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Less than one week left for parents to apply for their child’s reception or year 3 school place

Parents in Nottinghamshire have less than one week to submit an application for their child’s reception or junior (year 3) school place by Monday, 15 January 2024.

With just a few days left until applications close, there may still be families who have not applied. It is important that parents make sure they have submitted their application on time and use all four preferences, as this will give them the best chance of being offered a school they are happy for their child to attend.

When making your application, you should:

1) Apply on time – by Monday, 15 January 2024. Applying late significantly reduces the chances of your child being allocated one of your preferred schools, as most places will have been allocated on National Offer Day to people who applied on time.

2) Parents of children living in Nottinghamshire need to apply through Nottinghamshire County Council, even if they’re applying for schools in other local authority areas such as Derbyshire or Nottingham City. 

3) Use all four preferences – for the best chance of getting your child into a school you are happy for them to attend. 

4) Check the admission oversubscription criteria – and include at least one school within the four preferences where the child will have high priority within the admission oversubscription criteria. Information about the criteria for Nottinghamshire schools can be found on the council’s website.

 5) Include other relevant information in the application, parents should mention any information which may affect how the admission oversubscription criteria are applied. You should also tell the council if you are moving house, as this may affect how your application is considered.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Sam Smith, said:

“Applying for your child’s first school place can be a daunting time and we want to make sure that parents have all the information they need to help make an informed decision. The council’s website has a variety of information that will be useful for parents making applications and I would encourage them to use it.

“Last year, over 97% of parents in Nottinghamshire who applied for their school place on time, were offered one of their preferred infant or junior schools.

“We want to ensure that parents receive a place at one of their preferred schools and using all four preferences will help give them the best chance of this”.

The easiest way to apply for a place is online, but parents who do not have internet access can telephone 0300 500 80 80 to apply. Those who apply online will receive email confirmation that the application has been received.

Parents who apply online will be able to log in to their account on National Offer Day, Tuesday 16 April 2024, to view the outcome of their application. If parents provide an email address, the outcome will be sent by email.  All other applications will be mailed by second class post on National Offer Day.

Applications received after the closing date are considered as late applications and will be processed once all on-time applications have been offered.

Parents can visit the council’s website www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/admissions for details about the application process, including the ‘Admissions to Schools: Guide for Parents 2024-2025’ which contains lots of useful information and advice. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/admissions