Admissions
We understand the importance of choosing the right school for your child's education, and we are committed to providing a nurturing environment where they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
At Oldfield Brow Primary, we cater to children in their primary years, from ages 3 to 11. Our dedicated team of experienced teachers and staff are passionate about unlocking each child's full potential.
Our admissions process is designed to ensure a smooth transition for your child into our school community. We welcome all children, regardless of their background or abilities, and strive to create an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity. We encourage you to visit our school, meet our staff, and explore our facilities to see if Oldfield Brow Primary is the right fit for your child.
Admissions Arrangements
Admissions to the main school are looked after by Trafford Local Authority for entry into our Reception and Years 1 to 6. For further details of the arrangements, please contact Trafford Admissions. They can be contacted using one of the various methods below.
School Admissions
Waterside House
Sale
M33 7ZF
Or email: school.admissions@trafford.gov.uk
Or by telephone: 0161 912 5007
The Governing Body follows Trafford’s admissions policy for the main school but coordinates the admissions process for its own Nursery. Nursery places are available to children of three years of age and above and are offered in blocks of 15 hours. Parents can express their desire for either morning or afternoon places for their 15 hours of free entitlement or 30 where applicable.
The school has a published admission number in the Nursery of 52 places in any one year, 26-morning places and 26 afternoon places. To meet the needs of parents and educational goals, our aim is to allocate places fairly both reflecting demand and parental needs.
Applying for a Nursery Place
Parents may apply for a part-time place (morning or afternoon) by filling in an admission form available from the school office or downloaded below. The main criteria used to determine admission will be in every case the child's home address. This means the address where the child normally and permanently lives on a full-time basis, not the address of any child-minder, grandparent or any other relative. In the case of parents who are separated and where child-care arrangements are equally shared between two addresses in the catchment area, the average of the distances of the two addresses from the school will be used to determine priority for admission. Where child-care arrangements are equally shared and one of the addresses is outside the catchment area, the average of the distances of the two addresses from the school will be used to determine priority. You may be required to provide proof of residency and a photographic ID. Failure to do so may result in the offer of a place being withdrawn.
It is always assumed that a parent will provide the school with the correct factual information when applying for a school place. Any attempt to gain an advantage in the admissions process by giving false information and will be investigated and fraudulent applications will result in the place offered being withdrawn even after your child has started school.
If a parent has very recently moved into Trafford, the school will ask for details regarding your new address. The minimum requirement will be proof of exchange of contracts relating to the purchase of a property or a copy of a signed rental agreement. Additional supporting documentation may also be required.
Once part-time places have been allocated, there may be a number of sessions available. These sessions will enable part-time places to be commuted to full-time places.
Allocation of Full-Time Places
Full–time places are offered in priority using the criteria below:
- Looked after children
- Children whose parents are staff members of Oldfield Brow Primary School
- Those within catchment area with siblings in the school
- Those within catchment area without siblings in the school
- Those outside catchment area with siblings in the school
- Those outside catchment area without siblings in the school
In all of the above scenarios, closest distance as the crow flies from the school’s front door to the child’s home will be used as a ‘tie breaker’.
Parents who meet the following criteria will be entitled to have 30 hours of nursery provision:
- Be offered by the school an option of a full-time place
- Both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family) and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) or national living wage (NLW), and less than £100,000 per year.
- It is a one parent household and the working parent meets the income rules.
- Working will include employed and self-employed persons.
Parents will not necessarily need to actually work 16 hours a week, but rather their earnings must reflect at least 16 hours of work at NMW or NLW. This means that, when the new entitlement goes live, a working parent who is over 25 will need to earn a weekly minimum equivalent of £115.20 whereas a working parent who is 21 will need to earn weekly minimum equivalent of around £107 (at this year’s rates). Parents on zero contract hours who meet the criteria are included in the entitlement criteria.
There are some exceptions from two parent rules and children will also be entitled if:
- Both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity or paternity
- Leave both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on adoption leave
- Both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on statutory sick pay.
- One parent is employed and one parent has substantial caring responsibilities based on specific benefits received for caring; or
- One parent is employed and one parent is disabled or incapacitated based on receipt of specific benefits.
This criteria is subject to the current government legislation and this policy is subject to change and will continue to work in line with the statutory guidance in ‘Early education and childcare’. Parents will need to apply online to HMRC to access the extra 15 hour free entitlement. If they are eligible they will receive a code that will be need to be checked by the school Parents are entitled to select where they would like to use the 30 hours of nursery provision, however any parent who is eligible for 30 hours of nursery provision and would like to utilise Oldfield Brow Primary School must use ALL of the 30 hours in this setting.
