Tiny village school - when should you register interest?

[CaptainCabinets]

Our village school has an intake of just 15 children per year, lots of new family homes are being built in the surrounding area so I imagine the demand for school places is likely to increase dramatically. It’s an excellent school so I am very keen for my child to go there.

My baby is due in December, would I be nuts to email the admissions department when they are born to register interest in a Reception place four years from now?! First baby so I have no idea how this works 🫣

If this is a normal state school in England then registering interest isn't a thing. You'll have to complete the application form from the November before she's due to start same as everyone else. Having previously emailed the school will have no bearing on it.

Hi,

I like you’re thinking about registering early but you can’t register until the November-January before your child starts school if it’s a normal state primary. Places are usually allocated firstly for looked after children, then siblings, then distance. Sometimes there’s a religious criteria for certain schools which comes above distance.

I hope that this helps.

I’ve just answered my own question and checked their website to see if there is any advice

It says to email the admissions department to register interest in the school for babies and toddlers!

So is it a normal state school? If so then it still doesn't mean anything other than they want to make sure they get enough applicants and they are going to welcome you to an open day. It doesn't move you up the queue. The admissions criteria will still be strictly adhered to.

Is this a state school?
If so, there is absolutely no need to register a baby! You cannot apply until the January before they are due to start and length of time on a waiting list isn't part of the selection criteria!
If it's a fee paying school, all bets are off😁

This will not guarantee you a space or move you up the list or whatever. There are strict guidelines they have to follow legally to decide who gets places if oversubscribed, and ‘sent an email 4 years in advance’ won’t be one of them. It will just mean they send you details of the open days and so on, in the hope you’ll pick them not another school. Usually the behaviour of schools who are low on numbers, not those who are oversubscribed, you’ll be happy to know!

this is all assuming it’s a state school. Independent schools are different and yes for popular ones you probably do need to out their name down at birth.

That's presumably for the nursery, not the school

@CaptainCabinets do they have a nursery class? (for 3 - 4 year olds).
Nursery classes in state schools you have to apply directly to the school rather than the Local Authority. Attending the nursery class usually DOES NOT guarantee a Reception Class place. I put that in capitals as many people don't realise that. This could be what the "registering an interest" applies to.
For Reception you have to apply via the Local Authority not the school.

Basically this. Normally for a reception place, assuming you are in England, you apply in January of the year before they start. That’s all you can do. Nothing else will help you get a place in a normal state school.

If this is for a state school which doesn't have a nursery attached they will think you are a little crazy to register interest prior to a child being born. There is no need to contact until they are at least 3 years old to enquire when their open day is.

When I was looking around schools for my DD3 aged 3 (who wasnt with me). But I had my new born twins with me instead. The head teacher said to me whilst laughing "I'm so pleased to hear your at our open day for an older child. I was thinking you were being massively over prepared for these new borns"

As others have said, ordinary state school admissions aren't first come first served. There are admissions criteria usually based on distance from school. And the application deadline is the middle of January before the September the child starts. There is no consideration given to applying early, and indeed you can't apply until applications open the previous November.

Nurseries and fee paying schools will be different of course.