Nursery Admissions
The deadline for applications is the end of February preceding the September intake. Children are admitted in the September after their third birthday and must have their fourth birthday between 1st September and 31st August of the year they are admitted to our nursery. The criteria for allocating places are the same as the Local Authority (LA) for reception places.
In the event that places are oversubscribed the following criteria will be used to allocate places:
1. Looked After Children.
2. Siblings
3. Distance from School
There is one intake in September each year. Parents/carers should complete the Nursery Application Form before the application deadline and return to the school office along with the child’s birth certificate and proof of their home address.
Applications received after the deadline will be allocated after all on-time applications have been offered.
Once accepted for our nursery a home school transition programme will be organised for your child. This is run by the nursery team.
N.B. A place in a trust school nursery does not guarantee a place in the school.
Reception Admissions
The standard intake number for the school is 60.
Children are admitted into the Reception class via a single intake in September. Children whose fifth birthday falls between September 1st and August 31st commence in September.
All admissions for school are administered by the Local Authority and not the school. Details can be found at: https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500321/primary_school_admissions
If you live outside Manchester and need a place here you should still apply to your current council where you reside.
It is imperative that parents/carers complete the admission process for a school place and return it to the LA by the date stated. The process must be completed and returned even if the child is a sibling and even if the child is already in our nursery.
In the event that places are oversubscribed the following criteria will be used to allocate places:
1. Looked After Children.
2. Siblings
3. Distance from School
N.B. A place in a trust school nursery does not guarantee a place in the school.
The application round for Secondary 2025 school places opened on the 1 July 2024 and the deadline for on time applications is Thursday 31 October 2024. Any applications received after this date will be classed as late applications.
Parents can make an online application through the portal on the Council’s website: https://parentportal.manchester.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/home Please see attached for guidance on how to set this up.
In line with the School Admissions Code, parents must apply through their home local authority. Anyone who resides in another local authority, will be contacted by them directly to inform them of when and how to apply.
Other LAs may have a different opening date to Manchester.
You may apply for any school you wish, but you must list all the schools you intend to apply for on your home Local Authority Application. Parents are also encouraged to read school’s admission policies first before applying. Some schools require a supplementary form to be completed in addition to their main application. For state Grammar schools (e.g. Sale Grammar, Stretford Grammar, St Ambrose College etc) parents need to list the school on the application form, but they must also contact the school to enrol their child for the 11+ entrance exam.
The closing date for applications has now passed. Any new applications will be processed after Monday 1 March, 2025.
National Offer Day will be 3 March 2025 for on-time applicants.
Students with an EHCP – These children will be sent information separately by the SEN Team and how to apply. Any parent needing assistance from this service can email: sen@manchester.gov.uk
Attached is a copy of the paper application form in case you are unable to apply online. Parents can also request a form through the Contact Centre 0161 245 7166
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the catchment area for the school?
We have no specified catchment area. Places are offered first to children with Education Health Care Plans and any Looked after children, alongside siblings of pupils currently at school. Thereafter, places in reception are allocated to children based on distance lived from the school. Each year, this means that the catchment radius around the school changes dependent on number of siblings in school and the location of those families new to the school.
If your child attends our nursery, they are not guaranteed a place in our reception. We manage admissions for nursery but the local authority are responsible for Reception allocation.
Do you have a waiting list?
Like other schools, we do have a waiting list, and you can keep your child’s name on it for the duration of the autumn term. At Christmas, if you want to remain on the list, you should contact the local authority to make them aware that you intend to take a place if one were to come up at Brookburn.
If we don’t get a reception place, can we appeal?
You can appeal the Local Authority’s decision if you are not happy with the school allocation you have been given. Details for appeals can be found on the Local Authority website.
Do we have to pay for nursery?
Nursery provision can be paid for using your statutory 15 hours of childcare support. There are an additional 15 hours available that you can apply for. These hours are means tested – i.e. they are offered to families where neither parent earns in excess of £100,000 per year. This funding allocation is granted each term. It is parents’ responsibility to reapply each term for the funding, otherwise as a school, we will need to bill you for your child’s place. If you are using this method an additional charge of £15.00 per week will be applied. This is to cover the additional 2.5 hours per week that your child attends our setting. (Universal Hours cover 15 hours – Extended Entitlement covers 15 hours – School hours are 32.5 hours per week.)
If you do not qualify for 30 hours free child care, there will be a charge for a full time place, which is currently £ 90 per week.
Do you offer part time nursery places?
