Prae Wood Nursery Admission 2024

Our Nursery admission Pupil Admission Number (PAN) is 39. We have one intake in September each year and places are allocated according to the schools’ admission criteria (see below).

Applications for 2024 admission are welcomed for children whose birth date falls within the range 1/9/2020 to 31/8/2021 

SESSIONS AVAILABLE

All children are offered the 15 hours of funded education over 5 daily sessions per week, running from 9am-12pm.

In addition to this for eligible families the 30 hours free childcare sessions are offered daily from 12pm-3pm, meaning children can attend nursery for 30 hours over 5 days each week from 9am – 3pm term time only.

Families who are not eligible can also access the afternoon childcare sessions for a fee of £16.25 per day (current price).

These sessions must be booked and paid for a half-term in advance via the school office. A half-term’s notice is required to reduce sessions. Paid for childcare sessions are also offered in term time only. Adhoc sessions may be available upon request.

We also offer Nursery children access to Little Breakfast Club and Little RASCals, our after school club. This runs as a provision for Nursery and Reception-age children in a separate space to our main extended childcare provision.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR APPLICATION FORM 

We are managing our Nursery applications as part of a consortium of schools, including Bernards Heath School, Camp Primary and Nursery School, Colney Heath School, Fleetville School, How Wood School, Killigrew Primary School, Mandeville Primary School, Margaret Wix Primary School, Muriel Green Nursery, Park Street Primary School, Prae Wood Primary School, Skyswood Primary School, St Adrian's Primary School, St Alban and St Stephen School, St Bernadette Primary School, Margaret Wix Primary School, Killigrew School, Sandridge School, Muriel Green Nursery School, Bernards Heath Schools, Mandeville School, St Peters School, St Peters School, Wheatfields Infant and Nursery School to ensure that application procedures and dates align.  

Timeline for Nursery Admissions 2024/2025

As a group of St Albans schools we have agreed the following timeline for applications to Nursery. This document should be read in conjunction with each school’s oversubscription criteria.

Please check individual school websites for further information and how to access an application form.

Tuesday 31^st October 2023: Applications for September 2024 Nursery places open

Friday 23^rd February 2024: Applications for September 2024 Nursery places close

Wednesday 13^th March 2024: Schools will write to parents offering a place

Wednesday 20^th March 2024: Parents must accept or decline a place by this date

NURSERY TOUR DATES FOR 2024 APPLICATION

We are pleased to be able to offer in-person tours on the following dates for prospective applicants for Nursery 2024 admission with a member of our Senior Leadership Team

All tours will start at 10:00am and last approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on numbers attending and questions asked

Please CLICK HERE to review the dates on offer and then telephone the school office on 01727 751930 to book a space (our phone lines are open 8.30am-4.00pm Monday to Friday)

When attending a tour, please make alternative arrangements for childcare

You may also like to view our VIRTUAL VISIT video below, which gives you a taste of the day-to-day teaching and environment at Prae Wood

NURSERY APPLICATION FORM

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR APPLICATION FORM  

Admissions Criteria

The same rules will apply for nursery places as for primary school places as per HCC admission criteria:

If there are fewer applications than places available at our nursery all applicants will be admitted. If there are more applications than places available, the criteria outlined below will be used to prioritise applications. 

Oversubscription criteria 

Rule 1: Children looked after and children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order).

Rule 2: Medical or Social -  Children for whom it can be demonstrated that they have a particular medical or social need to attend Prae Wood nursery. Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the governing bodies of all maintained schools to admit a child with a statement of special educational needs that names their school. Schools must also admit children with an EHC (Education, Health and Care) Plan that names the school.    

Rule 3: Sibling -  Children who have a sibling on the roll of the school at the time of application.  This applies to Reception through to Year 5 in Prae Wood.

Rule 4: Distance  - Children who live nearest to the school. Distance calculations will be based on the same method used to allocate primary school places in Reception.

Rule 5:  Eligibility - Children eligible for the 30 hours free childcare and parents wishing to take up the offer but not allocated a place based on distance

Continuing Interest  (CI)

After places have been offered, Prae Wood will maintain a continuing interest (waiting) list. A child’s position on a CI list will be determined by the admission criteria outlined above and a child’s place on the list can change as other children join or leave it. The school office will contact parents/carers if a vacancy becomes available and it can be offered to a child. Continuing interest lists will be maintained until the end of the summer term when a place will no longer be required in nursery as the child will have reached school age and will have been allocated a school place via the HCC admissions process.

Please phone the school office on 01727 751930 or email us at admin@praewood.herts.sch.uk if you have any questions. Please note that our phone lines are open 8:30am-4:00pm Monday to Friday)