Starting School in Plymouth

Plympton St. Maurice currently has 180 children on roll.

The admissions arrangements detailed on this webpage apply to Plympton St. Maurice Primary School.  Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST) are the Admissions Authority.

• Please click here to be taken to the website for the admissions authority – WeST

All school admissions are dealt with through a common application form submitted to the Local Authority. The admissions procedure to Plymouth schools is clearly explained in the ‘Starting School in Plymouth’ parents’ guide that is published by Plymouth City Council and can be found on their website at http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Children are admitted into the Reception classes in the September of the school year (1st September to 31st August) in which they will be five years of age. (Parents retain the right to defer entry for their child until the January of the school year if their child’s birthday falls between the 1st March and the 31st August). All school admissions are dealt with directly by the Local Authority and their contact details are as follows:-

• Tel: 01752 307469
• Email: primary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk

For children looking to make an in-year admission, further information about application procedures can also be found online on the Plymouth Schools’ Admissions website in the ‘In-Year School Admissions Parents’ guide’. Information regarding admission arrangements can be found via the policies at the bottom of this page.

The Trust uses the following criteria for admissions:

At the normal point of entry, where there are fewer applicants than the Planned Admission Number (for Plympton St. Maurice Primary School this is 30 pupils in each year group), all children will be admitted unless they can be offered a higher ranked preference. For in-year admissions where there is space in the school, all children will be admitted unless the school can demonstrate that admission would prejudice provision of efficient education or efficient use of resources.

Before children start school for the first time, parents are invited to an evening meeting to share information. The children are then introduced gradually to school life, with activities sessions and attending mornings only for the first week. Home visits are made by the class teacher and teaching assistant.

In the event that the School is oversubscribed, the admission authority will apply the following oversubscription criteria in order of priority:

1. A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. 
2. A child with exceptional medical or social need Applicants will only be considered under this heading if the parent/carer or their representative can demonstrate that only the preferred school can meet the exceptional medical or social needs of the child. This can be in the form of a testimony from a medical practitioner, social worker or other professional who can support the application on an ‘exceptional’ basis. Exceptional medical or social grounds could include, for example:

• a serious medical condition, which can be supported by medical evidence;
• a significant caring role for the child which can be supported by evidence from social services.

3. Children with a sibling already attending this school at the time of admission. Children will be classed as siblings if they live in the same household in a single family unit. This includes for example, full, half, step, or adoptive brothers or sisters;

4. A child home address is within the designated school catchment area. A child’s home address is defined as the address at which the child is normally resident or, where a child lives at more than one address, the address at which the child lives for the majority of the time.

5. Children whose parent/carer is a member of staff employed on a permanent contract at this school 

6. Other children not shown in a higher oversubscription criteria

Appeals: In the event that an applicant is denied a place at the school, the parent/carer will have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. Information relating to the appeal process can be obtained from Plymouth City Council’s School Admissions Team.

• Tel: 01752 307469
• Email: primary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk