Admissions
Is your child starting school in September 2025?
If your child was born between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021, you will need to apply for a school place for September 2025. We would be delighted to welcome you to The Ferns Primary Academy!
We know that choosing a school for your child is a big decision – it can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking time for children and parents alike! We understand it can be a daunting process for parents, especially those who are going through this process for the first time - we are here to support families to ensure this important decision is the right one for each child’s learning journey.
We would encourage you to look at the different sections across our website as they contain a wealth of useful information about life at The Ferns, however, please do contact us with any specific enquiries you may have.
The Ferns Primary Academy also has places for Year 3 for children moving on from an infant school. As a primary school, children in Year 2 automatically have a place in Key Stage 2 (Year 3 to 6) however, if you are looking for a junior school place, we are able to offer a limited number of places in Year 3. Please contact our academy office for more information about transferring at the end of Year 2.
Come & Visit!
We are so proud of our academy and warmly invite new families to visit us to experience first-hand the welcoming, inclusive and encouraging learning environment we offer. A school is more than an Ofsted report and to get a true sense of a school it is always best to visit during a normal working day. For this reason, we are happy to accommodate tours of our academy at mutually convenient times.
Please contact the academy office on 01276 31554 or info@ferns.kite.academy to book a tour.
Friday 11th October 11.15am 1.30pm
Friday 8th November 11.15am 1.30pm
Friday 29th November 11.15am 1.30pm
We look forward to meeting you.
How to apply
You can apply for a school place for September 2025 between 1st November 2024 and 15th January 2025.
You can find further information about school admissions and apply online here or you can call 0300 555 1377. Please also contact the academy office as we would be glad to help you with the admissions procedure.
The Ferns Primary Academy has a Published Admissions Number (PAN) of 30 for initial entry (Reception Class). We are able to offer a limited number of places in Year 3. Please contact our academy office for more information about transferring at the end of Year 2.
Please note that in order to ensure that pupil numbers in infant classes do not exceed 30, as set out in the 2021 School Admissions Code, pupil numbers are temporarily capped at 13 for year 1 and 15 for year 2. In-year admissions for these year groups are subject to these numbers not being exceeded.
Please also note that in order to ensure that numbers for our year 5/ 6 class do not exceed 32, pupil numbers for year 5 are temporarily capped at 19 and year 6 are capped at 13. In-year admissions for these year groups are subject to these numbers not being exceeded.
The Kite Academy Trust is the admission authority for all its academies. The allocation of school places at initial entry (Reception Class) is coordinated by the Local Authority Admissions Team in accordance with our published admission arrangements (see below).
Once places have been offered by the Local Authority, any waiting list for places will be ranked according to our oversubscription criteria and managed by The Ferns Primary Academy.
Supplementary Information Form - Exceptional Social or Medical Need
Moving schools?
Applying for a place at a school during the academic year and outside of the normal round of admissions (as described above) is called an ‘in-year admission'. An in-year admission may be made, for example, if you move house and your child can no longer attend their current school. Any parent can apply for a place at The Ferns Primary Academy at any time.
In-year admissions are co-ordinated by the Local Authority on our behalf. Further information can be found here. Applications should be made using the online application portal.
Guidance on the application process can be found here. Please also contact the academy office as we would be glad to help you with the admissions procedure.
Upon receipt of an in-year application, the Local Authority will process the application as quickly as possible, usually within 15 working days of receiving your fully completed application form. Where an application is refused, there is the right to appeal. Details of how to appeal can be found below.
Where an applicant is offered a school place following an in-year application, and the offer is accepted, arrangements will be made for the child to start school as soon as possible, particularly where the child is out of school.
Supplementary Information Form - Exceptional Social or Medical Need
Right to Appeal
All parents have a right to express a preference for the school they would like their child to attend. The admission authority must offer a place at that school unless there is a legal reason for refusing a place. All parents have the right to appeal against any decision made by or on behalf of an admission authority as to the school their child attends under legislation produced by the Department for Education (DfE). Further information about the appeals process can be found here.
Admissions Arrangements 2026/27
Our admissions arrangements for the academic year 2026/27 will be determined by the Board of Trustees at their meeting on 13th February 2025.