Admissions

Admission arrangements are made by Kent County Council (KCC) and parents apply for a place for their child in school via the Reception Common Admissions Form, on which they can name up to three chosen schools. A place is then offered direct from KCC.

You can view our current and next academic year policies under our Policies area of the website.

Children are admitted to school during the academic year in which they are five years old.

At St John’s, we have an agreed intake of 60 children into our EYFS (Reception) classes, who are mainly welcomed into the school at the start of the Autumn term, although a deferred start can be discussed. 

Governors have agreed the headteacher may increase class sizes to a maximum of 32 (64 for each year group) in KS2 (years 3-6).

Children Starting School September 2023

Do you have a child born between 1st Sept 2018 and 31st August 2019?
If so, please apply for a place online at: www.kent.gov.uk/ola before 16th January 2023

Application for Primary Intake opens Friday 4th November 2022 and closes Monday 16th January 2023.

Apply at : http://www.kent.gov.uk/ola

Whilst the closing date for KCC (Kent County Council) to receive applications is Monday 16 January 2023, applications that are submitted no later than Friday 10 February 2023 for a good reason will be treated as “on time” if it is reasonably practicable to accept them. These applications must be received no later than Friday 10 February 2023. Please speak to Primary Admissions for more advice on 03000 412121.

Applications received after Friday 10 February 2023 but before Monday 1 May 2023 will not receive a school offer on Monday 17 April 2023. KCC will consider these reallocation applications with applicants that have joined a school’s waiting list on the reallocation date of Wednesday 7 June 2023. If none of the schools you have expressed a preference for on a reallocation application can be offered to you, KCC will offer you an alternative school. They will also advise you on your right to appeal against this decision and place you on the waiting list of any schools you named that were a higher preference than the school you were offered.

After Wednesday 7 June 2023 you can request to go on any school’s waiting list and if places become available, we will offer directly to parents. KCC will not make any further offers.

Applications made after Wednesday 7 June 2023 should be made directly to the school.

Oversubscription criteria

If the number of preferences for St John’s is more than the 60 spaces available, places will be allocated in the following priority order:

• Looked after children (LAC) who are, or have previously been, fostered or adopted
• Children with brothers or sisters whose sibling(s) attend the school and will still be on roll at the time of admission.
• Health and special access reasons
• Church affiliation with regular attendance at St John’s Church, Weavering or St Mary the Virgin & All Saints, Boxley
• Distance from school – distance calculation is provided by KCC

If you are interested in applying for a place at St John’s for your child, please contact the school and we will arrange for you to visit in the Autumn Term. Please contact Mrs Holt on 01622 735916 who will make an appointment for you to be taken on a tour of the school and visit classrooms where children are working.

In Year Admission Applications

If you wish to apply for a school place at St John’s Church of England Primary School or transfer between schools during the school year, please see full details of our admissions arrangements below before completing an In Year Admission Form.

If you child has an EHCP (Educational and Health Care Plan) please contact your named SEN Officer or SEND area team. Email: Senwest@kent.gov.uk Tel: 03000 420 997

The completed form can be brought into the school office, posted to us or emailed: office@st-johns-maidstone.kent.sch.uk

We aim to notify parents of the outcome of their application in writing within 10 school days, during term time

Appeals

We are bound to inform you that it is your right to appeal against the governors’ decision not to offer a place to your child. If you wish to appeal please write to:

Clerk to the Governors
St John’s CEP School
Provender Way
Weavering
Maidstone
Kent ME14 5TZ

Timetable for Appeals

In accordance to the Admission Appeals Code 2022 Admission (paragraphs 2.1 to 2.4) authorities must set a timetable for organising and hearing appeal that:
a) includes a deadline for lodging appeals which allows appellants at least 20 school
days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to
prepare and lodge their written appeal;
b) ensures that appellants receive at least 10 school days’ notice of their appeal
hearing;
c) includes reasonable deadlines for appellants to submit additional evidence, for
admission authorities to submit their evidence, and for the clerk to send appeal
papers to the panel and parties;
d) ensures that decision letters are sent within five school days of the hearing
wherever possible.

Here are the deadlines for hearing different types of appeals: 

Any appeals submitted after the appropriate deadline must still be heard, in accordance with whatever timescale is set out in the timetable published by the admission authority.

Admission Appeal For Year R September 2023

If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2023, you can appeal if you are
refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Monday,
17 April 2023).

You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday 16 May  2023 for it to be considered by Thursday
18 July 2023. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.

For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline
for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being
lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the
Department for Education