Admissions Guidance
Starting Primary School is one of the most important events in a child's life and as a parent / carer, you will no doubt have a wide range of questions regarding this transition.
The Authority will admit a child to a maintained primary/infant school in the September following their 4th birthday. The legal requirements confirm that parents are able to delay the admission of their child until the term following their 5th birthday; however, it is a Monmouthshire County Council Policy that the child will continue to follow their chronological year group unless exceptional circumstances apply.
Attendance at a feeder nursery does not exclude the need to apply for a Reception place at the School. Please note that priority for admission is not given to those children attending a feeder nursery.
Please contact the Admissions Team in the School and Student Access Unit on 01633 64 (4510) (4530) or (4946) with your enquiry.
We offer guidance to parents / carers of all newcomers to Primary Education in the form of a Starting School Booklet, there is also a welsh version of the booklet.
The booklet holds details of Community Primary Schools, Voluntary Aided Schools and Denominational Schools and details of how to apply for a place at a Monmouthshire School. There is also advice regarding transport to school and other support available.
Applying for a Place
The closing date for Reception admission forms is 31st January 2009.
If you do not supply us with an application form before this date, this does not mean that it is too late to apply for a place. However, priority of places will be given to those who applied prior to the closing date.
All applications must be accompanied by proof of address; suitable evidence could be a copy of:
- Electoral Card
- Utility bill
- Council tax bill
Any change in preference should be made in writing to the Directorate of Lifelong Learning's School and Student Access Unit. Any preference that is changed after the closing date will result in the application being treated as a late application.
It is essential to send your form in before the closing date in order to increase the probability of securing your first Preference School.
Failure to submit the required information prior to the closing date will result in the application being treated as late.
Please note your child will not be considered for a place at your preferred school until this evidence is received.
Please return the completed application form to:
The School and Student Access Unit,
Lifelong Learning and Leisure,
Monmouthshire County Council,
County Hall,
Cwmbran,
NP44 2XH.
What if I do not live in Monmouthshire?
If you are not a Monmouthshire resident but wish to apply for a place for your child at a Monmouthshire Primary School starting in September 2009, you will need to do so through your home Authority (to whom you pay your Council Tax).
Please see details below:
- Newport City Council - 01633 233488
- Torfaen County Council - 01495 762200
- Blaenau Gwent County Council - 01495 350555
- Powys County Council - 01597 826457
- Herefordshire County Council - 01432 260925
- Gloucestershire County Council - 01452 425407
What if the School of my choice is oversubscribed?
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 gives parents the right to express a preference for their child to be admitted to any school maintained from public funds.
When there are more applications than places in a school. The following over-subscription criteria given below in priority order will be applied to determine which children will be offered a place.
- Looked After Children, medical grounds or other exceptional circumstances, which are supported by a medical consultant's report, obtained by the parents. NB reports from family doctors are not acceptable evidence for this purpose.
- Children with older brothers or sisters at the school at the date of admission will be admitted in preference of those not having brothers or sisters at the school.
- Children residing within the preferred school's catchment area will be given prior consideration to those children residing outside the catchment area of the preferred school.
- After taking account of categories 1 - 3, priority will be based on closeness to the preferred school, measured by the most direct walking route by road.
Measurements will be undertaken using digital information mapping systems; the distance shall be calculated between the main entrance to the school and the main entrance of each individual property address.
Prior consideration will be given to a parent's first preference school, therefore if a parent is refused their first preference, they will only be considered for a place at their second preference school once all the first preferences have been allocated.
Siblings (brother/sister)
Brothers and sisters whether full, half, step or foster will be considered relevant where living together at the same and where an older child will be still registered at the school when the younger one would be eligible to attend.
Catchment
Whilst residing within the catchment area for your preferred School forms an element of the oversubscription criteria, it does not guarantee a placement on this basis.
Appealing if you are refused a place at your preferred school.
If your preference cannot be met, you will be sent a letter of refusal which will explain why the place has been refused. You may, if you wish, appeal against the decision to an Independent Appeal Panel, In order to do so you must complete and return the Appeal Application Form.
The appeal will be determined by an independent appeals panel who must consider each case individually on its merits and they cannot limit themselves, in advance, to the admission of any particular number of pupils. Consideration by an appeal panel should be in two distinct stages:
- The Factual Stage, where the panel decides as a matter of fact whether there was a lawful reason to refuse admission; if there was not, the child must be admitted; if there was, the committee must move on to:
- The Balancing Stage, where the panel exercises its judgement to balance the degree of prejudice to efficient education which would result from admitting the child, and the strength of the parents' case, so as to arrive at a decision which is binding on the admissions authority.
As a reminder, it is parental responsibility to apply for a place and to notify us of a change of address.
Application forms are available from:
E-mail: schoolandstudentaccessunit@monmouthshire.gov.uk