Primary school

[LND]

Hi,
Hope you are all well.
i want to apply for an outstanding state primary school.
Should I ask for any waiting list? Or
Should I apply for it one year before the child turns 3 years old?
Many thanks!

If it is a state primary, you cannot apply until the Jan before they turn 4 like everyone else I am afraid. The Local Authority will contact you when you can apply, and then you can choose 3 schools. They will let you know a few months later which you have been allocated.

If you want to apply to a state primary school outstanding or otherwise you need to apply for a place via your local authority. Applications close in January and places are allocated to everyone on national offers day which is the 16th of April.

For the schools you are looking at you need to use their admission criteria to determine if you're likely to get a place.

Are you thinking nursery/preschool or reception as these are separate processes and no guarantee of a reception place by attending nursery.

@MalbecandToast @Procrastinates @LIZS Thank you so much all for the prompt reply.

The primary I’ve found says ages 3 up to 11.
Should I look for any local nursery - pre school in order to “secure” a place to the primary school?

Also, should I take him in a private nursery - pre school?

l’m a new mum and my son is 6 months old but I’m trying to look for the options we have in advance, so we can avoid any disappointments (if possible).
I’m a new mum and any advices regarding the nurseries/ schools, would be much appreciated.

We are looking for areas such as Shepperton, Esher, Hampton.

If your child is 6 months I would honestly put it all out of your mind for a few years. A lot can change in that time.

Him attending the schools nursery will have absolutely zero impact on whether he gets a place or not. If you want him to attend nursery then choose one that suits your family circumstances not one attached to a school you hope he might one day attend.

If you want to know if you're likely to get a place you need to look at the admission criteria and see if you meet it e.g are you living close enough to the school?

No, attending prior to Reception will not give priority for a Reception place. Check your Local Authority website for the current criteria and allocations to see if you would be likely to get a place and see how the process works. If the school is not one of your nearest you may well find your dc cannot stay on after nursery. Bear in mind many outstanding schools are oversubscribed and even they may not offer an outstanding experience for every child. Most school based nurseries and preschools are not full-time so if you need childcare to work you may need to look elsewhere for a nursery or childminder offering longer hours.

@LND Your local authority will have published admissions criteria for local schools published on their website. You will only find criteria for those starting school in September 2025, but it will give you an idea of what to expect.

For some schools having attended the school nursery does give you a higher chance of being offered a place, others it makes no difference. You need to do your research If attending school nursery is a criteria then getting his name on the list is worthwhile. Similarly, you’ll have an advantage if you have been regularly attending church/mosque/etc (depending on the school!), so you’d need to make sure you’re doing that.

You need to go on your local authority website and read the information about applying to primary schools. Whether you get into the local outstanding primary is largely out of your control (unless it’s a faith school in which case you might have to start going to church!). Going to the nursery attached to the school will make no difference.

You’ll need to apply to it via the standard LA admissions procedure-look it up online. You can apply to the nursery but that’s usually has little bearing on anything.

The best thing you can do to get into the school you want is to move as close to it as possible. State school admissions are based on distance as the crow flies (after the initial criteria which you'll fine online), and small outstanding schools will have a very small catchment area.

I would also suggest talking to parents whose children go to the school in the intervening years. You might find it's considered Outstanding by Ofsted, but local opinion is rather different.

In general, I’ve been looking for private or outstanding state nursery/ primary schools and we are happy to buy a new property close to the school area.
I’m working from home and I can manage my time schedule and to be honest, I’ve only thought for nursery so it can secure us a place for the next years but after your posts I understand it all depends on the school.

Wetherby (Central London) for example told me that I had to apply since birth and now they only have a waiting list available, so I wanted to avoid something similar with any other schools of our choices.

Hamptons Pre-Prep, I understand that is a very selective. I did paid for the registration form but I still don’t know if they will take him.

Then, I’ve found about Hinchley Wood Primary and some friends that have their children there, told us great things about it.

The only concern is if we will be able to secure a place and our child to be happy and academically prepared since a young age on the school.

Any suggestions for nurseries?

Thank you so much all for your advices, I appreciate it a lot!

Some of those are independent schools, though? So they will tell you individually how their admissions works.

Hinchley Wood Primary has its admissions criteria on its website. After looked-after and EHCP, it goes siblings, children of staff, other children. Tie breaker is straight line distance from your address to the school gate. The nursery makes no difference.

All the information you need is on Surrey County Councils website.

Last year they had space for 90 kids and only took 80, soon that basis they are undersubscribed and it doesn't matter where you live. (But that could change in other year.)

Edit: spelling.

I shall be glad when Outstanding Ofsted judgements vanish without a trace!

Agree wholeheartedly. Too much emphasis and weight put on the ofsted ratings, when we all know how easy it is to manipulate the system. For ref, our children go to an “outstanding” private prep school but I couldn’t care less about ofsted ratings. It’s what’s inside the report that matters.

As a teacher, please do not assume that because a school has an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grade, that it actually is. It could be far from it in reality. You absolutely must go and visit in person the schools you are interested in and see which ones you get a good feeling for. In fact, when I was choosing a school for my son, I was happier with our local ‘good’ school than the ‘outstanding’ one as I know the pressures that come with maintaining an outstanding grade and the effect that can have on staff morale and their mental heath. Please do not put all your trust in an Ofsted report.

Don't only look at ofsted "outstanding" ratings. They mean jack when it comes to a school. I moved my child from an outstanding to a "good" school and they are worlds apart.

Also having spent most of my life in education (not teaching) I see how easily you could get an outstanding with good paperwork and terrible pastoral care for the students.

If you are looking at state schools just relax and chill for a couple of years. Privates I have never had anything to do with professionally or personally so can't advise on those.

Thank you so much all for your advices!
It is very helpful for me to know about your experiences and knowledge on that topic and I appreciate it a lot!
Do you have any suggestions for primary / schools for boys that I can take a look?

@mumofboys8787 @Bubblesallaround @LuckysDadsHat