Admission to the school
We joined the Aspire Educational Trust on 1st April 2019 and The Aspire Educational Trust is now the Admissions Authority for our School.
- Outcome of Consultation (Sept 24) Document
- Determined AET Admissions Arrangements and Policy 2026-2027
How do I get a place for my child in Reception?
We welcome enquiries from parents of children at any age, and encourage you to visit us as many times as you wish with your child before they start school. An open day is also held during the Autumn term each year to help parents make their choice for the following September. The admissions process is administered by Cheshire East Council and an application should be made before mid January of the year your child is due to start school in September.
Click here to go to Cheshire East Admissions
When does my child have to start school officially?
Cheshire East Council’s admission policy for all its primary schools is as follows:-
“Any child reaching the age of 5 between 1st September and 31st August may be admitted full time to school on the first day of the Autumn term in September.”
We encourage parents to admit their child on the first day of the Autumn term as this does help children settle and make friends early on. We are very aware of the needs of young children and are flexible in our approach so that children feel happy and secure.
Admission Criteria from Sept 2025
As Hollinhey has a school-run Nursery, the admission criteria is as follows:
Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the governing bodies of schools to admit a child with a statement of special educational needs or education health and care plan that names their school. Once children with statements of special educational needs or Educational Health and Care Plans have been admitted then available places are allocated in accordance with the order of the following criteria:
- ‘Looked after children and all previously looked after children, including 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. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order. All references to previously looked after children in this policy mean such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and 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.
- Siblings – pupils with brothers or sisters, step-brothers or step-sisters, foster brother or sisters, half –brother or half-sisters, adopted brothers or adopted sisters living together as part of one household, already attending the preferred school (in years reception through to year 5) and expected to continue at the school in the following school year at the time of admission. Under exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to offer places over the published admission number to ensure that, as far as possible, twins, triplets or children from other multiple births can attend the same school. Siblings in year six will not be considered under this criterion for the normal admission rounds.
- Children attending a nursery/pre-school run by the school they are applying to commencing the Autumn Term of the admission period preceding their year of entry to reception.
- Children of staff - with more than two years’ service or those new members of staff recruited to meet a particular skills shortage.
- Pupils living nearest to the school – measured by the relevant Local Authority using their definition of measuring distances.
Cheshire East “Pupils living nearest to the school measured using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) which measures straight line distances in miles from the school’s coordinate point to the point of residence’s coordinate point”
How is my child introduced to school in preparation for reception class?
1. In the Summer Term, prior to your child starting school, we will invite your child to share some story times with our present reception class. This gives them an opportunity to get to know each other, and gives parents a chance to meet up over a cup of coffee, with toys and books for their pre-school children to play with. There will be key people present to discuss school meals, uniform and the before and after school club.
2. Your child will be invited to a series of half-day visits during the Summer term. The children are gradually introduced to the school routines whilst doing fun activities, and they get to know their teacher, their new class mates and some older children in the school so that they will know friendly faces right from the start.
3. Your family will be sent school newsletters inviting you to bring your child to events such as sports day, plays, fairs and special school lunches. You will start receiving these after we have notified you of your child’s place. In the meantime, please browse our school learning platform, which has a copy of each newsletter published on it. The majority of our correspondence is now via e-mail, so please leave an up-to-date address with the school office.
4. Parents of reception children are invited to two ‘new parents’ evenings; one in the Summer term prior to your child starting school and another early in the Autumn term after your child has started school, to find out more about how we work throughout our school. We will show you the sorts of activities that your children will be doing and give you an opportunity to have a go!
5. Children are encouraged to start full time in reception from the outset. Our main aim is to ensure that your child feels safe and secure, that friendships are forged and that the routine of the day is established but if you feel that your child would benefit from a more gradual easing into school please let us know. We are always willing to help, and you know your child best.
6. Parents are very welcome to discuss any matters with the class teacher at the end of the school day; shorter, informal contact also takes place immediately before school starts. We like to give you quality time, so a note or a phone call asking for a time slot with a quick outline of your concerns is always appreciated.
Older children joining Hollinhey
If you wish your child to start at Hollinhey at any time other than in the September of their Reception year, then please contact the school for a visit and apply through the Cheshire East Council admissions team. Click here to go to Cheshire East Admissions