The Nursery class in Summercroft Primary School (“Summercroft”) takes place every school day in the Early Years Foundation Stage Unit.

Option A: 3 days (15 hours funded 8:50 am – 1:50 pm per day) with an option to pay an additional £5 per day to lengthen the session to end in line with the rest of the EYFS/KS 1 children at 3:10 pm. Children are able to bring a packed lunch from home or purchase a hot school lunch at a cost of £ 2.70 per meal.

Option B: 5 mornings (15 hours funded 8.50 am – 11.50am per day)

Summercroft has places for a maximum of 24 children per day in the Nursery class.  

Summercroft has one intake into the Nursery class which is the September following a child’s third birthday.  Entry into the Nursery class in September 2021 will be for those children born on or between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018.

Summercroft offers 15 hours free early education and childcare but does not offer the additional 15 hours to provide 30 hours free childcare provision.

Allocation of a Nursery place is strictly subject to the applicant’s guarantee that the first 15 hours of Free Childcare Funding will be directed to Summercroft. This guarantee should be made on the Parent Declaration Form (available on our website or from the School Office). 

Information leaflets will be sent to parents by Hertfordshire County Council in the Autumn term 2020.

ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES

All Schools/Nurseries are now responsible for their own Nursery Admission arrangements as well as for allocating places. Parents must apply for a place directly to this school on the Nursery Application Form 2021/2022 entry available from the school website or the School Office.  The completed application form must be received in the School Office by Friday 12^th March 2021 at the latest (see timeline below).

The Nursery Admissions timetable for all schools is no longer laid down by Hertfordshire County Council.  Summercroft and some other local schools aim to use the following timeline for processing Nursery applications to their schools:

• Friday 12^th March 2021                 The application system for Summercroft closes.
• Monday 22nd March 2021            Summercroft will offer places directly to parents by letter or email.
• Friday 2nd April 2021                   Deadline for the acceptance of a place (which must be in writing) to be received in the School Office.

The Governing Body will apply their Admissions arrangements using the information submitted by parents/carers in the application form. If the application form is not completed correctly this may result in the application being given a lower priority.  The completed application form should include details of siblings who attend Summercroft (see below).

An offer of a Nursery place does not guarantee an offer of a Reception place.

The offer of a Nursery place will ONLY be for Option A or Option B and in either case for 38 weeks a year (Term time only).

There is no right of appeal against non-admission to the Nursery class.

The information in this policy is for admission in 2021/2022. Policies for future years may be different.

HOW PLACES ARE OFFERED 

Children who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names Summercroft will be admitted to the Nursery class in priority to all other applicants and before the following oversubscription rules are applied. 

In the event of there being more applications than available places, the following oversubscription rules will be applied by the Governors:- (see note a)

Rule 1

Children looked after and children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order. A child looked after is a child who is in the care of a local authority or being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions.
 

Rule 2

Children who have a sibling on the roll of Summercroft at the closing date for applications. This applies to Nursery through to Year 5. The sibling must remain on the roll at the time the younger child starts or has been offered and accepted a place. (See definition of sibling in note c.)

Rule 3

Children of staff directly employed by and at Summercroft provided that notice of termination of that employment has not been given. (See note d.)

Rule 4

Children who apply for Option A.

Rule 5

Any other children.

If more children qualify under any of the above rules than there are places available under that rule then the available places will be allocated to those children that qualify under that rule who live nearest to Summercroft. This will be determined by the distance measurement provided by Hertfordshire County Council’s “find your nearest school” service on the hertfordshire.gov.uk website. (see note b)

Where there is a need for a tie-breaker where two different addresses measure the same distance from the school, the lower door number will be deemed nearest. If there are two identical addresses of separate applicants, the tie break will be random.

Notes

      a.   These rules are applied in the order they are printed. 

      b.    The address used in the application must be the child’s permanent address at the closing date for applications. “Permanent” means that the child has lived at that address for at least a year. If they have not then the child’s parent(s)/carer(s) must own the property or have a tenancy agreement for a minimum of 12 months and the child must be resident in the property at the closing date for applications. The application can only be processed using one address. If the child lives at more than one address then the address used must be the one at which the child lives for the majority of the time. If the child lives at two addresses for an equal amount of time then the address of the parent/carer who claims Child Benefit/Child tax Credit will be processed. If the family is not receiving Child Benefit/Child Tax Credit then alternative documentation will be requested. If two different applications are received for a child from the same address then the application from the parent/carer in receipt of Child Benefit/Child Tax Credit will be processed.

      c.   Sibling is defined as the brother/sister, half brother/half sister, adopted brother/adopted sister, a child of the parent/carer or partner or a child looked after or previously looked after and in every case living permanently in the home as part of the family household from Monday to Friday at the closing date for applications.

      d. The member of staff must be the child’s parent by blood or adoption or have legal parental responsibility for       the child and have been employed by and at Summercroft for two or more years at the closing date for applications or have been permanently employed by Summercroft to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage. The child must have lived at the same address as the member of staff for at least one year at the closing date for applications.

CONTINUING  INTEREST (WAITING) LIST AND ‘IN YEAR’ APPLICATIONS

After places have been offered the Governors will maintain a continuing interest list (waiting list). A child’s position on this list will be determined by the oversubscription rules and a child’s position on the list can change as other children join or leave it. Summercroft will contact parents/carers if a place becomes available in the Nursery and it can be offered to their child. 

Parents/carers are requested to inform the Governors if they wish their child’s name to be removed from the waiting list.