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This section will help you decide which primary schools to apply to for September 2013.

Newcastle has both a two-tier and three-tier school system. These school systems have a different transfer age as shown below.

In the Gosforth, Great Park and Dinnington areas of Newcastle children are educated in first schools (age 4 to 9) and transfer to middle school at the end of Year 4 (age 9 to 13). From middle school children normally transfer to the Gosforth Academy at the end of Year 8 (age 13).

In the rest of Newcastle children are educated in a primary school from age 4 to 11 before transferring to secondary school at the end of Year 6.

Each primary and first school that operates under the local authority admission policy have a designated feeder link school to which their pupils usually transfer. See the directory of schools for more information about all Newcastle schools.

Admission to nursery schools and classes

Admissions to a nursery school or class in Newcastle are not managed by the local authority. You will need to contact the school directly. They will provide you with an application form and information regarding the availability and offer of places.

Applications should be made directly to the school. You will need to contact them for the closing date. Offers of a place will be made by the school.  Newcastle Families Information Service can provide information on all preschool provision in Newcastle. Phone us on 0191 278 7878.

When should my child start school?

You need to apply by 15 January 2013 for a place in September 2013. Compulsory school age starts from the term after their fifth birthday. Children born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 may start school in September 2013.

Will my child attend full-time at school straight away?

In some schools children attend on a part-time basis for the first few weeks of the first term. You should check with individual schools about their arrangements.

In Newcastle we offer all children the opportunity of a whole year in reception regardless of their birthday. You can delay your child’s actual start date until they reach statutory school age. This is called deferred entry. If your child is not five until later in the year and you are considering delaying their admission until this time please note the following.

• You still need to apply for a reception place by the deadline of 15 January 2013.
• After a place is offered you must inform the Headteacher that you wish to defer entry to the school. Your child’s place at the school will then be kept open for them to join at the later date. Your start date must be within the same school year.
• Your child will be placed in a class of children who have already had the opportunity to adapt to school life and make friends in their class.
• You may not be able to keep your child in a nursery. This could mean there is a period of time when your child is not attending any educational setting. In exceptional cases it may be possible for a child to continue in nursery provision or be placed in a year group other than their usual one. This must be supported by professional evidence and agreed by the school and local authority.

If you wish to discuss educating your child at home, please contact us on 0191 278 7878.

Does every parent and carer who wants a reception place for their child have to apply?

All parents and carers need to apply for a reception place even if you have an older child at the school or are attending a school on a linked site. Please note that attendance at a nursery class does not guarantee a place at that school. Your child will not automatically transfer into the reception class. This is because there can be more applications for reception places in a school than there are nursery places. The admission arrangements have to be fair to all parents including those without a nursery place.

If you do not apply for reception, we will not offer you a reception class place.

What if my child has Special Educational Needs?

If your child has a statement of special educational needs (SEN) naming a particular school you do not need to apply for a school place. If your child does not have a statement, then you must apply for reception. The majority of children with special educational needs are able to have their needs met at any mainstream school. If you have any specific concerns, please discuss these with the schools you are considering.

Can I apply for a faith school?

Faith schools have a religious basis and serve their local community. Anyone can apply for a place at a faith school but priority for admission is usually given to children of their faith.

The admission arrangements for faith schools are different to those for community schools. The governing body of each faith school decides the policy for allocating places at their school.

Details of the admission policy for each faith school are on the individual school’s pages. You are advised to carefully read the admission arrangements before you apply.

The local authority co-ordinates the admissions process for faith schools and will forward the applications on to the school governing body. If there are more applications than places available, the school governors will apply their admission arrangements and allocate places accordingly up to the specified admission number. Faith schools may have different oversubscription criteria from each other and may use different definitions. These are described in their admission policies. If you are applying for a school place for faith reasons, the school may ask you to provide evidence of faith. This can be a certificate of baptism, letter of support from a minister or faith leader, letter from a mosque or suitable equivalent. Schools will contact you directly for this information. It is therefore important that the information on your application (such as address and telephone number) is correct and up to date.
 
You will need to submit any evidence in the timescale requested by the school
or else the governing body may not consider it when allocating places.

Newcastle residents can apply for places at Newcastle faith schools online.  Click here to apply online for a school place (opens 1 September 2012).

You can apply for both faith schools and community schools on the same application form.

Can I apply for an independent school?

Independent schools are funded through fees paid by parents. They set their own curriculum and admission policies. If you want to apply to an independent school you should contact the school direct. Please be aware that if you do not apply for a state funded school by the closing date, and your child is not offered a place at an independent school, you may not get a place at your preferred state school.

If you apply for a state school and an independent school and are offered a place at both, please tell us which school place you are accepting.

To help you to decide which schools to apply to, you can:

• Find schools in your area by using our schoolfinder.
• Visit the schools you are interested in by making an appointment.
• Carefully read the admission policies for the schools that you are interested in. Note that faith schools and academies may have different admission policies. If the school you are interested in is popular, the admissions policy can give you a realistic idea of the chances of getting a place there. Policies are available within the school directory.
• Consider the information on offers made to parents and carers in previous years as this may help you see how likely it is that your child will be offered a place at the school.
• Read the school brochure and look at the school website, if there is one.
• Check which schools children normally transfer to from each first and primary school.
• Consider how your child will get to school. Only a very small number of children are likely to be eligible for free school transport.
• Contact us to find out about childcare, including which after school providers pick up at the school, and to find out what activities are available after school.
• Talk to your child and to friends and neighbours with school age children.

What are infant class size limits?

The law states that no infant class should contain more than 30 children with a single teacher. Children may therefore be refused places because their admission would mean more than 30 children in a class. Infant class size limits apply to reception, year 1 and year 2 classes. Schools must comply with the infant class size limit. The class size limit does not mean that all schools have to admit up to 30 children into each class. At some schools the size of classrooms and internal layout may mean that classes have to be smaller than 30.

Next step: How do I apply?

Page last updated: 14 April, 2013