Welcome

We warmly welcome prospective parents and pupils to visit us. Please telephone the school on 01304 611360 or email office@eastry.kent.sch.uk to make a date and time to be shown around the school and to discuss any additional needs your child may have. Please take a look at our Headteachers welcome message on our home page where you can also take a virtual tour of the school.

Admissions

Primary Admissions - Starting Reception in September (CAF)

On 5th November the Local Education Authority opens applications for a place at primary schools in reception for the following year. Application are made online and parents/carers are required to list 3 schools in preferential order. Please click here to access their website. The deadline for applications is 15th January. The LEA will then allocate places using their published criteria.

The over-subscription criteria for all Community and Voluntary Controlled Infant, Junior and Primary schools are as follows.

Before the application of oversubscription criteria, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this, the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly.

If the number of preferences for the school is more than the number of spaces available, places will be allocated in the following priority order:

• Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children – A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society. 
• Current Family Association - a brother or sister in the same school at the time of entry where the family continue to live at the same address as when the sibling was admitted – or – if they have moved – live within 2 miles of the school, or have moved to a property that is nearer to the school than the previous property as defined by the ‘Nearness’ criterion’ (below). If sibling priority is lost, it will not be reinstated for any reason. Linked infant and junior schools are considered to be the same school fort his criterion. If sibling priority is lost, it will not be reinstated when a child transfers from an infant school to the linked junior school or for any other reason. Where a child is transferring from Year 2 and would not be attending the infant school from the start of the next academic year, but applied for the linked junior school, the sibling link would not be broken for a child applying for the infant school. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters. 
• Health and Special Access Reasons – Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they
  have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical
  or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be
  supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school. 
• Nearness of children's homes to school - we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for an oversubscribed Community or Voluntary Controlled school, these straight line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.

Summer born children

If your child was born between 1 April and 31 August and you want them to defer starting school until the next academic year, read Kent's information about summer born children.

Special educational needs and disabilities children

Most children with special educational needs and disabilities can attend mainstream schools, whether or not they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

If your child has an EHC plan, then their school placement will be arranged via the SEN Team.

Find out more about applying for a school place for your SEND child.

For further and more detailed information please visit the Kent County Council Local Authority website by clicking here.

Parents will be informed about their child’s place in April.

In line with Kent County Council guidelines, reception aged children usually start school in term 1. They follow a part time induction programme which ensures they attend school for the required hours per week and this allows them to become accustomed to life at school. They start full time education after a few weeks.

Parents can contact the local authority to find out about our admissions arrangements, how to apply and details on how to appeal a decision using the link at the bottom of this page.

All other Admissions - In Year Admissions(IYAF)

If you are considering a place for your child at Eastry Church of England Primary School we would welcome you to visit the school. During your visit you will have an opportunity to meet our Family Liaison Officer, have a tour of the school and ask any questions you may have. Please contact the school on 01304 611360 or email info@eastry.kent.sch.uk to arrange a visit, request an application form or if you have any further questions. 

Applications for in year admissions are made by completing an In Year Admissions Form (IYAF) which are held at the school. The school will let you know the outcome of your application within 10 school days although a decision is usually given much sooner than this. If we are unable to offer a place to your child because their year group is full you may request to be added to the schools waiting list. Waiting lists are prioritised according to the following:

• Looked after children or all previously looked after children – a 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1)of the Children Act 1989). All references to previously looked after children in this Code mean such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
• Current Family Association - a brother or sister in the same school at the time of entry where the family continue to live at the same address as when the sibling was admitted – or – if they have moved – live within 2 miles of the school, or have moved to a property that is nearer to the school than the previous property as defined by the ‘Nearness’ criterion’ (below). 
  In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters. 
• Health and Special Access Reasons – Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they
  have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical
  or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be
  supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school. 
• Nearness of children's homes to school - we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for an oversubscribed Community or Voluntary Controlled school, these straight line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.

Appeals

If you are not offered a place this would usually be because the school is full in the year group you have applied for or there were other children who more closely met the school's oversubscribed criteria. However, parents or carers have a statutory right to appeal if a place has been declined. Eastry Church of England Primary School uses Kent County Council services to administer appeal hearings.

If you applied to move your child to Eastry Primary school but were declined a place you can lodge an appeal and find further guidance by click here or by emailing appeals@kent.gov.uk. The appeals clerk will write to you giving you at least 14 school days notice of the date and time of your appeal. A copy of the appeals paper work will be sent to you at least 7 days before the date of the hearing. The clerk will write to you with the panels decision normally within 5 school days.

If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2025, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Wednesday, 16th April 2025). You needed to submit your appeal before 20th May 2025 for it to be considered by 22nd July 2025. 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
 

Click here for further information about our admissions procedures.