Application forms for Nursery are available from the school or school web site. Applications can only be made by the person(s) who have parental responsibilty and only one application can be sumitted for each child.
Admissions to Reception
When applying to our Reception Class, parents should be aware that attending our Nursery Class does not guarentee a place in our Reception Class. A separate application is required and prioity is not given to children who have attended our Nursery Class.
Parents applying for a place in Reception Year at the school must express a preference for a place at the school on the Council’s School Admissions Portal at www.cardiff.gov.uk and also complete the school’s application form.
Any applications received after the closing date, or applications that remain incomplete as at the closing date, will only be processed after places have been allocated for applications that were received by the closing date, and this may increase the possibility of not achieving a place at St Mary’s Primary School. Any late applications will be batch filed and processed together at the end of the calendar month following receipt, once the offer date has passed. However, applications received after the published submission date will be considered with those received at the closing date only if supported by a letter giving exceptional reasons for its lateness and only if received before the offers of the places are made. Exceptional reasons may be defined as when circumstances include the serious illness of a single parent, having just moved into the area, or arriving from abroad has meant that it was not possible to submit the application by the closing date.
Parents/carers have the right to express a preference for their child to be admitted to any school maintained from public funds. Making an application and providing the relevant supporting evidence does not guarantee admission to the preferred school. Each request will be considered individually and complied with wherever possible. If the number of applications received is at or below the school’s indication admission number, all applications will be admitted. However, if more applications are received than the admission number, the admission request may have to be refused. In these circumstances, admission is based on the relevant school’s published over-subscription criteria. The Admissions Committee will consider all applications made in accordance with the over-subscription criteria, without reference to race, gender, disability, social background, ability or aptitude of the child.
Headteachers do not have the authority to give parents an indication of the outcome of their application, or tell them that their child has been given a place at the school, before an offer of a place has been made formally by the Governing Body.
The law does not require a child to start school until the start of the term following the child’s fifth birthday. In accordance with this, the Governing Body will allow parents the option of deferring their child’s entry into Reception until later in the same school year. The effect is that the place is held for the child and is not available to be offered to another child. The parents would not, however, be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the school year for which the application was made.
Phase Transfer
During a phase transfer process, should your child be refused a placement at your preferred school(s), your child’s name will remain on a waiting list until 30th September in the year in which the application is made. If additional places become available, they will be allocated to children on the waiting list on the basis of the published oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists do not give priority to children based on the date the application was added to the list. Prior to 30th September, parents will be contacted and asked to confirm whether or not they wish to remain on the waiting list for the remainder of the academic year, after which time a new application may be made.
In-Year Admission or Transfer
Where an application made for an in-year transfer is refused, the child’s name will remain on a waiting list until the end of the academic year at which time a new application may be made. If additional places become available, they will be allocated to children on the waiting list on the basis of the published oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists do not give priority to children based on the date the application was added to the list.
Parents have the statutory right of appeal against the refusal by a Governing Body to admit their child, and should put their reasons for appeal in writing in accordance with the procedures outlined in the decision letter. Appeals will be heard by an Independent Appeal Panel, in which the Governing Body and Headteacher play no role. The decision of the Appeal Panel is binding on all parties.
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