Nursery application at primary school

[ThePurpleFairy]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but it’s the closest I can find.

We have our house on the market and looking to relocate back to where I grew up. Child is currently in a private nursery locally, he is 3 in May next year.

I’m wanting to apply for primary school nurseries for September 2025 admission. I have been told that they get full and to put my application in ASAP.

The issue I have is that the admission criteria says applicants must reside in the borough. Will they accept that we will have moved there by the starting date as living there?

There is an empty property in our family due to bereavement awaiting probate. We will be moving in there in the interim if we have not sold/bought. We can move in any time however at the moment probate is still being sought and the property is eligible for no council tax for a further 6 months after this date - so moving in right now is not the ‘optimum’ choice.

Does anybody know whether schools will accept that we have an address in the area that we will be living in by the Sep 2025 term start date?

I hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance!

They usually don't accept this until you've exchanged contracts on the new property, as until that point the move isn't certain.

For the nursery the admissions will be done via the school so your best to contact the nursery your interested in and discuss with them and explain the situation

But we have an address 100% available to us, it just doesn’t make financial sense to move into it right now. Also my son is attending his nursery where we live for the moment.

I will definitely speak to the schools though, they’ve just freaked me out thinking I’m already late so want to get my applications in ASAP, but want to get it right obviously so we don’t lose out

Deadline for application for primary is in January. You don't get a better chance for handing in early; all applications are looked at after closing deadline.

This is the nursery within the primary school, so I don’t think it works the same. It’s them who have said to apply ASAP

If it was a school application, it would be considered fraud to put the house you don't currently live in as your residency. I assume it would work the same for a school nursery.

I would ring them to advise. Alternatively, could you not look into private nurseries in the area? There's no massive benefit to attending a school nursery. They follow the same EYFS curriculum and a place at a school nursery does not prioritise you for a place at the school under most admissions criteria.

I’m not looking to defraud anybody. It’s just that our living situation is complicated at the moment. We have the house that we own about 25 miles away, but the reality is we’re only really there a few nights a week on the nights before my son is in his current nursery, which in the short term he’s stayed at because he’s settled there. My husband’s job is now near where we’re moving so the reality is we’re staying at my parents’ house and in the empty house awaiting probate most of the time (which the solicitors have said we are allowed to do but all the bills are being paid for by the estate currently and this can’t be changed right now).

I will take advice from the schools but I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this. If it means I have to live here right now then that’s fine I can do, but I find it a bit ridiculous to have to uproot my son from his current nursery when the reality is there’s no need to (other than some red tape), and the prospective nursery won’t have him until Sep 2025.

My understanding is school nursery classes are not catchment area specific. But I could be wrong. I would ring and ask the school to confirm. I would ask them to be put on the waiting list anyway as it won't be until April onwards they start to allocate the places so it could be that by then you have probate and proof of address.

I know you're not, I'm just stating the law for school places. As I said, it may be different for nursery classes as the admissions criteria may be different and they may not have to prioritise those living locally to the school. If they do though, it would be seen as a fraudulent application if you put an address you're not currently living at, even if you may live there one day.

As I said, you'd have to ring the school and ask about their admissions criteria. Even if they do prioritise children currently living in catchment, it's not worth lying and putting down an address you don't currently live at, as the place could potentially be withdrawn if you are found out to have lied (which you will, once they ask for proof of address). It's always better to be honest, that your current address is where you live now, but you will hopefully be moving closer to the school soon.

I appreciate it's a complicated situation, but many people are in complicated situations. It's important to be honest.