Primary Times Nottinghamshire School's Guide 2016

focus on schools
Nottinghamshire County Council urges
parents not to miss out when applying for
secondary school places for September 2017
The start of the autumn term can be
a busy and exciting time for families
– buying new uniform, catching
up with friends, talking about the
summer holidays and making plans
for the new school year.
Nottinghamshire County
Council’s acting service director
for education Marion Clay said:
“It probably seems no time at all
since parents were looking for a
reception place for their child and
deciding which schools to apply for.
“However, if a child has just gone
into Year 6 at primary school, it’s
now time to start thinking about
applying for a place at secondary
for next September.
“This time around it might also
feel more complicated because
your child may have strong ideas
about which secondary school they
want - or don’t want - to attend.
And their ideas may not always be
the same as yours.
“The good news, however, is
that last year, over 98% of families
who applied for a secondary school
place on time were offered one of
their preferred schools.”
Useful information about
applying
Parents living in Nottinghamshire
will need to apply through
Nottinghamshire County Council,
even if they wish to apply for
schools in other areas such as
Nottingham City or Derbyshire.
The website
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
has information to help with the
application process, and it is worth
reading Admissions to schools:
Guide for parents 2017-2018
which contains lots of useful
information and advice.
The information about schools
in Admissions to schools: School
information 2017- 2018, also
available on our website, is
organised into areas (Ashfield,
Broxtowe, and so on), so it is
easy to just print off pages about
schools you are interested in
applying for.
Applying online
The easiest way to apply for a place
is online at www.nottinghamshire.
gov.uk/schooladmissions and this
is the method we advise parents
to use. Parents submitting their
application online will receive
an email confirming that their
application has been received.
Receiving the outcome
Parent who apply online will
also get the decision by email on
National Offer Day (1 March 2017),
instead of having to wait a few days
for a letter sent by second class
post.
Whilst the Council encourages
parents to submit their application
online, parents who do not have
internet access can telephone
0300 500 80 80 to apply.
Golden rules to follow when
making an application
1) Apply on time – the closing
date is 31 October 2016. If
parents miss this deadline,
their application will only be
processed after all the on-time
applications. Parents should
be aware that, by that time, the
schools they might really like
their child to attend might all
be full. In that case, the County
Council will make an alternative
offer of a place at a school which
could be at a distance from your
home address
2) Use all of your preferences
– parents should make sure
that they use all four of their
preferences rather than just
making one preference and
limiting their options. This way
they are more likely to be offered
a place at a school they are happy
for their child to attend
3) Check the admission over
subscription criteria – parents
are urged to include at least one
school within the four preferences
where their child will have high
priority within the school’s
admission oversubscription
criteria and are therefore highly
likely to get a place. Information
about the criteria can also be
found on the Council’s website.
It’s important to note that
Nottinghamshire’s admission
arrangements changed with
effect from September 2016.
So for community and voluntary
controlled schools across the
county, there’s no longer any
priority for siblings living outside
a school’s catchment area.
However, some priority still exists
for children living in a catchment
area and who have a brother or
sister attending the school or the
linked school.
4)Other relevant information - in
the application, parents also need
to make sure they mention any
information that is relevant to their
application which may affect how
the admission oversubscription
criteria are applied. They
should also tell the Council if
they are moving house as this
may affect how their application
is considered. It is important
to read the relevant sections in
Admissions to schools: Guide for
parents 2017-2018.
Any more questions?
For any enquiries about how to
apply for a school place, please
contact 0300 500 80 80 or
visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/
schooladmissions
Applications for
reception year
Applications for primary school
reception places for September
2017 and transfer to junior school
(Year 3) for next September can be
made from 7 November 2016.
Look out for more information in
the next edition of Primary Times
published on 10 October.
Changes to school travel
entitlement
From September 2018, the County
Council will only provide home to
school transport to pupils who have
a statutory entitlement. This change
will apply to all children, including
those applying for a school place
from September 2017, who may
be eligible for help with transport
in 2017-2018, before this change
comes into effect.
Parents might need to consider
this when deciding which schools
to apply for as the future cost
implications of paying for their
child’s transport may influence
their preferences. The Council is
advising parents to read its home to
school transport policy if they think
this change may affect them: www.
nottinghamshire.gov.uk/schooltravel
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Primary Times BACK TO SCHOOL 2016 | www.primarytimes.net/nottinghamshire