Nursery Admissions

Nursery Applications for the School Year

The academic year runs from September through to August. 

At West Oxford Community Primary School our Nursery admissions take place three times a year, for as long as places are available. Funding and entitlement are based on a three-term year, and places therefore start in term 1 (September), term 3 (January) or term 5 (April).  

Applications for nursery places can be made direct to the school, please come and ask us for a form or alternatively you can follow the link below to complete and send the form electronically. Please apply early to guarantee your child's place.

https://forms.gle/KKakvhWbFs5StTxR8

The minimum entitlement to funded nursery education is 15 hours per week. At West Oxford Community Primary School, we have a range of nursery places on offer to 3 and 4 year olds. We also have a limited number of places available to children aged between 2.8 months and 3 years. 

Families meeting certain eligibility criteria are legally entitled to a funded early years place of 30 hours a week or 1,140 hours a year. See below to find out if you qualify.

We also offer self-funded afternoon places, Day Care sessions, to those who are not eligible for the 30 hour funding entitlement. Subject to availability, Day Care sessions can be arranged on a full time or on an ad hoc basis with the class teacher and are charged at £26 per afternoon. 

30 hour places are given on a first come first serve basis and are not prioritised over Day Care places. To receive 30 hours or to pay for additional Day Care sessions, your child must hold a morning place.

Parents should state on their application if they would like/are eligible for the 30 hour entitlement or whether they would like to self fund any additional hours required (Day Care).

Parents will be notified that a place is available for their child no later than a term in advance (3 term year). 

Please note: Children attending our nursery class are not guaranteed a place at our school when he/she reaches the normal school starting age (i.e., the September of the academic year in which the child will be five). They must apply for a reception class place through the normal County Council school admissions procedures (see link below).

We offer the free 15 hours in the following ways:

15 hour places

We offer 15 hour places with an additional 30 minutes each session. This equates to 3.5 hours a day. Parents can choose a morning or afternoon place, 5 days a week.

• Morning places start at 8:45 and end at 12:15.
• Afternoon places start at 11:45 until 3:15

Parents are required to pay £4 a day* to cover the cost of staffing during this additional time.

If I have a 15 hour place for my child, can they attend some mornings and some afternoons?

Yes, we can cater for this if we have spaces available and providing your child attends the same morning and afternoon sessions each week. However, if we require one of the morning or afternoon places being held by your child, we will ask you to choose either a permanent morning or afternoon place. You will be given half a terms notice prior to this change.

30 hour places

• 30 hour places start at 8:45 and finish at 3:15.

Parents are required to pay £4 a day* to cover the cost of staffing during this additional time.

If your parent working entitlement ceases to be eligible, we will be in contact, during the ‘grace period’ to discuss new provision for your child

• Nursery places at West Oxford Primary School are in high demand and there is often a long waiting list. Therefore, we are unable to reserve nursery places. Additionally, if a child is consistently late or a place is not being used effectively it may result in the child losing his or her place. Decisions of such will be made at the Early Years lead and Headteacher’s discretion.
• Once your child has been allocated a nursery place, you will be asked to read and sign our Terms and Conditions document. See below.

Nursery Terms and Conditions

When more applications are received than there are places available, the following County Council criteria is applied;

• Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school. 
• Children who are “Looked After” by a Local Authority (LAC); “Previously Looked After” (PLAC), or “Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children” (IAPLAC).
• Disabled children who need to be admitted to a school on the grounds of physical accessibility. The definition of disability is that contained within the Equality Act 2010.
• Children who live in the designated catchment area. If there are more applicants than places in this category, priority will be given in the following descending order:

• Those children who, at the time of entry, have a brother or sister attending the primary school to which the nursery is attached.

• Those children who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate’s Geographic Information System.

• Children living outside the designated area who have a brother or sister attending either the foundation stage or the main school at the time of entry. If there are more applicants than places in this category, priority will be given within this group to children who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate’s Geographic Information System. 
• Those children who do not meet any of the above criteria. Priority for any remaining places will be given to those who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate’s Geographic Information System.

  30 Hour Funding

Parents of three and four year olds will need to meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare:

• They earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months.
• This equates to £120 a week (or c.£6,000 a year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 a week (or c.£5,800 a year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old.
• This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on zero hours contract. • The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work.
• Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave.
• Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work.
• Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.
• If a non-EEA national, the parent must have recourse to public funds

 Who will not qualify?

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

• Either parent has an income of more than £100,000
• Either parent is a non-EEA national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds)

What happens if a parent loses eligibility?

• They will receive a “grace period” – this means they will be able to keep their childcare for a short period.
• Once the “grace period” has lapsed, the parent will be entitled to the universal 15 hour entitlement.

 Further information on this entitlement is available at;

www.childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/overview

Reception Places  

Please note: Applications for reception places are made through Oxfordshire County Council. Please see their website www.oxfordshire.gov.uk for further information. 

If you would like to apply for a place in our Reception class please follow the link;

Apply for a Reception Place