ADMISSIONS

Admissions criteria

We are delighted you are considering The Firs School and would like to provide you with as much information as we can. Below are the pathways to entry but if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Our Admissions Officer, Linda Traverse (l.traverse@firsschool.org) is available to answer any queries you may have. 

At The Firs School, our usual point of entry is into Reception (aged 4), however, places are also available in other year groups and we operate a clear and effective system of assessment for entry into the school. We hold an annual Open Morning for prospective pupils and their parents, and in addition, parents are warmly invited to visit the school throughout the rest of the year.

Firm offers of places at The Firs will be made to successful candidates as soon as practicable after their visit/ assessment. If we are not able to offer a place to a child, parents will be informed as soon as possible by the head or assistant head. By accepting a place for your child at The Firs School you are agreeing to our terms and conditions, and agreeing to support, and your child will be bound by, The Firs Way, which forms our school rules and our discipline and behavioural policies.

If you would like your child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, please complete this form and the school secretary will contact you. 

Children wishing to join our Reception classes should have had their fourth birthday by the 31st August in the year in which they are seeking entry. 

For children in our Kindergarten, entry into our Reception class is automatic, unless there are profound behavioural or other difficulties that would prevent a child from accessing a Firs School education, or that would seriously disrupt his/her education or the education of others in the group.

Children who are not in our Kindergarten class are invited to come to the school for informal taster sessions. This is done in groups of six to eight children and usually takes one and a half hours.

If a child wishes to join Reception during the course of the year and a place is available, then they would be invited to come for a taster session and join in along with the current class, completing the activities being undertaken by the class.

Open Events 2023

All open events are found on our Open Events page.

Year 1 & Year 2 admissions

Children wishing to join The Firs in Year 1 or Year 2, if places are available, will be invited to spend the morning with the appropriate year group. The class teacher will hear the child read and they will take part in literacy and numeracy activities as part of the class.

Years 3 to 6 admissions

Children wishing to join The Firs in Years 3 to 6, if places are available, will be invited to come and spend the day with the appropriate year group. The class teacher will hear the child read and they would take part in literacy and numeracy activities as part of the class group.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Any children who have a report from an educational psychologist indicating problems such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, would spend part of their time with our special educational needs coordinator during their visit to The Firs.

Discipline

We reserve the right to suspend or exclude any child who;