Birkbeck Primary School

Admissions

School admissions

If you are interested in enquiring about applying for nursery or primary school places at Birkbeck Primary School, please contact the School Admissions team for advice by telephone on: 020 8303 7777

Admission to Reception classes 2025 - 2026

The application period for entry to Reception in September 2025 opens on 1st September 2024.

If your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021, you can apply now.

  • The deadline for applications is 15th January 2025. Late applications will only be processed after all on time applicants have received an offer
  • If you do not live in Bexley, please contact your home Local Authority to find out how to apply, you can apply for Bexley schools, but on the form supplied by your home Local Authority

Applications online

  • Please try to apply online, it is simple and secure. Applications are available online at www.eadmissions.org.uk
  • Documents can be uploaded securely, and attached to your application once submitted

Applications on a paper form

  • Paper application forms are available on request from the Local Authority.

More details about the processes can be found on the Bexley website by clicking here.

Admission to Nursery classes 2025 - 2026

The application period for entry to Nursery in September 2025 opens on 16th January 2025.

If your child was born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, you can apply from this date.

  • The deadline for applications is 6th April 2025. Late applications will only be processed after all on time applicants have received an offer
  • If you do not live in Bexley, please contact your home Local Authority to find out how to apply, you can apply for Bexley schools, but on the form supplied by your home Local Authority

SESSION INFORMATION:

  • Nursery sessions are either 5 mornings or 5 afternoons.  Sessions cannot be split (some mornings/some afternoons). 
  • Nursery (Morning) 8.45am - 11.45am            Nursery (Afternoon) 12.25pm - 3.25pm
  • We have a limited number of 30 hour places - to check eligibility please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.  If you are eligible you will be issued with an eleven digit code which will need to be given to the school once you have been offered a place.  30 Hour places are on a first come, first served basis.  There will be an additional charge to cover the lunch break for all day students.

Applications online

  • Please try to apply online, it is simple and secure. Applications are available online at www.eadmissions.org.uk
  • Documents can be uploaded securely, and attached to your application once submitted

Applications on a paper form

  • Paper application forms are available on request from the Local Authority.

More details about the processes can be found on the Bexley website by clicking here.

How admission is decided and oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools in Bexley

Bexley Council link

The oversubscription criteria that is used is set out below.

If you wish to request a particular oversubscription priority, you must do so at the time of application. You must provide any supporting evidence for medical and social priorities with your application. Later requests will only be considered if the circumstances change after the closing date for applications.

No priority is given to children already attending the nursery class of a school.

 Reception classes

  • Children born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 will be admitted in September 2025.
  • Admission numbers for schools are given below.
  • Children with a statement of special educational need or an Education, Health and Care Plan naming a school will be admitted to that school as a result of that process and will be given precedence for admission.
  • In the event of there being more applications than places, the following oversubscription criteria will be used:

Priority One

Priority is given to children in public care (looked after children) and children previously looked after immediately before being adopted or subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order. This includes children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after, as well as those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. To qualify for this priority, children must fall within the definition of ‘looked after’ as in section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989 and Paragraph 1.7 of the 2021 School Admissions Code.

Priority Two

This is given to children with a medical condition such that it is essential, on medical grounds, for the child to attend the preferred school. Equally, this priority will apply where either the disability or medical condition of a parent or sibling would cause significant hardship if the child did not attend the preferred school. The London Borough of Bexley’s own medical adviser may be asked for a professional opinion on the case presented. Priority will normally only be given if the school applied for is the closest school to the home address unless the medical adviser considers that an alternative school is essential for medical reasons.

Requests for this priority must be made with supporting evidence at the time of application. Later requests will be considered only if the medical condition occurs after the closing date for applications. Medical conditions consequential from a failure to obtain the preferred school, for example, emotional distress (whether or not leading to a recognised medical condition), do not fall within this priority.

Priority Three

This is given to children with a brother or sister who will be attending the school of parental preference at the time the child is due for admission to that school. This will also be given to children due for admission to the infant school whose brother or sister will be attending the associated junior school at the time of admission or vice versa.

This priority does not include brothers or sisters due to transfer to secondary school in the next academic year. For this priority, brother or sister includes a full, step, half or adopted brother or sister living at the same address.

Where in an allocation of places, children who are twins, triplets or from other multiple births would qualify for fewer places than the number of children, all will be treated as siblings and therefore accorded the sibling priority. That means that in these circumstances only, twins, triplets or children from other multiple births will be given priority over all other children who qualify to be admitted on distance.

Priority Four

Priority will be awarded to children with a parent employed at the preferred LA-maintained school where;

a) the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made,

and/or

b) the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Priority Five

This gives priority to children living nearest to the school based on the distance from the home address to the nearest school entrance measured as a straight line in accordance with the London Borough of Bexley’s policy on the measurement of home-to-school distance (please see Applying for a primary school place for a full description). Home will be taken as the address at which the child lives with the parent or registered guardian who is the main carer (the parent eligible to receive Child Benefit and/or Child Tax Credit) at the time of application.

Where one or more applicants live exactly the same distance from the school applied for and all would qualify for the last available place, the allocation of the last place will be made by drawing lots. The first child drawn will be offered the place, and the remaining children placed on the waiting list in the order of the draw.

In year Admissions

Bexley Admissions Website - In Year Admissions

 

Appeals

Link to Bexley Council website with more information about appeals.

Our admission dates and appeals timetable is as follows:

Dates:

30th April 2025:

 Deadline for accepting or declining the offer of a place made on 16 April 2025

1st May 2025:

Deadline for lodging Appeals against a decision not to offer a place at the School of your preference – see timetable below.                 

 

The closing date for Appeals for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools (Birkbeck Primary is a Community School) to be received is 1 May 2025. Appeals lodged after that date will still be heard, but after all on-time appeals.

  • you can request a Community and Voluntary Controlled School Appeals form by emailing the Schools Admissions Team - schooladmissions@bexley.gov.uk 

 

Appeals Timetable:

1st May 2025

Deadline for lodging Appeals against a decision not to offer a place at Birkbeck Primary School. 

June – July 2025:

Appeals will be heard up to 40 school days after the deadline.

 

Appellants will receive at least 10 days notice of their appeal hearing.

 

Decision letters will be sent within 5 school days of the hearing wherever possible.

Late applicants:

Appeals will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals – where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

In-Year Appeals

Will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.