When to apply?

[Rootvegetables]

I have a 2.5 year old born February 2011 when do I need to apply for primary schools? The health visitor told me I need to start looking at schools now to apply in January, is this correct? I have a place for him to start at a nursery in sept next year when he's 3.5 but this has no connection to any schools. I explained this to her but she seemed adamant I need to start the application process now. I'm in lewisham in SE London. Many thanks.

So DC will be 4 in February 2015, and so would have a normal reception start date of September 2015. You need to apply for a state school reception place (even if attending a nursery attached to the school you like) during the applications window. For your DC, this will open in autum 2014 and close mid-January 2015.

Check the exact dates nearer the time. The dates, along with information about how you apply, will be published on your Council's website. You cannot apply early, and indeed as long as you get your application in before the mid-January deadline, there is no advantage in doing so, as all on-time applications are treated equally.

One thing to watch out for is that if you do a paper application, it is worth getting a signed-for delivery (or hand deliver and get a receipt yourself) or if on line make absolutely sure it's gone through properly and you have a reference number or acknowledgement email and you keep it.

Daft health visitor, you can't apply for state primary schools until this time next year!

Your child will be:

3 years old in Feb 2014
4 years old in Feb 2015

You apply for Reception now if your child will turn 4 between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014 and starting primary school in September 2014.

You would apply now if you wanted your child to go to the school's nursery but that's not the case for you.

Yes, you apply between autumn 2014 and Jan 2015. The cut off date is Jan 15th 2015 I think- all of England has the same deadline.

You may want to start thinking about schools now, just being aware of what is available in the local area and whether there is a shortage of places etc. But you can't apply yet, even if you wanted to.

She probably also told you that you have to put x school first as they only take you if you put them first and to only put one or two naice schools down then the LEA will have to give you one of them and give the less desirable schools to people who put down more options. Some health visitors are mad as a hatter. One told a friend that she was mad to have bought a house where she did as her child might have to mix with children with SN at one of the schools which is designated to take 2/30 children with physical disabilities.

The primary board on here has loads of great advice on schools but you cab relax for another year. No harm in looking at schools now though - as some get very busy showing perspective parents around just before the deadlines.

Oh thank goodness, I have had some strange advice from them in the past but packing my ds off to school a year early is a bit too much! I haven't seen anyone there for about 18 months so she had just worked out his exact age in months and everything! Oh well good, I will certainly start researching. Thank you all.