Admissions
Most children join St James Primary in Reception Class when they are 4 or 5 years old, whilst some join us in Little Ducks Nursery, or in later years where places are available. Children who join us in Reception stay with us for 7 years, giving them continuity of education between infant and junior phases, and helping us to get to know each individual child really well.
Our children move on to a wide range of secondary schools, including Woolmer Hill, Rodborough, Broadwater and Weydon. Some of our children also move on to independent schools in Y7.
Whenever your child joins our school, we are committed to making it an easy and enjoyable experience for them and we spend time ensuring a smooth transition from nursery or a previous school.
The documents immediately below are generic for all admissions to St James Primary. You will find additional information specific to that type of admission within each drop-down section to guide you through the process. Where procedures or dates vary from the Admission Policy, details are also shown in these sections. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Please pay particular note to the requirements in the Admissions Policy if you are applying under exceptional circumstances, sibling priority or faith criteria.
In-Year Applications. Applications submitted on or after the 1st September of the year of entry will be considered as ‘In-Year’ applications. Applications will be treated using our oversubscription criteria, subject to a maximum of 30 children in a Reception or Key Stage One year group.
Little Ducks Nursery. Applications to Little Ducks Nursery are made in a different way. Please visit the Early Years tab at the top of this page.
Parish Maps. Please click on the links below to view the parish maps on 'A Church Near you' website:
- Admissions Policy 2024 2025
- Admissions policy 2025 2026
- Admissions Policy 2026 2027
- Faith Supplementary Information Form
- Staff Supplementary Information Form
Admissions to Reception year in September 2025
Children join us at age 4 in the Reception year and stay with us until leaving for Secondary school, aged 11, at the end of Year 6.
Parents wishing to make an application for their child to join St James Primary School in September 2025 should read the 2025-26 Admissions Policy and make an application to Surrey County Council between 30th October 2024 and the closing date of 15 January 2025. Applications are made on the Surrey County Council website.
Parents applying under Criteria 4, 5 or 7 must also submit the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF), so that the application can be considered correctly.
Parents will be advised of the outcome in April 2025.
Please see the Waverley School Booklet below for detailed information regarding all the local schools.
Documents will be shown in alphabetical order.
To list in date order, the folder should contain the word 'letter' or 'minute'.
Admissions to other years throughout the school year or for a September intake
We accept admissions into other years and at times other than September, when we have available spaces.
We operate a waiting pool for each year group which we review and rank if a place becomes available. For such admissions or to join the waiting pool, parents should apply online via the Surrey County Council website.
Applications will be considered and ranked according to our published admissions criteria in our Admissions Policy. Please note that if the form is not fully completed, this could delay your application.
Parents applying under criteria 4, 5, 6 or 8 must also submit either the school’s Faith Supplementary Information Form (SIF) or the Staff Supplementary Information Form to Surrey County Council at the time of application, so that the application can be considered correctly. These forms are downloadable from the school website, or paper copies are available from the school office.
Parents will be notified of the result within 10 school days wherever possible, but within 15 school days at the latest, giving the school's decision and where applicable, detailing reasons for refusal and the parent’s right of appeal.
It is expected that your child will start within 10 school days of the offer. This can be extended to 20 days in exceptional circumstances.
Year 3
We often have flexibility to admit children at the beginning of the Junior phase and parents are welcome to apply for a Year 3 place for a September 2024 start with us.
As we do not have an official Year 3 intake (PAN), you would need to apply for an In-Year application for your Year 2 child at St James Primary through Surrey County Council.
We will rank applicants in the Waiting Pool and make offers for Year 3 admission on 1st July 2025. Please ensure that you have made your application online via the Surrey County Council website in time for us to make this offer.
At this point, you may now have two offers, one from St James Primary and one that you would already have accepted from another school via Surrey County Council. If we offer you a place, we require you to respond in writing to us to accept the offer, and for you to confirm that you have declined the offer from the other school.
Appeals
Appeals against an admissions decision must be made according to the Admissions Appeals Timetable below. Parents who have not been allocated a place are entitled to appeal against the Governors’ decision to an Independent Appeal Panel.