Primary school admissions

On this page you can find general information on the admission process for primary schools - whether community or church schools - in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Making your application

You can apply using a paper form or online for reception class places.

The portal for 2010/2011 primary admissions will be open until midnight on Friday 4 December 2009. For more details of applying online, please see the online admissions page.

Full details of how to apply are given in the Admission to Primary School brochure (see below), but the basic steps are given here:

Applying for a reception class place

  • You can use one form, either paper or online (but not both), to apply for up to three state-maintained (not private) infant or primary schools within Richmond Borough. You can obtain the paper form from the Admissions Section by telephoning 020 8891 7514 or emailing education.admissions@richmond.gov.uk. The schools you state can be community or church schools, or a combination of both, and you do not have to use all three preferences. However, as demand for places in the borough is extremely high, you are strongly advised to include your closest community school among your preferences. The closing date for 2010/2011 admissions was 4 December 2009.
  • If you list any church schools on your application form, the Admissions Section will pass the relevant details to those schools so that they can consider your child against their admissions criteria. If you are applying to a church school on the basis of your religious commitment, you should obtain a supplementary form form the school and return the completed form to the school. The church school will then notify the Admissions Section of your child's position on their ranked list of applicants.
  • If you list any community schools on your application form, the Admissions Section will consider your child against the borough's admissions criteria.
  • If your child could be offered more a place at more than one school - whether church or community - the place offered will be at whichever of those schools you listed highest on your application form.
  • The Admissions Section will send you a letter by first-class post (for 2010/2011 admissions this will be on 26 March 2010 and you should receive it the following day) to let you know the result of your application (this is known as the 'initial allocations stage'). If you applied online, you will also be able to log on to find out your child's allocated school, from 7am on the following day.
  • If you are not offered a place for your child at one of your preferred schools, their name will be placed on the waiting list and you will have the right to appeal against the decision. If you live within Richmond Borough and none of your preferences can be met, the Admissions Section will offer you a place at an alternative school (which may be a community or church school), subject to availability. (You should note that in the last three years, there have not been enough places to offer all in-borough children places at the 'initial allocations' stage.)
  • As some offers of places are turned down by parents, further offers will be made throughout the spring and summer from the waiting lists.

The timetable for the application process for 2010/2011 admissions will be as follows:

  • From Monday 1 September 2009: You can apply online from this date.
  • By Friday 4 December 2009: Your application - either online or the paper form - must be received by the School Admissions Section by the end of this day. The online admissions portal closes at midnight.
  • Friday 26 March 2010: The Admissions Section will send you a letter, by first class post, to let you know the result of your application.
  • Saturday 27 March 2010: If you applied online, you will be able to log in to the online admissions portal from 7am to find out the result of your application, if you have not received the letter by then.
  • Friday 9 April 2010: Closing-date for receipt of reply-slips indicating whether or not you wish to accept the school place offered.
  • June: Appeals heard.

Demand for reception class places is very high in the borough and is expected to be higher than ever for 2010 entry. If additional places are required, they will be provided at some or all of the following schools: Barnes Primary, Collis Primary, Heathfield Infant, Holy Trinity Church of England Primary, Marshgate Primary, Orleans Infant, St Osmund’s Catholic Primary, and Stanley Infant.

Applying for a place once a year-group has started

  • You should telephone the Admissions Section on 020 8891 7521 to find out which schools have vacancies, and you should then telephone whichever schools you are interested in.
  • Please note, though, that from September 2010 onwards, the Admissions Section will coordinate all 'in-year' admissions for schools within the borough and for borough residents who are new to the area and want places in those or out-borough schools.

Admission to Primary School 2010 brochure

Full details of the admission arrangements for entry to Richmond upon Thames primary schools in the 2010-2011 academic year can be found in the Council's 'Admission to Primary School 2010-2011 brochure'(pdf, 892KB).

By law your child does not have to start school until the beginning of the term following his or her 5th birthday. In the Richmond Borough, most children start earlier, from about the age of 4 1/2.

In some schools parents may defer taking up a place until their child reaches compulsory school age as long as the place is taken up within the school year. Parents will need to check with individual schools. Summer born children usually start reception class part-time in either the autumn or spring term. Where these children have a pre-school place with a member of The Richmond upon Thames Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, entry to reception class may be in the spring term. Please check with individual schools.