Admissions
Admissions September 2025
For children due to start school in September 2025, the application opens on the 1st November 2024 and closes on 15th January 2025
Applications received after the closing date are treated as late applications. This means there will be far less chance of your child being offered a place at the school you want.
Take the time to read Thurrock’s primary admissions brochure and then follow the instructions for applying.
At Stifford Clays Primary School, we believe the early stages of a child’s life to be most important in laying foundations for future learning. We have long recognised the disadvantage to Spring and Summer born pupils regarding the length of time spent in Key Stage 1.
All reception class pupils start school in September and are offered a full time place which they are gradually introduced to.
Increase in PAN in years 3-5 with effect from wb 16.09.2024
Following a decision by the Trust Board, the PAN will be increased in years 3-5 to 96 for the academic year 2024-25 with immediate effect. There is no change to the admissions procedure or policy in managing over subscriptions. Criteria remains the same.
Admission Policy and Process
All parents who wish their children to attend our school must apply to Thurrock Council’s Admissions Department early in the year (a date is published) preceding the Academic Year that the child is due to be admitted into school. The Local Authority encourage applications to be made on the Thurrock Council Website: https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/primary-school-admissions/applying-for-primary-school-place
Admissions during an academic year are called In-year admissions. Applications forms and further details about in-year admission should be made directly to the local authority here: https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/in-year-admissions/applying-in-year
Appeals
We commission the local authority to run our appeals service. Please follow the link below for further information on the process.
https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/admissions-appeals/appeals-process
Admission to Nursery
All parents who wish their children to attend our nursery must apply to the school. Application packs are available from the school office.
Admission to nursery does not guarantee a place in Reception class. The Local Authority manages admission for statutory age children and must be applied for separately to Thurrock Council and received by their cut-off date.
For more information on the Nursery please click here:
Nursery Funding: Nursery Funding (Parents - Nursery menu tab)
Nursery Admissions Form
Admission Consultation
The admissions consultation for admissions in 2025 ran from 9 November to 21 December 2023 and has now closed.
The Trust received one comment regarding the addition of a priority category for children who attend the nursery.
After considering the comment and the current and recent historic admissions to the school, the trustees felt that additional priority category was not required as children attending the nursery are well catered for under the current arrangements.
Trustees are grateful to those who responded to the consultation.
The final determined admissions arrangements will be published on the school’s website, in line with the Admissions Code requirements.