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• Normal round admissions
• In-Year admissions
• Statutory school age
• Single offer point for Reception

There are two kinds of admissions to school: normal round admissions and in-year admissions.

Normal Round Admissions

The normal round is when children are admitted to a school at the earliest point possible for the type of school. That is admission at the start of:

• Reception in Infant and Primary schools
• Year 3 in Junior Schools
• Year 7 in Secondary Schools
• Year 12 in Secondary Schools

For normal round admissions, parents should apply during the academic year before the child is due to start. For Reception and Year 3 junior school transfer, applications are made between 7 November and 15 January before places are available in the September. For Year 7 secondary transfer, applications are made between 1 September and 31 October for admission in the following September. For Year 12 admissions, applications are made direct to the sixth forms, generally in the spring term.

You can apply after the closing dates but your application will only be dealt with after all of the applications which were on time. This could mean the school you wanted is already full so it is important to apply on time if you can.

For further information on admission to Reception, see The First Step.

For further information on junior transfer, see The Junior Step (Information to follow)

For further information on secondary transfer, see the 2012 Next Step (2.25MB - pdf help).

You can apply for junior or secondary school transfer a year early or later if you feel there are particularly strong reasons why this is necessary for your child. This must be supported by independent professional evidence. Please write to: The Admissions Manager, One Capital Court, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter EX2 7NL enclosing any evidence to support your request, eg, a letter from GP, Social Worker. It is advisable to submit an application on time in any event whilst your request is considered by all parties.

In-Year Admissions

In-Year admissions take place at any other time either later in the Reception Year or in Year 2 or year 4 for example. This may be the case if a family has moved to a new area at a later date or the parents simply have a preference for a transfer to another school.

These applications can be made at any time and admission will be arranged as soon as possible. You should be aware though that a transfer between two local schools (if your child has not moved to a new area for instance) will normally only take place at the beginning of a term or half-term.

Further information is available on In-Year Admissions.

Statutory School Age

Your child must be in full time education at the beginning of the term following his or her fifth birthday. This would be at a school unless you decide to educate at home, in which case you should contact the Education Helpline 0845 155 1019 for advice on the process.

Single Offer Point for Reception

When a place is offered for the normal round of admissions to a Reception class, this is for full time admission from the start of the September term after your child’s fourth birthday. While you can accept this offer, you may feel that your child is not ready for a full time place in school. As a parent, it is for you to decide this and you have a number of options:

1. Accept the full-time Reception place.

2. Defer admission until your child reaches the statutory school age and EITHER

• keep your child at home; OR
• take up a part-time place in Reception; OR
• take a free part-time place at a pre-school setting.

3. Delay admission to Reception until the next academic year on exceptional medical, social or educational grounds, supported by independent professional evidence. A place will not be guaranteed a year in advance. Please write to: The Admissions Manager, One Capital Court, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter EX2 7NL enclosing any evidence to support your request, eg, a letter from GP, Social Worker. It is advisable to submit an application on time in any event whilst your request for delayed admission is considered by all parties.

Please note that deferred entry to Reception may be as follows:

Birth-date	You can defer admission to
September to December	January
January to Easter	January OR Easter
Easter to August	January OR Easter. Summer born children cannot automatically defer admission until the following September. Parents must apply for a Year 1 place after the summer half term and it is possible that this class may have been filled during the Reception year. A place will not have been reserved.

If you advise the headteacher that your child will be deferring admission, the place will be kept open and will not be offered to another child. If your child does not start at the school at the beginning of the term to which you have deferred, the place may be reallocated to another child. You are advised to discuss deferring admission with the headteacher, pre-school setting and anybody else such as your GP who is involved with your child.

Admission earlier than the beginning of the term following the fourth birthday is not offered in Devon.

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