Admissions and Transfers
You are most welcome to visit our school to have a look around and to ask any questions you may have. If you would like to visit, please telephone or call in for an appointment.
The school follows the Kirklees Metropolitan Council recommendations for admissions. This means that all applications for a place at our school are administered by the LA admissions team and should be made online. Click here for further details.
Applications for Nursery are administered by the school.
The application process can seem complex please do not hesitate to ask for help at our office if you are unsure.
Starting Nursery or School in Kirklees:
Nursery Places:
Children are eligible for fifteen hours of free early education and care the term after their 3rd birthday. We are able to offer five three hour morning sessions or five three hour afternoon sessions. There are three entries into Nursery – September, January and after Easter (if places are available). Please contact the school office for further details about Nursery start dates. Parents who wish to apply for a Nursery place at Shaw Cross should complete a Registration Form and return it to the School Office. We also offer up to 30 hours extended hours, please see our Nursery section under the Classes tab.
Extending Sessions:
We are able to offer care facilities in Nursery to enable parents to extend sessions to fit in with work commitments. On site we have a Breakfast Club and After School Club. These services are chargeable. Please refer to the “Before & After School Clubs” tab within the Parent Information section. These services are extremely popular and we recommend that you book as soon as possible after your child has been offered a place.
If what we are able to offer is unable to meet your family’s needs, Kirklees Metropolitan Council have a Family Education Service who will offer free advice on finding childcare (01484 414887).
Transferring from the Nursery to a Reception Class at Shaw Cross is not automatic. Parents must follow the procedure outlined below. Advice on how to register for a different Infant School can be obtained from the Headteacher.
Infant Places:
Children can start school in the September following their 4th birthday. Those parents wishing to apply for a place in one of our Reception classes should apply online through Kirklees Pupil Admissions. Kirklees policy states that children can only be registered for school after their 3rd birthday.
Click here to be forwarded to the Pupil Admissions online registration site.
Whilst we will remind parents of children attending our Nursery about applying for a school place, it is the responsibility of the parent and carers to ensure that the application is made before the deadline.
Please Note: Registration or prior attendance at our Nursery does not guarantee a place at Shaw Cross nor at the school to which our pupils normally transfer. The law states that infant class sizes cannot be more than 30. You are strongly advised to name three school preferences. Naming only one, especially if the school is out of your catchment area, could result in you being allocated a school some distance from your home if it is full.
Priorities for admission to school:
Kirklees Metropolitan Council operates a co-ordinated admissions scheme which means parents only have to complete one common application form to apply for a place at the three schools selected. Places are then allocated according to the following criteria:
1. Children in public care (Looked After Children).
2. Children living in the school's Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have an older brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission.
3. Other children who live in the school's priority admission area.
4. Children who live outside the school’s PAA who have an older brother or sister already attending school at the time of admission.
5. Other children who live outside the school’s PAA, taking the nearest first in distance order.
Community and controlled schools will admit children with Education Health Care Plans where the school is named in the Statement.
(a) Children in priority 1 above may also be admitted above the Published Admission Number (PAN).
(b) If the Local Authority cannot agree to requests for admission in priorities 2 to 5 above without exceeding the PAN, they will give priority up to the PAN to children living nearest the school.
(c) Distance is measured in a straight line from a child’s home address to the school. Measurements are calculated using seven-figure grid references for each address taken from Ordnance Survey ADDRESS-POINT data. This grid reference relates to a point that falls with the permanent building structure corresponding to the address. The boundary of the building structure for the address is derived from Ordnance Survey Land-Line data. For smaller, residential properties the grid reference denotes a point near the centre of the building. For larger properties, like schools with, for example, multiple buildings and large grounds, the grid reference relates to a point inside the main addressable building structure. This distance calculated is accurate to within 0.1 metres.
(d) 'Live' means the child's permanent home at the date when applications close or, if a significant house move is involved, the latest reasonable date before the final allocation of places.
(e) A Priority Admission Area means a geographical area determined by Kirklees in consultation with the governing body.
Nursery Admissions:
Priorities for admission to Nursery are listed below. Within each criteria children are admitted in age order, taking the oldest first. This is done on a termly basis but only if there are places available in the Nursery. We may give additional priority to children with special education and social needs. We will admit children living outside the area in date of birth order. A morning or afternoon place will be offered by the Headteacher. Parents will be offered a place during the term before the admission.
1. Children in public care (Looked After Children).
2. Children living in the school's Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have an older brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission in age order.
3. Other children who live in the school's priority admission area in age order.
4. Children who live outside the school’s PAA who have an older brother or sister already attending school at the time of admission in age order.
5. Other children who live outside the school’s PAA in age order
These admission arrangements are correct at the time or printing, but may be subject to any alterations to the authority admissions procedure.
Transfer to the next stage of education:
At the end of Year 2 children will transfer to a Junior or Primary School. The Headteacher will inform parents about procedures about transferring to the next stage of education in the autumn term of Year 2. Most of the children transfer to Bywell Junior School. In the summer term, once places have been confirmed, both schools organise pupil visits and meetings between teachers to ensure smooth transition.
Alternative arrangements for children transferring to other schools: If you live outside the Authority, you will be contacted separately by Kirklees School Admissions informing you what you need to do to apply for a Junior School place.
The Earlsheaton Family of Schools:
Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School is part of the Earlsheaton Educational Pyramid. Other schools in this "Pyramid" include:
Eastborough JIN
Hanging Heaton Infant and Junior School
Earlsheaton Infant School
Orchard Academy
Bywell Junior School
Manor Croft Academy
All are committed to providing a good education for children who live in this area and communicate regularly.