If your child was born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 the closing date to apply is 15th January 2026. Applications can be completed online...
Apply for a Reception Class Place on the Herefordshire Council Website »
Every parent has the right to choose the school for their child regardless of catchment areas or location.
Each school has a geographical area known as its Catchment Area. Brampton Abbotts Catchment Area lies within the following boundaries: How Caple crossroads to the north, Greytree to the south, Rudhall Farm to the east and the River Wye to the west. This means that the school actually lies outside its own catchment area.
Parents who live outside the catchment area can still state a preference for Brampton Abbotts C of E Primary School. In fact, most of our children live within walking distance of the school and outside the catchment area.
Parents considering sending their children to our school are encouraged to visit with their children during the school day to see the school within a working context. An appointment with the Head teacher can be made to organise this.
Children do not legally have to start school until the term after their 5th birthday. However, most schools within the area operate an admission policy offering all children to commence school in the autumn term within the academic year in which their 5th birthday falls. This is known as the Reception year within the framework of the Foundation stage of education. At our school we encourage all Reception children to stagger the first 3 weeks of their first term with mornings, afternoons, mornings and lunchtimes and eventual full-time entry by the 4th week. This arrangement is flexible, and alternatives can be made in prior discussion with the head teacher or class teacher.
All children are offered a Taster Day in the summer term preceding their entry, when parents will have the opportunity to meet members of staff and learn a little about school procedures, reading, school activities and how they can be involved in school.
Parents/carers should read all of the information published on the Herefordshire Council website before making their application. Parents/carers should then complete their applications via the online process at herefordshire.gov.uk/reception-class-admissions. If a parent is not able to apply online they can request a paper copy of the application form by telephoning 01432 260926 / 261574. The Local Authority will then allocate places. The school and parents are notified of places in midApril of the academic year before the autumn term the children are due to start school. Our school is fully inclusive and welcomes children of all abilities, regardless of race or religion.
Brampton Abbotts Primary School is a Voluntary Aided School. This means that the Governing Body is responsible for the admission of pupils to the school.
The overall capacity of the school has been determined to be 140 places, which means that up to 20 children can be admitted into the reception class each year. This figure of 20 is known as the Published Admissions Number (PAN) and is formally published by Herefordshire Local Authority in their Information for Parents’ booklet.
Brampton Abbotts School is in charge of its own admissions in-year. Please apply directly to the school, via the school office, to enquire whether spaces are available.
Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented a parent may request to accelerate their entry into primary school, or if a child has experienced problems such as ill health, or is a summer born child, a parent may request to defer or delay their entry into primary school. Parents considering one of these options are strongly advised to discuss the matter first with the school and/or with the LA Pupil School Admissions Office. All applications must be received by the 15th January preceding the school year in which the child will start school.
Delayed Entry - Children born in the summer term (i.e. 1 April – 31 August) are not required to start school until a full year after the point at which they could first have been admitted into a reception class (the point at which other children in their age range are beginning year 1). Parents/carers have the option of requesting delayed entry where they hold back their child from joining the correct year group for their age so that they start school a year later than they are due to.
Deferred entry - A child is not required to start school until they have reached compulsory school age which is the term following their 5th birthday. Schools cannot require children to start sooner than parents/ carers wish. Parents/carers therefore have the option of deferring their child’s entry until later in the same academic school year.
Accelerated entry - This means that a child starts reception class a full academic year ahead of their peers and they will be offset a year for the rest of their education. The Headteacher and Governing Body will consider requests to accelerate admission for a full year and decide on these requests in what they consider to be the child’s best interests.