Nursery school admissions criteria

  1. Children who are in public care as defined in Section 22 of the 1989 Children’s Act (this includes foster children) living within or outside the catchment area.
  2. Children living in the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school at the time of admission. The words brother and sister refer to all blood, half, foster, step and adoptive brothers and sisters (not cousins) who live at the same home address as the child. A sibling relationship does not apply when the older child(ren) will leave before the younger one starts.
  3. Children living in the catchment area with exceptional medical or social circumstances. The medical circumstances must relate to the child and parents will be expected to provide supporting evidence from a consultant – not a general practitioner (GP). The social circumstances must be substantiated by a social worker or other appropriate professional. All supporting evidence showing why education should be at the preferred school must be submitted at the time of application.
  4. Children living in the catchment area on the basis of distance from the child’s permanent home address to the preferred school.
  5. Children living outside the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school at the time of admission.
  6. Children living outside the catchment area with exceptional medical or social circumstances.
  7. Children living outside the catchment area on the basis of distance from the child’s permanent home address to the preferred school.

Any combination of two or more criteria give higher priority than one criterion. If two or more children have equal priority under the criteria, the criterion of distance will be applied. In the event that the distances are equal the drawing of lots will be used to determine who is offered the place.