Admission to reception classes
When are school places announced?
If you applied online, decisions were announced on Tuesday 16 April 2019 on the school admissions website.
If you completed a paper application form we will have sent you a letter on Tuesday 16 April 2019 by second-class post.
Applications for September 2020 open on 27 September 2019.
If your child has been offered a place at one of your preferred schools
The headteacher of the school will be informed that your child has a place. You will then be contacted directly by the school with further information.
You do not need to confirm acceptance, but please let us know if you no longer require the place offered at admissions@norfolk.gov.uk.
If the school is unable to contact you about your school place, or you do not respond to any correspondence from the school, the place offered could be withdrawn.
The first day of the autumn term 2019 is Wednesday 4 September 2019 and your child should attend on that day unless you are informed otherwise.
Children are entitled to a full time place from September but parents can ask to defer their child’s entry into school until later in the school year, or request part time admission. The child must be in full time education by the term after the child’s fifth birthday and admission must take place within the 2019/20 school year. Please contact the school if you wish to defer admission or request part time attendance.
If you have been offered a place at a school outside of Norfolk, you will need to contact the school direct to find out the school’s individual admission arrangements.
If your child has been refused a preference
If a preference has been refused at any school your child’s name will be kept on a waiting list for that school until the end of December 2019.
Parents refused a place at their preferred school(s) also have the right of appeal. If you wish to appeal you need to state your intention in writing to us or emailing admissions@norfolk.gov.uk, telling us which school(s) you are appealing for. You need to state your intention to appeal by Friday 3 May 2019.
If your child has been refused a place at an academy or a free school your appeal request we will forward your appeal to the headteacher of the school, who will send you an appeal form and further guidance. For community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided or foundation schools we will send an appeals form for you to complete and return.
Your completed appeal form must be returned to the admissions authority by Wednesday 15 May 2019. Any appeal lodged for an on-time application must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline. If you miss the published closing date, we will try to hear your appeal with the on-time appeals for that school. If this is not possible, it will be heard at a later date.
If we have been unable to accommodate any of your preferences an alternative school will be offered. In these cases you must accept this offer by emailing admissions@norfolk.gov.uk by Friday 10 May 2019.
Class sizes and the right of appeal
The right of appeal for a place in an infant class (reception, year 1 or year 2) is more limited than any other appeal as these class sizes are limited by law to 30 children with a single teacher. More information about the right of appeal is included in the booklet ‘A parents’ guide to admissions to schools in Norfolk 2019-20' (pdf).
Appealing for a place at a school outside of Norfolk
If your child has been refused admission to a school outside Norfolk and you wish to appeal for a place you should contact the Local Authority where the school is located. You should check the closing date with that authority as this may be different.
Home to school transport
We must provide free transport for children who attend their nearest or nearest catchment school if they live further than the qualifying distance from the school, measured by the shortest available walking route. The qualifying distance is over 2 miles for children aged under 8 years.
Some children in Norfolk will also qualify for free travel based on certain criteria. Find out if you qualify. If you think you qualify for transport under low income grounds, medical reasons or you wish to make a discretionary application you can apply after 1 May 2019.
Free school meals
All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state funded schools in England are eligible for free school meals. This applies to academies and free schools as well. Find out how to apply.
Schools receive additional resources to support teaching and learning based on the number of children who are entitled to free school meals. If you are entitled, but your child does not take a free meal at school, it is still worth applying as this will support your child’s education.
Missed the deadline?
If you have missed the admissions round deadline, you need to download and return an admissions application form (pdf) as soon as possible. Or you can email admissions@norfolk.gov.uk and provide the following information:
- Child's name
- Child's date of birth
- Child's home address
- Current school
- Up to three schools, in order of preference
- Parent's name
- Parent's contact details
When does a child start school?
- If your child was born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015, they are due to start school in reception class in the school year starting September 2019. By law they must be offered a full-time place from September 2019
- Parents are entitled to defer their child’s admission or request that their child attend on a part-time basis. By law, children must start statutory education full-time no later than the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday
Information on admissions and schools in Norfolk
- A parents’ guide to admissions to schools in Norfolk 2019-20 (pdf) - full information about the admissions process in Norfolk and frequently asked questions
- Guide to primary and infant schools in Norfolk 2019-20 - detailed information on all schools in Norfolk
- Catchment school(s) - search and find details on the catchment school(s) for your address
- Guidance on deferring your child’s reception place until the following year (pdf)
- You need to make an application for a reception class place, even if your child currently attends a nursery class at the same school
- Attendance at a nursery attached to a school, does not normally give you any priority for a place at that school
First admission to school timetable 2019-20
- Round open - 28 September 2018
- Round closes - 15 January 2019
- Late applications closing date - 29 January 2019
- National Offer day when school place decisions are made available - 16 April 2019
- Appeals closing date - 15 May 2019
- Mini admission round to consider changes - 21 May 2019
- Appeals hearings - June/July 2019
- Waiting lists maintained until 31 December 2019
If you have further questions about admissions please contact us.
