Admissions

When can children start at Falconhurst?

Children can enter our Nursery class (Little Falcons) from the start of the term after their third birthday.
Every family is entitled to 15 free hours of learning and we provide this in morning only, afternoon only or two and a half full day sessions. Alongside this families can also book extended learning times so that children can stay for a maximum of 5 full days per week, term time only. Further information about timings and pricing is available from the school office.
Children also enter our Reception classes at the beginning of the autumn term (if they turn 5 between 1 Sep and 31 Aug the following year). Children coming to Falconhurst arrive from a wide variety of preschool settings and many come from our own nursery, but there is no automatic right of entry and children attending the nursery apply for a school place along with those from other settings.

What is the school’s admissions policy?

The Local Authority (LA) co-ordinate admissions to all maintained schools in Milton Keynes. Details and further information about their admissions arrangements can be viewed on their website https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schools-and-lifelong-learning/school-admissions. The catchment area for the school has been defined as Eaglestone and Peartree Bridge; however many of our children live outside of this catchment area.

In the event of there being greater demand for admission than there are places available, then the LA will allocate places according to their ‘oversubscription’ criteria. These are detailed below:
1. A looked after child or previously looked after child.
2. A sibling at the school who is expected to be on roll at the school at the time of admission of the younger sibling
and the place of residence is within the catchment area of the school.
3. The child’s place of residence is within the catchment area of the school and there is no sibling.
4. There is already a sibling at the school who is expected to be on roll at the school at the time of admission of the
younger sibling and the place of residence is outside of the catchment area.
5. Distance from the school to the place of residence.

In the event of there being more applicants meeting any of the criteria above places will be allocated in
distance order using the distance between the child’s normal home address and the school’s main
entrance, measured in a straight line, using the council’s computerised measuring system with those
living closest to the school receiving the higher priority. In the unlikely event of joint oversubscription, having exhausted distance, random allocation will be used as the ultimate tiebreaker. For applicants living in flats, the distance will be measured from the school’s main entrance to the front door of the ground floor flat underneath the applicant’s main residence. Where two or more pupils live at the same distance, the tie breaker will be random allocation.
All admission authorities are required by section 324 of the Education Act 1996 to admit to a school a child with a statement of special education needs or an Education Health Care Plan that names that school. This is not an oversubscription criterion and the council will therefore admit such children whether the admission number has been reached or not

Is there an admission limit?

The school has an agreed admission number of 45 children per year group. In Reception, children are
grouped in single year group classes; thereinafter, the school is vertically grouped and children learn in
double year combined classes. Vertical grouping results in 3 classes for each phase of learning – Year 1
and 2 (Lower School), Year 3 and 4 (Upper School) and Year 5 and 6 (Upper School). In the event that any
of our year groups are full, the Local Authority as admissions authority will refuse any additional
applications.

What happens if a child joins in the middle of a year?

Children arrive at Falconhurst at all sorts of times, and we welcome them whenever they come to us. We
recognise the difficulties of moving in the middle of a school year and we work hard to help children
settle in as quickly and easily as possible. Your child will undergo some straightforward assessments
when he or she arrives, and we will help provide friends, a “buddy” to work with them for a few days,
and a Learning Mentor who will check on their welfare after they have been in school for a few days. You
are more than welcome to come in after a couple of weeks to talk about how well your child is settling
and to discuss any concerns either you or we may have. All “in-year admissions” are coordinated by the
Local Authority Admissions Team using a form which can either be collected from the school office or
downloaded from the council’s website at http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schools-and-lifelonglearning/school-admissions

Can we reserve a place at the school if we are coming from overseas or elsewhere in the UK?

No. The Local Authority follow their very clearly defined admissions criteria, which cannot apply until you have either exchanged contracts on a property in the defined area or have a rental agreement from a landlord if you are renting.

Do you have a nursery?

Yes. Our Nursery is within the building of the school, and has a maximum number of 52 places (26 in
the morning and 26 in the afternoon). Nursery times are 8.40 - 11.40 a.m. (morning session) and 12.10 -3.10 p.m. (afternoon session). If you wish to apply for a place at the Nursery, please contact Miss Sherman via the School Office either by popping in or emailing her on
office@falconhurstschool.co.uk; she will be only too happy to help you with information and advice. Please remember though that a place in the Nursery does not guarantee a place at the school and all families must complete the council admission forms within the timescales provided.