Admissions
How to get your child a place at St Johns
Nursery places
St John's School does not have a nursery class however All Saints School does. Please visit their school website to enquire about available places.
Reception/ Foundation class places
If you would like a reception class place for your child between the months of Aug - Jan you must contact Medway council as they handle all foundation stage admissions up to the start of each calendar year. From Jan- July, parents can apply for a reception class place through the school directly following the procedures below.
Y1 and Y2 places
If you would like a place for your child in Y1 or Y2 you should complete the casual school admissions form (found on the other useful forms page of our website or in the main school office and the supplementary information form - also found on the forms page) then if/ when a place for your child becomes available office staff will contact you and invite you to come in for chat and a tour.
Please note, if you do not hear from the office after submitting an application form this is probably because we cannot offer your child a place at this time as we are already full. We have limited places for each year group available in school and once these are taken, your child will be placed on a waiting list.
The following criteria (in this order) are applied when the offering any available places out :
- Children in the public care system
- Sibling of another child already in the school
- Children of staff working in the school
- Denominational preference- you have filled in the supplementary information form, submitted it to your church and this confirms you are a regular practising Christian
- Children who have medical, health and special access reasons so need to be in school
- Distance from child’s home to the school
Our priority is to ensure that all new children settle happily into school. We give new children a buddy to look after them during their first week and lots of opportunities to become familiar with the school, its rules, its routines and show them how they can make the best of their learning.
Key dates for primary school reception class admissions 2024
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2nd September 2024 | Primary school applications open |
| 5pm 13th January 2025 | Primary school applications close (national closing date) |
| 16th April 2025 | Offers sent to parents and carers (national offer date) |
| 20th May 2025 | Places must be accepted/refused and requests to go on a waiting list and appeals must be submitted. |
| 9th June 2025 | Re-allocation of available places begins |
| 30th December 2025 | Re-allocation of available places ends |
The appeals process
If you desperately wish for your child to attend our school or any specific school in Medway and you are not granted a place there, as a parent, you are entitled to appeal.
Please come in and speak to us before you decide to go through the appeal process though as often a conversation about why the school cannot offer your child a place will clarify matters for parents...and if we are full -going over the recommended 30 pupils in each year group/ class would prove detrimental to learning.
Each admissions appeal heard by an impartial panel costs the school money - money that we would rather spend on enhancing every pupils' learning.
If the council do not allocate your child a Reception Class / Foundation Stage place at our school and you desperately want one, please see the message from the council in italics below:
If your child is due to start schooling in September 2025, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Wednesday, 16 April 2025). You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday, 20th May 2025 for it to be considered by Friday, 18th July 2025. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.
