Admissions to Primary/ Infant/Junior Schools 2012-2013

Applying for a place in Reception class in a primary or infant school for the school year September 2012 to April 2013

Who should apply?

Parents and carers who have a child born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, who have not already applied and want a place for their child in a reception class in a state school. Parents and carers living in Reading Borough must apply to Reading Borough Council even if they want a pace in a school in another local authority.

How to Apply?

The closing date was the 16 January 2012 and any application made now will be treated as a late application. A late application form is available below as a pdf and should be completed and returned to the Admission Team as soon as possible. Applications will be considered after the 7 May 2012. If you are applying for a volunary-aided school because of your faith you should also complete the school's supplementary form. These forms are available below.

How can I find out more information?

A guide for parents and carers for 2012 available below gives information about  the schools in Reading and gives all the information you will need about how places are allocated. If you need to know which school is the designated area school for your home address please see the information below. The relevant information above gives a link to useful websites which includes links to other Local Authorities and the Direct Gov website for information about individual schools including Ofsted and attainment and acheivement results. If you would like more information or wish to talk to an Admission Officer please use the contact details below.

What happens next?

• 20 April 2012 offer letters posted to parents carers who applied on time
• 21 April website open to view application outcomes
• 20 April 2012 - 31 July 2013 waiting lists for over-subscribed schools held
• 4 May 2012 deadline for acceptances
• 21 May 2012 closing date for receipt of appeals - appeals for over-subscribed schools in Reading will be heard between 11June and 20 July 2012. Further information about appeals can be found from the relevant information link above
• 7  May 2012 - late applications considered
• 31 August 2012 end of routine admission round

Does my child have to start school in September 2012?

Children can start full time at school from the September after their fourth birthday. This means that children born between the 1 September 2007and 31 August 2008 can start school in September 2012. However, children do not legally have to start school until the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday.

• Children born between 1 September 2007- 31 December 2007 must be in full time education in January 2013.
• Children born between 1 January  2008 and 31 March 2008 must be in full time education by April 2013
• Children born between 1 April 2008 and 31 August 2008 must be in full time education by September 2013

If you do not wish to send your child to school in September 2012 you must still apply for the school place but you can choose to defer your child's admission until either January 2013 or April 2013. When you defer your child's admission you reserve the place at the school you have been offered but they start later in the school year. Although children born between 1 April and 31 August do not have to start school until September 2013 you cannot reserve the place until that time as that is not within the same school year. If you do not want your child to start school until September 2013 you will need to apply for a place in Year 1. However, the school may then be full because the places have been allocated to children in the previous school year. You can also ask for your child to attend school on a part-time basis whilst they are non statutory school age .

Infant to Junior Transfer

Who should apply?

Children currently in Year 2 attending an Infant school will transfer to a new school in September 2012.  Admission to Junior schools is co-ordinated by Reading Borough Council for Reading residents. If your child is due to transfer and you are a Reading resident  and you have not already applied please contact the Admissions Team. Applications can only be made for Junior schools and you cannot include primary schools unless the school has a routine admission into Y3. You must include all your preferred Junior schools including those in other local authorities in your application. Reading residents cannot apply to another Local Authority.

The following Junior schools are available in Reading;-  All Saints Junior School - Free School and Geoffrey Field Infant School.

Which school is the designated area school for your home address?

You can find out which is the designated area school for your home address by returning to the home page of this website and use the My Reading search. Children living in the designated area of a school are given priority for admission but it does not guarantee a place at the school. It will depend on the number of applicants from the designated area. If there are more applicants living in the designated area than places available at the school then a place will only be offered if your child meets higher over-subscription criteria than other applicants. The guide for parents and carers gives information about how places have been allocated at schools over previous years and from this you can see if your designated area school has been over-subscribed in the past.

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