At St. Mark’s, we are able to offer parents childcare provision beyond the statutory entitlement to 15 or 30 free hours for 3-4 year olds for 38 weeks of the year.
Is my child eligible for 15 or 30 hours?
From September 2017, all children aged 3-4 will be entitled to 15 free hours in school term time from the start of the school term that follows their 3rd birthday. Some children will also be able to access an additional 15 free hours depending on the Government’s eligibility criteria being met by their parent(s):
You can check your child’s entitlement to 15/30 free hours via Childcare Choices at:
Childcare Choices or the Childcare Calculator
These websites also provide information about other forms of childcare support including childcare vouchers and the new tax-free scheme. Those who could be eligible for 30 hours and/or Tax-Free Childcare will be directed to the digital childcare service to apply. Both schemes work through the same checking system. Parents who don’t want to use Tax-Free Childcare should still apply via the digital childcare service (you can choose to apply for the extended 30 hours entitlement only). If they are receiving financial support through tax credits (or childcare vouchers through an employer) and only want to take up 30 hours, you can choose not to apply for Tax-Free Childcare (and keep your tax credits/childcare vouchers) as part of the application. Please note that you can check your eligibility for the 30 free hours prior to an offer being made – we advise parents to do this as soon as possible so that the free hours place can be confirmed as quickly as possible. Please see additional information about the checking service at the bottom of this webpage.
When does the free 15/30 hours entitlement begin?
- Child born between 1 April – 31 August: September term intake
- Child born between 1 September – 31 December: January term intake
- Child born between 1 January – 31 March: April term intake
You can apply for a place in the Nursery by completing the application form and returning it by email to stmarks@oneexcellence.co.uk. You may also print and return the form the school office or by post. You may also collect an application form from the school office. You will receive confirmation that your application has been received (please allow up to 14 days for this). The application form will be held on our waiting list and you will be informed when a place is available. A 15 hours place is offered subject to proof of your child’s age being provided to the school office prior to the start date. A 30 hours place is offered subject to proof of your child’s age AND proof of parental eligibility being provided to the school office through a fully completed eligibility checking form prior to the start of term. This form is provided to parents when an offer of a place is made. 30 hours places are also subject to eligibility criteria continuing to be met during your child’s time in our nursery setting.
Children requiring 15 free hours in school term times will normally be admitted to our nursery class for one of the following patterns of attendance: 5 mornings or 5 afternoons.
Children requiring (up to) 30 free hours in school term times will normally be admitted to our nursery class with a pattern of attendance covering morning and afternoon sessions Monday to Friday.
Government Information
How will parents apply for 30 hours?
As part of the application process, parents will be asked to enter personal details including their name, address and National Insurance number and the same details for their partner (if they have one). They will also be asked whether they expect to meet the income requirements over the coming three months and whether they are in receipt of any relevant benefits. This information will help HMRC decide whether the parent (and their child) are eligible for 30 hours. At the start of the application process, parents will create a Government Gateway account if they don’t already have one. If parents encounter any problems with the application process or accessing the childcare account, they should direct their queries to the childcare service Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097.
At the end of the application process, parents will have a childcare service account. In the “secure messages” section of their account, parents will receive messages regarding their eligibility. If parents are eligible for 30 hours, they will be given an 11 digit ‘eligibility code’ for their child. They will be asked to take this code (along with their National Insurance number and child’s date of birth) to their provider to claim their 30 hours place. These codes normally start with ‘5000’. However, there are a small number of cases where parents might have a temporary code starting with ‘11’.
Parents can find their eligibility code in the ’30 hours free childcare’ section of their childcare service account and in their secure messages.
Parents will be prompted every three months to reconfirm the details they entered on their application are still accurate. This is to check that they are still eligible. They will be prompted, via text message and/or email, four weeks before their reconfirmation deadline and again two weeks before the deadline if they still haven’t reconfirmed. If their circumstances have changed, they will log into their childcare service account, amend their details and then resubmit their details. If their circumstances have not changed, they only need to reconfirm their details.
If parents miss the reconfirmation deadline, they will receive a message telling them that their eligibility has lapsed. Although they are no longer eligible, they may be able to retain their childcare place for a short period; this is known as a grace period. Parents are directed to speak to their childcare provider about this.
You do not need to apply via the digital service if you only want the universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds.
Information
Early Education and Childcare – Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
School Admissions
St Mark’s C of E Primary School provides education for children aged 3-11 years old. We pride ourselves on being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child to reach their full potential.
One Excellence Trust is the Admissions Authority for the school. It has an admissions limit of 60 pupils per year group.
In summary the Admissions Criteria is:
- Looked-after children and children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so because, immediately after being looked after, they became subject to an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order, including Children previously in state care outside of England. This refers to children who were previously in state care outside of England, and have ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
- Children who have exceptional medical or social needs that make it essential that their child attends St Mark’s Church of England Primary School rather than any other. These needs must be fully supported by written evidence from the appropriate professional person involved with the family.
- Children with a normal home address in the admission zone and with a sibling on the roll of the school at the time of application or whose parent has accepted an offer of a place at the school and who is expected still to be in attendance at the time of entry to the school.
- Children with a normal home address in the catchment.
- Children with a normal home address outside the catchment area and with a sibling on the roll of the school at the time of application or whose parent has accepted an offer of a place at the school and who is expected still to be in attendance at the time of entry to the school.
- Other children.
If your child is due to start school in Reception, applications forms (either on-line or paper versions) are available from about October prior to the school year they are due to start. The Admissions section at Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council, administer our applications for us and so any application should be returned to them.
Full details of the admission arrangements can be found in the Primary and Secondary Admissions prospect produced by Stockton Borough Council, by clicking here.
Paper application form for a primary school place
Visits
We welcome visits to the school prior to applying for a place. If you wish to visit the school, please contact the school office to book an appointment.
In Year Transfer
If your child is already at school, and you wish them to transfer to St. Mark’s, please contact Admissions and they will send you the necessary forms to complete. If there are no places available, please contact school for further information regarding appeals.
Waiting Lists
If St. Mark’s is full, parents may contact the school to add their child to the waiting list. If you could e-mail stmarks@oneexcellence.co.uk.
School Admissions – Special Educational Needs (SEND)
We are committed to meeting the needs of all children including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. We would ask parents to discuss the identified needs with the school prior to starting so that appropriate intervention and support can be planned and implemented. Advice from the LA or other agencies may be requested to ensure any school can meet any needs appropriately.
Further information, on admissions, can be found in the school Admissions Policy, the Special Educational Needs (SEND) Policy and Equality Policy that can be found in the School Policies section of our website.
Applying for a school place if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
If your child has an EHCP, you will receive a school preferences form from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Service. If your child’s EHCP states specialist provision and you express a preference for this type of school, your child will be given priority for a specialist school place.
In all cases, the SEND and Inclusion Service will consult with your preferred schools to make sure the schools would be able to meet your child’s needs.
Appeals
If it has not been possible for St. Mark’s C of E School to offer a family a place for their child then the parents have the right to appeal against the decision of the Authority
You can only submit an appeal if you have received a formal letter of refusal. If you would like to appeal decisions made by more than one school, you need to submit a separate appeal for each school.
To appeal against an admission decision visit school admissions arrangements.
