St. Gregory CEVC Primary School Nursery offers 26 places in the morning session and 26 places in the afternoon session.
Children can be admitted to Nursery at the start of the term following their third birthday if places are available. Under current legislation all children of Nursery age are entitled to 15 hours funded early education entitlement each week. Funded provision is financed by central and local government. For more information or guidance on how to access your funded early education entitlement please contact the school office or visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
At St. Gregory CEVC Primary School the 15 hours funded early education entitlement can be taken over any five morning or afternoon sessions but does not include Lunchtime Club, Breakfast Club or After School Club.
Some children are eligible for an additional 15 hours funded early education entitlement. To find out more go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk If children are not entitled to these additional hours then they will be charged for in accordance with our Charges Policy. These fees will be payable a half term in advance.
The Nursery Day
Morning sessions in the Nursery run from 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and afternoon sessions run from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A Lunchtime Club is available from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Children can bring their own lunch or order a school dinner from the school office. There is a charge for attending Lunchtime Club and your funded early education entitlement cannot be used for it.
A Breakfast Club is available for Nursery children from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. There is a charge for attending Breakfast Club and the funded early education entitlement cannot be used for it. Breakfast is available at this club and is included in the price.
An After School Club is available for Nursery children from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is a charge for attending After School Club and the funded early education entitlement cannot be used for it. Meals are not available at this club but the children will be given a snack such as fruit, toast or biscuits as well as squash.
Charges
From September 2023 the following charges will apply:
A morning or afternoon session not covered by funding – £18.00 per session
Lunchtime Club – £4.00 per session
Breakfast Club – £6.00 per session from 7:30 a.m. (discounts available for siblings )
After School Club – £6.00 per session up to 5:00 p.m.
Applications for Nursery
Admission to the school Nursery does not guarantee a place at the school for Reception and does not preclude the admission of a child to any other Infant or Primary school in the area.
All 3 and 4 year olds become eligible for Early Education Funding from the start of the term following their third birthday.
| Birthday | Free early education from beginning of |
| 01 September to 31 December | Spring Term (after Christmas holiday) |
| 01January to 31 March | Summer Term (after Easter holiday) |
| 01 April to 31 August | Autumn Term (after Summer holiday) |
Applications for Nursery have opening and closing dates which are clearly stated on the relevant application form. This can be obtained from the school office.
The office will keep an application list of pupils seeking admission. Inclusion of a child’s name on the list does not constitute a promise of a place.
Allocation of Places
The Nursery will admit children in the academic term after their third birthday.
The Nursery will only admit places for children requiring a minimum of 15 hours’ provision.
A PAF form will be signed by the parent agreeing the hours required for that term.
If there are no places available we will add your child’s name to our waiting list. We would also advise you to contact the Family Information Service on 0345 60 800 33 who will be able to support you to find a place for your child.
Places will be allocated using the over-subscription criteria as set out below. Please see Appendix A for further explanations of each criteria and the definition of terms.
- “Looked after” or previously looked after children (as defined in the Education Act 2002 – Admissions).
- Children aged 3 or 4 who have an Educational Health and Care Plan which names our Nursery.
- Those children who will have a sibling attending this primary school at the time of the applicant’s proposed admission.
- Those children wanting the most hours.
- Those children who live in the school’s catchment area.
- Children who live outside the school’s catchment area and who live nearest to this school calculated in a direct straight line from the child’s permanent place of residence to the school. If there are more applicants than can be accommodated at a school in criteria 1 to 4, places will be offered to those children in each criterion whose place of residence is nearest to the school as defined in our main school admissions policy.
Twins, triplets and other multiple births
Where applications are received from families with multiple birth siblings (twins, triplets, etc.) places will be allocated together at the nursery wherever possible. This recognises the exceptional nature of the emotional bonds between multiple birth siblings. Where that is not possible, parents will be invited to decide which of the children should be allocated the available place(s) or seek places at an alternative setting with sufficient vacancies to accommodate both or all of the multiple birth siblings.
Children of UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces)
The school nursery supports the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for service children. For children of UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces) and returning Crown Servant families the school will consider a family posted to the area as meeting residence criteria for the designated area even if a residential address has not been identified. This would require confirmation in the form of a letter from the relevant government department (for example, the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or Government Communications Headquarters.) The school may allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address or Quartering area address.
Children of Gypsies, Roma, Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers
We recognise that these children may have difficulty securing an early education place. We therefore work closely with Suffolk Family Information Service and may prioritise these children for a place at our nursery if that is deemed to be the best way to meet the needs of the child and family.
Tie Break
If it is not possible distinguish between applicants in a particular category (a tie break) there will be a random ballot.
Late Applications
Late applications received after the closing date will be considered once the initial application process has been completed. Dates for this process can be obtained from the school office. Once headcount week is in place no further applications can be accepted.
Application Deadlines and Confirmation of Places
Parents and carers will receive a letter of offer by the last week of each half term.
Spring Term 2023 places will be offered in mid to end October with an application deadline of Monday 5th December 2022.
Summer Term 2023 places will be offered in early February with an application deadline of Monday 20th March 2023.
Autumn Term 2023 places will be offered mid to end May with an application deadline of Monday 10th July 2023.
Parents need to accept their place in writing for it to be confirmed. If their application is unsuccessful they can be placed on a waiting list if they wish.
Change of Circumstance
Where a family’s situation changes once they have completed an application for Nursery and they wish to reduce their number of sessions their application can be adjusted at the discretion of the Headteacher. If a child is taken out of Nursery after headcount week then that child’s funding will remain with St Gregory School until the end of that term.
Fraudulent Admissions
Where the Governing Body discovers that a child has been awarded a place as result of an intentionally misleading application from a parent, which effectively denies a place to a child with a stronger claim, then the Governing Body is required to withdraw the offer of the place. The application will be reconsidered and a right of appeal offered if a place is refused.
Attendance at the Nursery Class
A home visit will be arranged where the Nursery teacher visits new children at their house to have an informal conversation about their hobbies and needs.
Since places in the Nursery are limited, parents/guardians are advised that a poor record of attendance without good cause, may lead to their child’s place being given to someone else.
Parents/guardians are advised of the necessity for their child to be brought and collected by a responsible adult over the age of 16 years.
Appendix A – Further Information on Over-Subscription Criteria
Previously looked after children:
Previously looked after children includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2001 (section 46 adoption orders). Child arrangements orders are defined in section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.
Siblings
Children who are brothers and sisters of, or who live as a family at the same address as pupils who are already at the school or who have already been offered a place, and who will still be there at the time of admission. Priority will be given, where necessary, to applications where there is the smallest age gap. If you have more than one child at the school, please name the youngest one.
Ordinarily resident
By ‘ordinarily resident’ we mean the place where your child usually lives. We may need proof of this address. We will not treat your child as ordinarily resident if you rent or own a second home in the catchment area or if you use another address to give the impression that your child lives in the catchment area so that you have a higher priority for a place at that school. Where a child lives with separated parents who have shared responsibility, each for part of the week, the address at which the child is ordinarily resident will be considered to be the address that at which the child lives at for most of the week (excluding weekends and school holidays). Both parents must provide evidence in writing to confirm the child’s living arrangements at the time of application.
Distance from the school
We will give priority to the applicants who live nearest to the school as measured by the Local Authority. Where two or more children reside within a block of flats, they will be deemed to live at an equal distance from the School. In the event that two applicants competing for a single place at a school live the same distance from the school, the place will be offered to one applicant on the basis of lots drawn.