Oxford,
06
January
2017
|
15:19
Europe/London

Don’t miss application deadline for primary school places

Families with children due to start primary school this year are being urged to ensure they don’t miss the 15 January applications deadline.

Parents or carers of children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 should visit the primary school admissions pages on the council’s website and apply online where possible.

Primary or junior school applications also need to be made for children currently attending an infant school who were born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010.

Stating three preferences

When applying parents are strongly advised to state three preferences and include their catchment school as one of these – even if it is their third preference school.

This does not in any way affect families’ chances of securing a place at their first-preference school. The council was able to offer first-preference places for more than 90 per cent of children who started primary school in Oxfordshire in September.

Apply on time

The council's Cabinet Member for Education Cllr Steve Harrod said: “We’re urging parents to ensure they apply for a school place for their child on time, as this increases the chances we will be able to offer them a place at a school listed among their preferences.

“Most people will have been pre-occupied over the Christmas and New Year period, but the deadline is now creeping up, so anyone who hasn’t yet submitted an application needs to get this done as soon as possible.”

He added: “Understandably, many parents have strong views about which school they would like their child to attend, however, we would always urge families to state three preferences on their application form, and include their catchment school as one of these – even if it is their third preference. This does not in any way reduce the chances of securing a place at your first-preference school. All the information about how to apply can be found on our website.”

Postal applications

The council still accepts postal applications but recommends families apply online where possible, as this helps speed up the applications process.

Applying online also means families receive an automatic response confirming their application has been received and can be quickly notified if further information is needed.

Those who apply online will also receive an email on allocation day informing them of the outcome of their application - avoiding waiting for a letter to arrive in the post.

The deadline for primary and junior school applications is 15 January 2017.

Secondary school applications

The deadline for ‘on-time’ applications for secondary school places in September 2017 has now passed, but any families who have yet to apply should do so as soon as possible by visiting the council’s secondary school admissions pages.