Admissions and Tours

Choosing a school for your child can be a daunting process with many schools to choose from. We are pleased to be able to offer a series of tour dates this year between September and December 2023 to enable you to come along and see all the wonderful opportunities we are able to offer at Sythwood Primary and Nursery School, and the reasons we feel you should consider us for your child’s school experience.

Tour dates are:

• Thursday 21st September 11am
• Monday 2nd October 10am
• Wednesday 11th October 2pm
• Monday 16th October 4pm
• Wednesday 8th November 10am

We have limited spaces so please make a booking either by completing the web form below, or if you prefer, by calling us on 01483 770063 or emailing us at info@sythwood.surrey.sch.uk . 

Please also take a look at our virtual tour below to get an early insight before you visit!

We look forward to meeting you!

For more advice and support on applying for your child's school place please:

• Visit our Admissions Policies section
• View the attached information from the government School Admissions pages. 

 

 

School admission appeals timetable

Appeals are now being heard on a face to face basis, if you have difficulties attending please contact the School Appeals Service.

Appeals for September 2024 resulting from year of entry or transfer applications: 

School	Offer	Appeals lodged by	Appeals to be heard by
Primary	16 April 2024	15 May 2024	17 July 2024 (40 School days)

 NB: Appeals will not start being heard until after the relevant closing date has passed.

Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.

Appellants will be sent notification of their appeal hearing at least 10 clear school days in advance of the hearing.  Appellants will be sent a copy of the school's case 7 clear working days in advance of the hearing.

Appellants must ensure that any further evidence not included with their initial appeal, is received by 5pm on the day notified in the letter with details of the hearing.  Any additional evidence or information received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing.

In year or immediate entry appeals

Appeals resulting from in year admission applications will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

SYTHWOOD PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL

At Sythwood Primary and Nursery School we adhere to the principle that every child matters and that all children have the right to enjoy and achieve to the best of their ability in a safe, happy and secure learning environment which encourages them to grow as global citizens. We believe that a strong partnership with parents encourages children to reach their full potential.

Introduction

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School is an Academy co-educational school for children aged 4 - 11 years old and is situated in Woking with a Nursery which takes children from the age of 2.

For entry into Reception during the 2023/24 academic year, Sythwood Primary School has a published admission number (PAN) of 60.

Admissions 

STARTING SCHOOL

There is a single intake into Reception.  All children whose date of birth falls between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 will be eligible to apply for a full time place in Reception at the school for September 2024 

Applications for admission at the normal intake (September) will be managed in accordance with Surrey County Council’s co-ordinated scheme on primary admission. Please see Surrey County Council school admission pages for further details.

Applications for Reception September 2024 intake must be made by 15 January 2023. Parents will be asked to rank up to four preferences and these will be considered under an equal preference system. Places at Sythwood Primary and Nursery School will be offered on the basis of the oversubscription criteria listed below. Applications received after 15 January 2024 may be considered as late and will be considered in accordance with Surrey’s Coordinated Admission Scheme.

Applicants can defer their child’s entry to Reception until later in the school year, but this will not be agreed beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the beginning of the final term of the academic year for which the offer was made. Applicants may also arrange for their child to start part time until their child reaches statutory school age.

 

IN-YEAR ADMISSIONS

All applications for admission to year Reception, after the start of the academic year in September, and for years 1-6 will be treated as in-year admissions.

Application for in-year admission must be made to Surrey County Council (either through their website or by phoning 0300 200 1004). Where there are more applications than places available, each application will be ranked in accordance with our published oversubscription criteria.

NURSERY ADMISSIONS

Applications for a place in our Nursery are made direct to our schooI. If you would like more information, or to arrange a visit to our nursery, please contact 01483 770063 or email nursery@sythwood.surrey.sch.uk

Admissions outside of chronological year group

Applicants may choose to seek a place outside their child’s chronological (correct) year group. Decisions will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case and what is in the best interests of the child concerned.

The BET Policy for Education out of Year Group (Key Information - Bourne Education Trust) sets out how applications for admission of children outside their normal age group will be managed.

Admissions Arrangements for 2023/24

Please see the document at the bottom of this page for full details of our admission arrangements for 2023-2024. The information below is a summary, but applications should familiarise themselves with the full document.

When the school is oversubscribed, after the admission of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below in the following order (notes may be found in Appendix A of our Admission Arrangements 2023-2024):

1. Looked after children and children who were previously looked after children (see note 1).
2. Children with exceptional social or medical needs where it is deemed that this is the only school which can meet their needs (see note 2).
3. Siblings – children who will have a sibling in the school at the time of the child’s admission (see note 3).
4. All other children.  Remaining places will be offered based on nearness to the school measured in a straight line from the address point of the child’s home address, as set by Ordnance Survey, to the nearest official school gate for pupil use (see note 4 for the definition of home address).

TIE BREAK

If within any criterion there are more children than places available, any remaining places will be offered to children who meet the criterion on the basis of proximity of the child’s home address to the school, with children living nearest receiving the greater priority.  Distance will be measured in a straight line from the address point of the child’s home address, as set by the Ordnance Survey, to the nearest official school gate for pupils to use. This is calculated using the admissions team’s Geographical Information System.

Where two or more children share priority for a place, for example, where two children live equidistant from a school, Sythwood Primary and Nursery School will use random allocation to determine which child should be given priority.

In the case of multiple births, where children have equal priority for a place, Sythwood Primary and Nursery School will use random allocation to determine which child should be given priority.

WAITING LISTS

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School will operate a waiting list for each year group. Surrey County Council admissions team will maintain the waiting list for the main admissions round for Reception until 31^st August 2023, after which it will be transferred to the school.  Any places that become available will be offered to the child at the top of the list on the day the place became available. The waiting list is ordered according to the criteria of the admission policy with no account being taken of the length of time on the waiting list or any priority order expressed as part of the main admission round. Fair Access admissions and school closure arrangements will take priority over the waiting list.

The waiting list will be reviewed and revised each time a child is added to, or removed from, the waiting list, or when a child’s changed circumstances affect their priority.

Waiting lists for each year group will stay open until the end of the summer 2024 term.