Admissions

Admissions to St Columba C of E Primary School

We warmly welcome new children and their families to our community at St Columba.  Parents and Carers who are considering sending their children to our school are very welcome to visit to see all the school has to offer.  Please ring the school office (01329 843226) to make a mutually convenient appointment for a guided tour.  

When a school is an academy, it means it operates independently from the local education authority and is it's own admissions authority.  As a parent seeking admission for your child, it is essential to understand how the admissions process works for academies (please note, this procedure applies for in school year admissions, new Reception class admissions must follow the procedure below)

• Admissions Policy: Each academy has it's own admissions policy, which outlines the criteria used to determine which students are offered a place. 
• St Columba is part of The Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) who are the admissions authority http://www.dcat.academy
• Application process: We warmly welcome visits to the school where we will show you everything our school has to offer.  If you then wish to proceed, there is a Registration form which will need to be completed and returned to us, along with a copy of your child's birth certificate and a proof of address.  When we have this, a mutually agreeable start date can be set.

Reception Class Admissions

When should my child start school?

Children reaching the age of 5 between 1^st September and the following 
31^st August are admitted in September. There is no obligation for a child to start full time until the term after his/her 5^th birthday.

How do I apply?

Reception class admissions to St Columba C of E Primary School should be made to Hampshire County Council.  Hampshire County Council Admissions

The Local Authority operates a coordinated admissions procedure for all schools and Academies in line with Government legislation.

The Local Authority will manage the process on behalf of the school according to the scheme which they will publish in their Admissions Booklet for that year.

Also contained within the booklet will be information on how to complete their application form on-line, dates for notification to parents of admissions decision and the closing dates for accepting places or lodging appeals. For any queries, please contact the Local Authority or the School.

The Local Authority publishes the current admissions process on their website where you  will  also  find details of the Fair Access Protocol. 

Transition

In order to give you as much information as possible, we will invite you to a series of meetings prior to your child starting school. The initial meeting, held early in the Summer Term once you have received an offer of a place, will provide you with general information and answer any questions you may have.

We offer a programme of visits for you and your child during the second half of the Summer Term; children spend time in our Reception class with the staff whilst parents have the opportunity to find out about our curriculum for the Foundation Stage.  These sessions are really useful for parents to get to know other parents.

Teachers will arrange to visit you at home, an opportunity to talk informally about your child. We also visit local pre-school groups to meet the children in a familiar group situation.  This helps us understand your child's needs and interests before they start school.

Policies