Primary School Admissions for 2018 September

[Natssethi]

Hi, We are moving to the UK from India in the next 2-3 months and I'd like information and help on the admission process for primary schools. My daughter would be 5 years in May.

This advice is for England. (Scotland has a different system).
(Wales I think is similar to England).
NI, sorry no idea.

If your daughter turns 5 in May they will be going into Reception class.

Once you have a UK address that you are resident in you can apply for local primary schools via the local authority.

There is a pretty strict limit of 30 children per class for your age group so, depending on where you are, there is a good chance your nearest / preferred school may be full. They will place your daughter in a school with spaces, but you can then go on waiting lists for other schools.

The other option is private fee paying schools. You would need to contact each one individually.

Surely if she turns 5 THIS may, then she would be starting Yr1 in Sept?

If she is 5 BEFORE September 2018 then she would need to go into year 1, you will need to contact the LEA where you will be living and ask which schools have places. Then you can look around and see which one (if you are lucky enough to have a choice) you would prefer.

You may get lucky over the summer holidays as a lot of people move then but they won’t tell the old school until the end of the term

If you move soon she would have 1-2 months in Reception before the summer holidays. This would be well worth it instead of waiting till September when she'd be in Year 1.

Thank you so much everyone. As she is born in May 2013 I believe based on what I am reading here she'd go into year 1. My only worry is the admission dates for the same are already past. Have any of you faced this? I will be working in Bourneville so can anyone suggest good localities with amenities and young families in a 15 - 20 mile radius that we should consider? We are looking to rent initially.

Y1 entry doesn't have an application deadlines for state (free) schools.
Get a UK address, and contact the local education authority to see where has spaces.

If you want a private (fee paying) school, contact them now andcseecwhat they say.

Yes, sorry for confusing. I was assuming you would be arriving and putting into school at some point in the summer term. So currently in Reception, if she doesn't start until September that would be year 1.

However the process and the class limits are exactly the same as I mentioned as there is no formal application date for year 1 (as school entry is in to the Reception year).

This group is fantastic!!! Do any of your kids go to Manor Primary School or Coppice Primary? Need reviews.

If you want feedback on particular schools, try posting a new question with area in title, eg 'Feedback on Bourneville/Birmingham schools eg Manor or Coppice.'

It might be worth joining the ‘Flexible School Admissions for Summer Borns’ group on Facebook as you could request that your daughter start year R this September.