Timetable of Events
Nursery intake is in September but admissions may also take place throughout the year if vacancies exist.
Offers of places go out to parents in the spring term. On receipt of an offer, parents are required to complete and return to school the ‘Early Years Free Entitlement’ form to receive their basic 15 hours free entitlement. A copy of this will be posted to parents with the offer itself.
To secure a full time place offer, parents need to complete and return to the school both a Direct Debit form and the ‘Early Years Free Entitlement’ form. Copies of these will be posted to parents with the offer itself. Details of the Direct Debit requirements are within the offer letter itself.
Start dates are arranged so that not all children begin nursery at the same time.
It should be noted that a place at the nursery is no guarantee of a place in the reception class at Oldfield Brow Primary School.
How Places are Allocated
Offers will be posted on the final day of the Spring Term for admission in September of the same year and replies expected within three weeks of that date.
When these offers have been accepted/rejected and there are still places available, a second wave of offers will be sent out and so on until all places have been allocated.
Over-Subscription Criteria
Priority of place allocation will be given in this hierarchical order which matches that of Trafford’s criteria for admission to the main school:
- "Looked after" children (as defined in the Education Act 2002 – Admissions).
- Those children who live in the catchment area, with a sibling attending Oldfield Brow Primary School at the time of the applicant's proposed admission (This includes half/step/adopted/foster brothers or sisters, and any other children, who are living at the same address as part of the same family unit).
- Those children who live in the catchment area.
- Children, who live outside the catchment, with a sibling attending Oldfield Brow Primary School at the time of the applicant's proposed admission. (This includes half/step/adopted/foster brothers or sisters, and any other children, who are living at the same address as part of the same family unit).
- Children who live nearest to Oldfield Brow Primary School, calculated in a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school.
If there are more applicants than can be accommodated in the Nursery in criteria 1. to 4. places will be offered to those children in each criterion whose place of residence is nearest to school as defined in criterion 5. Children who live nearest to Oldfield Brow Primary School, calculated as a direct straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the school, using property co-ordinates provided through a combination of the Trafford Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) and Royal Mail Postal Address Information if needed.
In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained as above.
Flexible Nursery Offer – 15 hours per week
The school provides 15 hours of nursery care on a morning or afternoon basis. Parents are free to request their preferred type of session.
Morning sessions begin at 8.40am and finish at 11.40am, five days a week.
Afternoon sessions begin at 12.20pm and finish at 3.20pm, five days a week.
To suit parents working habits, it may be possible to extend morning and afternoon sessions if parents are willing to pay for such a provision. This cost would be £3 per day for staffing costs and £2.30 per day for a school meal. Parents are asked to indicate if this is a preferred option when offers are sent out. The school will try and meet these requests. If it is possible to meet these requests, extended sessions times would be thus:
Morning Session: 8.40am - 12.20pm, Afternoon Session: 11.40am - 3.20pm
Top Up Sessions
In some instances, parents might be offered a full-time place by the school but are not eligible for the 30 hours free provision. In this case, a 'Top Up' option is offered and these are allocated at the Headteacher’s discretion according to the current fees and terms and conditions. Therefore anyone who is utilising the ‘top-up’ facility will be allocated a morning session for the ‘free’ 15 hours and all ‘top-up’ will be part of the afternoon session. Top up sessions will have to be agreed on a half term basis and payment for the sessions will need to be paid in advance. This payment is made by direct debit and costs £72.50 per week, term time only. Details of the Direct Debit requirements will be discussed if this option is made available to you.
Equalities
Admission to the Nursery will not be prejudiced in any way by a child’s ability, gender, race or disability.
Monitoring of the policy
The school will update the policy annually. The policy will be reviewed every three years or sooner if necessary. For a full up to date policy please visit the Policies page.
How to Apply
If you wish to apply for a place at the nursery, please fill in an application form after your child has turned two years old. A form can be picked up at our main school office or downloaded from the school website.
Please return the application to the main school office with a current proof of address.
Applications will be processed in April in the calendar year that the child is due to start nursery. Parents will be informed in May if their child has a September place. January places will be offered in October, if available. If nursery places are oversubscribed, the Trafford admissions criteria will be applied. Once you have been offered a place, you need to come to our main school office with proof of your child’s age (passport or birth certificate) and most recent proof of address (utility bill). You can then fill in a Child Information Card for our records. If a place is not available, your child will be placed on our waiting list.
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