Open Day for year R and Pre-School places for September 2025

We always really look forward to welcoming any prospective parents to our school.

Ms Whichcord, Head teacher, and members of our Senior Leadership Team are also very happy to meet any parents individually when looking for a place at our school.

The office can be contacted by telephone: 01843 227575 or by email: office@cliftonvilleprimary.co.uk

Applying for a school place for our Reception classes September 2025

We admit 120 pupils into each year group.  You can apply for up to 3 schools, putting them in order of preference. It's in your best interests to list 3 schools. Naming only one school does not guarantee your child a place at that school or give your child priority for a place over another child, neither does naming a school more than once.

Confirmation of place in Reception September 2025

When you receive confirmation that your child has a place at CPS for September 2025 you need to post or scan your evidence in and email it to office@cliftonvilleprimary.co.uk

You will need to accept or refuse a school place by Wednesday 30 April 2025.

Please email the school using the email address provided in your offer email to accept or refuse the school place by Wednesday 30 April 2025. Accepting a school place does not stop you from joining a waiting list or making an appeal for another school. KCC recommends that you accept the offer made until you can secure another offer for your child.

Your email should include the following information:

• I wish to (accept/refuse) the place offered at (full school name)

• Your child’s full name and date of birth

• The pupil ID number (found on your offer email)

• Your name (parent/carer/guardian)

• Address evidence (see below)

Address Evidence: If you are accepting the school place, you should also send the school evidence by email confirming that you AND your child were resident at the address given on your application by the final date of Friday 9 February 2024. You may need to provide original copies of these documents to the school later.

Proof of your address should include:

• Council Tax statement for 2024/25 and 2025/26 OR

• Signed Tenancy Agreement or Exchange of Contracts with a confirmed completion date

And at least one of the following:

• Universal, Child/Working Tax Credit, Child Benefit, JSA, Disability Benefit Letter or Statement

• Driving License

• Schedule of Motor Insurance

• Utility bills such as Gas/Water/Electric/Sky/Virgin Media/BT/Broadband etc

Proof that your child lives at the same address can include:

• Doctor/Hospital appointment letter in the child’s name

• Savings account or bank statement in the child’s name

• Child benefit statement

Please note: This is not an exhaustive list, and the school/Local Authority reserves the right to request further documentation if it considers the evidence provided insufficient to prove residence at the application address. If you are unable to send your address documents via email, please advise the school. If you cannot evidence that the address you used meets the requirements on page 16 of the primary admissions guide your offer may be withdrawn. If you are concerned you have used an incorrect address on your application, or your circumstances have changed unexpectedly please contact the Primary Admissions team for guidance at primaryadmissions@kent.gov.uk.

Failure to provide sufficient address evidence or if you provide evidence that does not support your address at the final closing date of Friday 7 February 2025, may result in the offer being withdrawn.

Admission Appeals

Kent LA appeals

DfE admissions code

Timetable for appeals

Admission authorities must set a timetable for organising and hearing appeals that:

• Includes a deadline for lodging appeals. The deadline must allow appellants at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge their written appeal (during coronavirus, this is now at least 28 calendar days’ written notice - please see the first section above)
• Gives appellants at least 10 school days’ notice of their appeal hearing (during coronavirus, this is now at least 14 calendar days’ written notice - please see the first section above)
• Includes reasonable deadlines for appellants to submit additional evidence, for admission authorities to submit their evidence, and for the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
• Ensures that decision letters are sent within 5 school days of the hearing, wherever possible (during coronavirus, letters are now to be sent within 7 calendar days of the hearing or panel decision - please see the first section above)

Appeals timetables must be published by admission authorities on their website by 28 February each year.

Here are the deadlines for hearing different types of appeals: 

Any appeals submitted after the appropriate deadline must still be heard, in accordance with whatever timescale is set out in the timetable published by the admission authority.

This information is set out in paragraphs 2.1-2.4 of the school admission appeals code, linked to above.

September 2024 admission

If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2024, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Tuesday, 16 April 2024).

You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday 14 May 2024 for it to be considered by Tuesday 16^th July 2024. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.

For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education

Membership of appeal panels

Admission authorities must appoint a clerk to the appeal panel "who is independent of the school and the education functions of the LA".

The admission authority, or the clerk acting on the authority’s behalf, must appoint an independent appeal panel consisting of:

• A chair
• At least one lay person (this can include governors or other volunteers from other schools, but not anyone with personal experience in school management or provision of education)
• At least one person with experience of education (this can include people who are acquainted with educational conditions in the LA, or parents of registered pupils at school)

Panel members may not be:

• Members of the LA
• Members or former members of the school’s governing board
• Employed by the LA or school
• Connected to the admission authority in a way that might raise doubts about their impartiality

A person cannot sit on a panel unless they've attended the training required by the admission authority arranging the appeal.

Applying for a school place for our Pre-School classes 2024-2025

If you have a child who is 3 years old before 31st August 2024, you will be entitled to receive free 15 hours per week at our Pre-School. We are also offering up to 30 hours childcare if eligible.

If you would like your child to attend our Pre-School please leave your details with our school office staff.  They will be able to let you know of any availability and the waiting list process.

What happens when we can't offer a place due to being oversubscribed?

Appeals

Cliftonville Primary School is an academy with the Coastal Academies Trust.  Academies are their own admissions authority (rather than the Local Authority having this duty).  Academies must meet all of the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code.  As an academy, we are committed to a fair and transparent admissions policy.  This includes appeals, which are carried out on our behalf by the Local Authority.  You will need to contact the Local Authority if you wish to make an appeal.

Click on this link below that will direct you to the correct section on Kent's website.

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/appeal-a-school-offer#tab-1

Waiting lists

If you wish for your child’s name to be added to the waiting list, please contact the school office. Places are allocated according to our admissions criteria which means that your child’s ranking on the waiting list may change.  Please note that at the end of the three seasonal terms (Autumn/Spring/Summer) all applicants will be removed from the waiting list. At the start of the following seasonal term, should you still want a place, you will have to re-apply to this school in order for your child to be placed on the waiting list.  Due to the volume of children on the waiting list the school will not issue reminders to parents to re-apply.

If you are having trouble finding a school in the area with spaces, please contact Kent County Council on 0300 333 6472 and ask to speak to the In Year Admissions Team.