Children can start in September 2003, if their fifth birthday is between 1 September 2003 and the end of February 2004. There is no guarantee that a child attending a nursery class will transfer to the reception class of the same school.

Children with a statement of special educational needs do not follow the same admissions arrangements. The 1996 Education Act and the Code of Practice covers arrangements for children with statements of SEN. If your child has a statement, you have the right to apply to any primary school. More information can be obtained from the Special Needs Team.

See the 'Starting Schools'  brochure for further information about applying to schools in Hackney.

Before your child starts School - Checklist
Starting primary school can be a difficult time for parents and children. The following is a checklist of things parents can do before their children start primary school and is aimed at making this transition process clearer.

• Although children do not have to receive full - time education until they are 5, many schools admit children to reception classes from age 4.
  
• Start enquiring/looking for schools at least 12 - 18 months before your child needs to start, as some primary schools are more popular than others and infant class sizes must be limited to a maximum of 30 children to a qualified teacher.
  
• Obtain a school prospectus from your Local Education Authority or schools themselves.
  
• From information in prospectuses, check types of schools and their admission arrangements, e.g. how to apply, criteria used to decide which children will be admitted if there are more applications made than places available. Compare the published policy of a popular school with your own circumstances to decide how good your chances are of getting in.
  
• Talk to parents who already have children at the school you are interested in.
  
• Find out about the policies on bullying, crime, security, exclusion, school specialities etc. This information should be easy to obtain by contacting the school itself.
  
• Check your local newspapers or prospectuses for school open days/evenings
  
• Check pre school and after school care such as breakfast and after school clubs. These may be on site and have waiting lists.
  
• Check the OfSTED reports and the performance tables for the schools you are
  interested in.
  

Your Rights

• Your child has the right to a school place while he or she is between the ages of five and sixteen.
  
• You have the right to say which school you want your child to go to, whether the school is inside or outside the area you live in
  
• If you are not offered a place for your child at the school you have chosen, you have the right to appeal to an independent panel
  
• But you should never assume that your child will get a place at a school without you having to do anything. You have to apply to a school. Even if your child is at a nursery linked to an infant school, you still need to make an application to move them on to the next stage.

Finding out about a school
Before you decide where to apply, you should collect as much information as you can about the schools you are interested in. There are many different places to get this information, including school brochures and government performance tables. Perhaps the most important one of all is the school itself.

Visit the school
You can learn a lot from touring the school and seeing the children, the teachers and the way they work together. Check out the schools resources and the children's work. Ask how the school involves parents. Does it seem to be a happy school where everyone is serious about learning?
Would it suit your child?

Many schools hold open days and evenings where you can meet the staff and see children's work. It may also be possible for you to make an appointment to visit the school at another time and ask to talk to the Head teacher. Many schools have Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs). They may be able to give you extra information about the school and offer advice on the admissions process. Ask at the school for more details.

Local Authority Booklets
Your local authority produces a booklet listing all the schools in your area. In Hackney, the Learning Trust produces the 'Starting Schools' brochure. The booklet will tell you:

About the schools
How many pupils they admit
Their admission arrangements
How popular they are
Where to get more information

The School Prospectus
Every school publishes a Prospectus each year. This will tell you a lot more about a school than the local authority booklet can, so get them for all schools you might be interested in. Prospectuses have a lot of useful information and will help you to understand what different schools are like. A prospectus will also explain the school's admissions policy in detail. You can get a copy from the school.

Performance tables
You will probably want to know about schools' performance. Every year the Department for Education and Skills publishes performance tables for primary and secondary schools.

The primary school tables tell you:
Key facts about each school and how well its pupils have done in the 11 year old tests which mark the end of Key Stage 2 of the national curriculum. It will also tell you what percentage of the school's 11 year olds have reached the national expected level of achievement.

For further information on Schools in Hackney, contact Admissions on 020 8820 7401/7402