In many parts of Hackney, children aged 3 and 4 can go to nursery classes attached to primary or nursery schools. The age your child can go depends on the number of places available. Some nursery places are for half a day (morning or afternoon), others for the whole day. Going to a nursery school or nursery class gives children a valuable introduction to school. It gives them the opportunity to develop their skills and be part of a large group of children of their own age in a happy and relaxed atmosphere.

The day is arranged so that children can develop at their own pace. If your child attends a nursery class attached to a primary school there is no guarantee that your child will transfer into the reception class at the same school. There is no right of appeal for admission to nursery classes and nursery schools.

How to apply
If you want to apply for a nursery place for your child, you should contact at least three of your preferred schools when your child is two years old, but not before. You will then have to fill in a nursery application form. The school will write to you in the term before your child is due to attend to let you know whether you have been offered a place. You must provide proof of address with your application form. If you are offered a nursery place, the school will also need to see your child's birth certificate to confirm their name and date of birth.

Please note that completing your application form early does not give you priority over other children who might apply later. Take a look at the table in the primary admissions booklet to see the closing date for applications and the date when you will be informed of the outcome of your application. This depends on when your child was born in the year.

1. children in public care or subject to a Child Protection Plan who live within the current recruitment area for a place at that school
2. *children with an educational, medical or social need for a nursery place
3. **children whose parents can take up or stay in a teaching post in one of Hackney’s schools
4. children with brothers and sisters already at the school at the time of the proposed admission (includes foster and step brothers and sisters living as a family unit at the same address)
5. ***children living nearest to the school as measured in a straight line from their home address or their childminder's address using a map or website for calculating distances.

* This applies to the nearest school unless your child's need justifies a place at a particular school. Headteachers can take into account educational or medical needs such as developmental, speech and language delay or physical needs. The school will need to see evidence of this from a doctor, hospital consultant, health visitor or education and child professional.

** If you are a Hackney school teacher, you can apply for a nursery place for your child under this scheme â?? but only for one child in each class, or two places in the case of twins. You must apply to the primary school where you teach, or one that is within one mile of your place of work.

*** If your child is cared for by a childminder during the week, we can use their address to work out the distance to school. The school will ask to see proof of this arrangement. When the school works out distances, they will decide which method to use to calculate the distances.

The criteria for a full-time nursery place
There will be a limited number of places made available, and these will be allocated to the most vulnerable children and those in need. Assessments and evidence will be used to decide the level of need for each child and whether a full-time place should be offered. The evidence used for assessing need can be written evidence from a number of different professionals, records of a conversation between the school and appropriate professionals involved with the child's family and follow up from information on application forms.

Admission to nursery classes at voluntary aided schools
The governing body of each religious school is responsible for admissions to their nursery class. You should contact each school individually to find out whether you have been offered a place and the start date. If you want your application to be considered under the faith priorities you will have to complete a Supplementary Information Form. This must be returned to the school concerned.