We have a limited number of part time places. We offer half weeks, so full days Monday and Tuesday and a half day on Wednesday morning OR a half day on Wednesday afternoon, and full days on Thursday and Friday.
If you take a part time place initially, but intend to move to full time later in the year, we cannot guarantee that we will have space to accommodate your child in the future as it is based on the number of children we can have in our provision at any one time.
When trips and visits are organised, we cannot guarantee that these will happen on the days of your child’s placement. If the trip is on a day where your child does not attend nursery, due to ratios, we would not be able to accommodate them on the trip.
I am worried about my child settling in nursery. Do they find it really hard when we drop them off?
Historically, we have offered a daily stay and play session for all parents in Nursery. This gives you the ability to stay and play with your child for the first 20 minutes of each day. Some children find separating from you hard, and whilst it is tough, they are always fine once the initial hurdle of leaving you has taken place. You getting to stay with them for the first part of the day, interact with them in the environment, and catch up with other parents too, is a nice way to start the day, and please be assured, the separation does get easier!
My child is summer born and I am worried about them starting school in September? Can they stay behind a year or start on a part time placement?
It is always hard when your children are the youngest in the year and have just turned 4. Starting school can be daunting for them, and for you as parents. Unfortunately, unless children have significant need, recognised through an Education Health Care Plan, we are not able to accommodate a child starting school later than the year group for their age.
We will always work with you if you feel that your child needs a gradual / phased transition into reception however in our experience, for most children, getting into the routine of school, and getting quickly familiar with their peers and adults, makes a huge difference immediately and supports them in settling well. We will keep you well informed of how your child is settling and are happy to work with you if we agree that your child needs a differentiated approach to starting school.
My child has some additional needs. What is in place to support them?
We have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator who works across the school and takes responsibility for supporting all children with additional needs. The SENCo works closely with our
teaching staff and is on hand to discuss any concerns that you have about your child, prior to them starting at our school. We would strongly recommend that you contact the school to speak to the SENCo if you feel that your child has any difficulties which have been identified. This helps us prepare effectively for their transition.
We have many children in our school with additional needs, and a skilled team of staff on hand to support them.
We need a place for our child at before and after school club. Do you provide these facilities and how can we apply?
We run out of hours childcare, which is called Dolphins. Children can arrive from 7.45am and can be collected through to 6pm.
This provision is very popular, and we have done our very best to serve as many families as possible given the high number of working parents we have in our community. This provision is very popular and a waiting list exists. We are continuing to do all that we can to increase our provision capacity in order to support more families but cannot guarantee that a place will be available to you.
There are a number of alternative options by way of child care providers who collect groups of children from Brookburn and our office team will be happy to share the contact details of all providers if you do require more support.
What events take place for the community at Brookburn?
We are incredibly lucky and have a wonderful parent community who engage with our school brilliantly. One key group here is our PTA, Friends of Brookburn. They do so much to support the school, running fundraising events and prioritising community gatherings in support of the school. Our PTA are always looking for new members to bring ideas and enthusiasm to events that are run, and they meet regularly to talk about opportunities. They organise a Teddy Bear’s picnic in September in addition to school discos, film nights and fairs. They support a Welly Walk event in the Spring Term and are very proactive in helping maintain our outdoor environment, regularly meeting at the weekend to access our school site, families in tow, to
develop our grounds. Everyone here is very friendly and welcoming. We have no doubts that you will make many new friends within the community. Within school, we offer lots of opportunities for parents to come in for workshops and visit your children’s classrooms to see learning taking place.
How is information communicated to us as parents?
Key headline information for the whole school is shared via our ParentMail app, which you will be able to download when your child starts at our school.
We also use a ParentPay app, enabling you to pay for trips or events electronically. We are now a cashless school.
Informal chats with you and your child’s teacher can happen as required – our staff are available at the start and end of the day. This includes for year groups further up the school. Should you need a meeting with your child’s teacher, we would ask you to email the school and make this request, simply so that our teachers can set aside the required time to meet with you, and prepare should that be needed.
We have two parents’ evening events through the year and send a report at the end of the school year. At the beginning of the year we run a meet the team event so that you have the opportunity to meet your child’s next class teacher and the rest of the team to hear about key information for their next year group.
What is your feeder Secondary School?
Children at Brookburn go to many schools for Year 7. Nearly half of our children attend Chorlton High,and some now choosing Chorlton High South. Chorlton High is our main feeder school.
A number of children sit the 11+ examination, with multiple grammar options available – including Stretford Grammar, Urmston Grammar and Sale Grammar.
