Quick Links

Quick Links Open/Close

Back to top

Maple Cross JMI & Nursery

Admissions

Hertfordshire County Council School Admissions 

 

Nursery Admissions

Hertfordshire Schools are responsible for their own Nursery admissions. Parents apply direct to the school/s of their choice.

For general information on Nursery Places and Childcare in Hertfordshire, please see the section at the end of this Nursery Admissions page.

Our Provision

Maple Cross JMI & Nursery School offers the statutory 15 hours of free Early Years education for 3 & 4 year olds to 26 children each year.

An additional and additional 15 hours (30 hours total) is available funded for those children who are eligible or funded by parents.

Our Nursery class is open 38 weeks a year, school term time only, 8:45am – 11:45pm.

The additional 15 hours allows children to stay until the end of the school day at 3.15pm 

Age range for our Nursery pupils

 All parents/guardians will be eligible to apply for a place in our Nursery to start in the September of the academic year in which their child becomes four. i.e. All children born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 will be eligible for a place in our nursery to start in September 2025.

Where a parent/guardian wishes to hold back a summer-born child to the following year before applying for a Reception place, they may, if they wish, apply for a Nursery place.  This applies to children born between 1 April 2021 and 31 August 2021.

Where a summer-born child already attends our Nursery but the parent/guardian now wishes to delay their Reception application for a year, they may apply for their child to repeat their Nursery year.  Following discussions with their child’s teacher, the parent must write to the school requesting a place; for the child to receive an automatic place, this letter must be received by the Nursery application closing date.  Any request received after this deadline will be treated as a late application.

Our Nursery Admission Criteria

Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the governing boards of all maintained schools to admit a child with a statement of special educational needs that names their school.  Maple Cross JMI & Nursery School will therefore admit children with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) that names the school, if we are able to cater for their specific needs.

Oversubscription

If there are not enough places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

Rule 1 – children looked after
Rule 2 – medical or social needs
Rule 3 – sibling in our school, excluding year 6 pupils
Rule 4 – children who live closest to the nursery.

The full details of each rule, including what supporting documentation is required, is given in our Nursery Admissions Policy (a link is given below).

Our Nursery Application Process 

Please start by visiting our school.

Parents will receive a warm welcome from our Headteacher who will be delighted to give a tour of the whole school and tell you about our school’s aims and ethos.

Please contact the office on 01923 770909 or email admin@maplecross.herts.sch.uk to book a time.

Key Dates - Nursery Admissions 2025

Nursery Applications open Monday 27th January 2025
Applications close Friday 28th February 2025
Offers made to parents Monday 10th March 2025
Deadline for parents to accept offers Friday 21st March 2025 

To apply:

Late applications will be dealt after all on-time applications have been considered.
Please email admin@maplecross.herts.sch.uk for more information.

There is no right of appeal for Nursery admissions.

All offers will be dependent on the school receiving the associated funding from Hertfordshire.  Once a place has been offered, you will be asked to complete a separate funding form.

General information on Nursery Places and Childcare in Hertfordshire

Information is available on the Hertfordshire County Council Website. You may also wish to sign up to Hertfordshire’s ‘Update Me’ e-mail newsletter.

To check that your child is the right age for free early education, childcare and for up to date information on eligibility, go to hertfordshire.gov.uk/parents.

Government Funding

 All 3 & 4 year olds are eligible for 15 hours free Early Years education (if used during the 38 weeks of school term time).

Working parents may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of care.  These two entitlements together make up 30 hours free childcare.

The additional hours depends, in general terms, on:

  • if you are working
  • your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one)
  • your child’s age and circumstances
  • your immigration status

Information can be found at hertfordshire.gov.uk./nurseryadmissions and full details and to find out whether you are eligible for 30 hours go to gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare and use their childcare calculator.

General childcare information can be found at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/parents and www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Reception Admissions

Reception Applications 2025 - 2026

Children born between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021 must apply for a place in Reception class to commence 1st September 2025. Do not assume if your child is in a nursery class they will automatically move to Reception class, an application must be made through the Hertfordshire County Council admissions process at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk.

Key Dates Primary Admissions - Children born 01/09/2020 - 31/08/2021

Applications open Friday 1st November 2024
Deadline for applications Wednesday 15th January 2025
Offers made Wednesday 16th April 2025
Deadline for parents to accept place  Friday 2nd May 2024

  Please contact the office to arrange a tour of the school - 01923 770909

Moving On - Secondary Transfer

Children born between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013 will move to secondary education in September 2024.

Important Information

Children born between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013 will move to secondary education in September 2024.

The parents of any child currently in Year 5, who might apply for a place in Y7 in 2023 at any of the Consortium schools under test criteria, will need to register with the Consortium. The best way to do this is via the SW Herts Admissions Consortium website.

Registration to take the tests will be confirmed. The period in which parents can register this year is set over seven weeks and parents should be reminded that no late registrations will be accepted.

Prior to registering for the tests, we advocate that parents ensure that their child is eligible for a place at a preferred school under that school’s admissions criteria. Admission arrangements are published on each school’s website and if the child is not eligible, there is no point in that child taking any of the tests. This averts confusion and disappointment at a later stage.

Parents of children with special needs that will require their allocated test centre to make
particular support arrangements will be required to send written evidence after test
registration, quoting their child’s full name, date of birth and South West Herts Reference
number. Please either email the documents to the Test Co-Ordinator at
swhsconsortium@gmail.com or by post to The Test Co-Ordinator, South West Herts Schools Tests, P.O. Box 2439, Watford, WD18 1UZ. 

Parents will require written support from the primary school Headteacher, stating the
arrangements usually made at school. Parents should be reminded that it is not the
responsibility of the Primary School to ensure the Consortium have received their written evidence.
The test centre will be allocated, based on primary school postcode. This
has absolutely no bearing on parents’ eventual secondary school preferences.

Secondary Transfer -School Admission Tests
Information for Parents of Children in Year 5

The SW Herts Admissions Consortium comprises seven local secondary schools (listed below) which operate admission tests for a proportion of their intake:

Parmiter’s, Queens’, Rickmansworth, St Clement Danes, Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls.

Please visit https://www.swhertsschools.org.uk/faq/ for further information 

Secondary Admissions – Children born – 01/09/2012-31/08/2013

September/October – Secondary and upper schools hold their open events, see: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/schoolsdirectory for school details and application process.

Friday 1st September 2023 – Application process opens

Tuesday 31st October 2023- Closing date for applications

Friday 1st December 2023 – Last date to:

  • Submit reasons for making a late application and for that application to be considered ‘ontime’.
  • Notify us of a change of address and for that address to be taken into account for allocation day.

Tuesday 30th January 2024- Last date to make a late application to be considered for allocation day.

Friday 1st March 2024 – School places are offered

Secondary Transfer – September 2024

 

Secondary Transfer Applications 2023 - 2024

 The deadline for Secondary applications to be submitted is 31st October 2023