Thank you for considering Okehampton Primary School for your child. We hope you have also had the opportunity to look around our website We welcome pupils from two to 11 years old, although we have new starters at any time too and we invite parents and pupils to visit our school.
Applying for a place here is straightforward. If there are enough spaces, then you will receive an offer on application. However, we do have procedures to follow in the event we are over-subscribed, and will prioritise applications as necessary.
All school admissions and applications are handled by Devon County Council and you can find out more information at www.devon.gov.uk/admissions. The following questions and links are designed to help you navigate your way to applying for a place for your child, whether for a September start or in year applications. The Devon Citizens Portal allows parents and carers of children, to make applications for school places, including in-year admissions (not in year transfers to schools in another authority), two-year-old funding and free school meals.
Come and visit us!
If you are interested in your child joining the school, please contact us to discuss what we have to offer and to arrange a visit if you can.
Our admin team, led by Laura Hale-Jones, would love to discuss arranging a visit with you and your child/ren. Please call 01837 52866 or email admin@okehamptonprimary.org.uk
Once you decide you would like a place you must make a formal application. A fresh application must be made for children who not moving on from our Year 6 to Year 7.
How to apply:
Most children join our school at the normal round, the main intake into school from the start of September in Reception. As a parent, you can apply for a place to the Local Authority.
There are different options for parents of children starting school in Reception. This includes part-time education and deferring or delaying admission until later in the Reception year or, for children with birthdays in the summer term, to the following September. Come and talk to us if you are considering this..
Do come and talk with us if you are interested in a place in a different year group for any reason.
Applications for residents of Devon are made between 1 September and 31 October for secondary schools at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline
Applications for residents of Devon are made between 15 November and 15 January for primary schools at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline.
If your child lives in another LA, including Cornwall, Dorset, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay you should apply through that council. The closing dates are the same nationally.
For questions about your child joining the school or just about the admissions process in general, please don’t hesitate to contact the school direct or contact Devon School Admissions Service on 0345 155 1019 or by email to admissions@devon.gov.uk Devon publishes guides to the admissions process: the Step by Step Guide and the In-Year Guide at http://devon.cc/prospectus
If you are interested in your child joining the school in-year (once the academic year has started), you can apply for a place through Devon County Council at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline
There is a right of appeal and to a place on a waiting list for places where an application is refused.
Admission Arrangements
Devon is the admissions authority for our school. It has responsibility for the admissions policies and decisions on applications for admission. We have an admissions policy for each academic year and they will be published on this page when they are proposed for consultation and after they have been determined annually. They are written to comply with the School Admissions Code 2021 and School Admissions Appeals Code 2022.
The Local Authority
We take part in the co-ordinated admissions schemes of Devon County Council. Devon County Council publishes information about admissions and its own policies to support the admissions application and appeals process. This is at www.devon.gov.uk/admissions
Applications can be made online at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline or by using the forms available at http://devon.cc/applicationforms
The appeals process is detailed at www.devon.gov.uk/school-appeals
Our Admissions Policies
You can find our admissions policies below - we review the school policy annually and may make changes if we feel this would be in the best interests of the school and our community.
Each academic year has its own policy document, with details about how to apply for a place in school.
School admissions policy 2022-23
See our determined policy below. If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
The following amendments were made in August 2021 to the determined policy for 2022-23 to comply with the revised School Admissions Code 2021: priority for children adopted from state care outside England was added to oversubscription criterion 1; wording added to reflect that decisions on in-year admissions must be sent to a parent within 15 school days; provision added for Hard to Place children; advice added regarding applications for overseas children.
School admissions policy 2023-24
See our determined policy below. If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Amendments:
School admissions policy 2024-25
See the policy below. This will be open for comment during a public consultation for all policies in Devon between 1 November 2022 and 6 January 2023 at www.devon.gov.uk/admissioarrangements If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Proposed changes from the policy for 2023 are highlighted in red text.
The policy will be determined by our admissions authority before the end of February and published here by 15 March 2023.
The Admissions Appeals Timetable 2023
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 May 2023. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 17 April 2023, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 March 2023. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 1 March 2023, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
For Post 16, appeals will be heard within the same 40-day period; where a place would have been conditional upon exam results, appeals must be heard within 30 school days of confirmation of those results.
The Admissions Appeals Timetable 2024
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 May 2024. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 16 April 2024, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 March 2024. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 1 March 2023, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
For Post 16, appeals will be heard within the same 40-day period; where a place would have been conditional upon exam results, appeals must be heard within 30 school days of confirmation of those results.
Okehampton Primary School Admission Policies
Please follow our page link where you can read our Admissions policies and over-subscription criteria:
If you would like your child to attend our school, please see full details of our admission arrangements below.
GUIDE FOR PARENTS
How to Apply
Devon Admissions Guidance pages have all the information you need to apply for a place in a mainstream state primary school. Please click on the links to see more details:
Questions and Answers
Q . When should I apply for my pre school aged child and, if I apply earlier, will I be higher up the list?
A. Pre-admissions into school are rolled out by Devon Admissions, please follow the instructions outlined on their website, by their published deadline which is usually the 15th January. This cyclical deadline applies every year although the actual date may vary slightly. All applications will be considered together after the deadline has passed so getting your form in early won’t have any bearing on the decision to allocate places.
Q . What happens if you miss this deadline?
A . You need to contact Devon County Council direct, who will send you the relevant application forms.
Q . Does it help if my child has attended your Nursery?
A . In terms of aiding your child’s transition into school then yes, if a child can start school with his or her peers and friends then he or she will usually find the process less threatening. However attendance at Nursery has no bearing on the decision to allocate places. Although, if you have a child in Nursery, you will still need to apply for your child's mainstream school place, as this is not an automatic guarantee.
Q. How are places allocated?
A. The Devon County Council website will guide you in the right direction. Please visit the School Admissions page here.
Q . Can I come and have a look round the school?
A . Yes – pre-planned dates are available for you to book a space to visit the school. Please call our school office on 01837 52866, we will be happy to book you in for a place. You will then be shown around the school by the EYFS Lead. However, if you can't make one of the pre-planned dates, please call the school office so we can accommodate and discuss further options.
Q . My child is currently attending another school and I would like to apply for a place at your school, what is the process?
A. In the first instance you can call our Lead Administrator, Nicky Shilston, who will gladly discuss options available to you. However, a direct application will need to be made to Devon Admissions. They will then forward your completed application to our school and the admissions procedure is followed. In the interim period of your application, we welcome parents and children to visit the school for a tour. To arrange a suitable date, please contact Nicky on 01837 52866 or email: admin@okehamptonprimary.org.uk
Q. What if you refuse my child a place but I wish to challenge that?
A. Details of the appeal system are available here.
Q . I have more than one child needing a place, if you take one child would you automatically take the other child.
A . Unfortunately, the allocation of all places are made accordingly to availability in the relevant year group.
Data Collection
All new pupils are required to complete a standard Data Collection form, which will be issued to you through the Administration team.
Pupil Premium
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