setting. Nursery provision is also made available in certain Special Schools. These places are allocated by the Local Education Authority through Statutory Assessment procedures.

Nursery education is defined as education suitable for children who have not reached compulsory school age. Nursery education can be provided at nursery schools and units or in private, voluntary and independent establishments.
Attendance will normally be on a part-time basis i.e. morning or afternoon. each session will last at least two and a half hours.
There are no catchment areas for places in specific nursery schools or units but preference will be given to children whose parents live within our administrative area.
All children (regardless of race, gender, religious belief or affiliation, intellectual or physical ability, social or cultural background) should have equal access to places in nursery schools, nursery units or primary schools irrespective of whether or not they are likely to transfer into the reception class(es) of the infant/primary school in question.
The offer of a place in a nursery unit attached to an infant or primary school does not entitle a place nor entitle a greater priority for a place in that school for the period of statutory education.
With effect from April 2004 all 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to free early years education. The entitlement begins in the term after the child reaches their third birthday. Maintained nusery education provision is not yet universally in County Durham and therefore nusery classes serve a wider area than that served by the school where they are located. Nursery places are offered to children on the understanding that when they are due to transfer to reception class, they will attend the nearest appropriate school for their home address.
A maximum of two part-time nursery places should be retained until the end of the Autumn half term in order to accommodate emergency referrals of children "in need" as defined in the requirements of the Children Act, 1989.

It may not be possible to offer your child a place at your chosen nursery school or unit if that unit receives more applications than it has places. Where this happens, places will be allocated according to the following criteria in the order of priority set out below:

(i) Children In Need

1. The Children Act 1989 defines a child "in need" as follows:

He/she is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by the Local Authority under Part 3 of the Act.
His/her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him/her of such services.
He/she is disabled.

2. In addition the LEA has determined that children of families where English is not the main language of the family will be considered under this criterion.

(ii) Children with previous experience of primary or LEA nursery education

Once a child has begun attending a particular nursery it is usually in the child's best interest to remain at that nursery until transfer to the next phase of education. However, parents may need to move house during their child's career at school, making it impractical to remain at the same school. There may be other exceptional reasons why a transfer from one nursery to another without a change of address would be appropriate, but this would be a rare event and subject to the agreement of the school following guidance from the LEA. Wherever possible, however, schools and units will seek to provide for children who have already started primary or nursery education.

(iii) Age

The offer of a place will be prioritised according to age. This means that the oldest children within the year group will be given priority. In the event of a place becoming available and two or more applicants have the same date of birth, priority will be given to the earliest date of application.

(iv) Children living in other authorities

When all children living within the boundary of County Durham have been allocated a place, a child living in a neighbouring area may be offered a place.


Home \| Accessibility \| A-Z \| Contact Us \| FAQs \| Help \| News and Events \| Site Map \| Text Only \| Useful Links