Newcastle City Council

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Children are usually admitted to a nursery school or nursery class the September after their third birthday.

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 allocation 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.

The closing date for nursery applications is 30 March 2012 (the last day of the spring term)

If there are fewer applications than places, everyone who applies will be offered a place. If there are more applications than places available, over-subscription criteria are applied and places offered to children who are ranked highest.

• Children with statements of special educational needs naming the nursery will be offered a place first.
• Children in the care of the Local Authority are given priority over other children.

The following criteria are then applied at the discretion of the Governing Body and are not in priority order:

• Children with a sibling in the nursery, or in the first or primary school associated with the nursery, in September 2012.
• Distance from home address to the nursery measured in a straight line
• Special reasons such as:
  - family breakdown
  - three or more children under 5 years in the household
  - home accommodation  unsuitable for young children
  - children who may be at an educational disadvantage because their use of English is minimal or non-existent
  - failure to thrive socially, medically or psychologically
  - physical, sensory or learning difficulties.

If you are not offered a place, nurseries will keep a waiting list. If a place becomes available, the place will be offered to the applicant who ranks highest on the waiting list according to the admission criteria.

There is no appeal procedure for parents refused a place in a nursery class or school.

Nursery class attendance is not taken into account when school places are allocated for reception classes.

Children will usually start primary school in the September following their fourth birthday. See starting first or primary school.

You can find the state nursery closest to your home by entering your postcode in the online school finder.

Contact the Families Information Service (FIS) for information on all pre-school provision in Newcastle.

Page last updated: 9 September, 2011