Admission Arrangements
Each area of the school has its own admissions arrangements. Gorseland Primary School is a local authority maintained school and, therefore, the majority of our admission allocations are made by Suffolk County Council.
Admission arrangements for pupils with SEN or disabilities:
The admission of pupils with SEN or disabilities is the same as for all pupils, whereby we promote equal opportunities regardless of race, culture, sexuality, gender, academic ability, physical ability or class, as per our Equalities Policy which is available on this website.
Where a child has a disability, steps will be taken to provide reasonable adjustments and ensure that individual needs are fully met. Parents and carers of children with SEN or disabilities are advised to communicate with us prior to admission so that reasonable adjustments can be discussed and planned accordingly.
Choose the area of the school below to see details of the admissions arrangements.
Nursery
Our Hedgehog Nursery can now offer wrap around care from 0730 to 1800. Children are entitled to 30 hours free early education at the beginning of the term following their 3rd birthday.
It is our intention to make our nursery accessible to children and families from the local community through transparent, fair and clearly communicated procedures.
In order to achieve the above we will endeavour to ensure that the existence of the Nursery is widely advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.
We will ensure that information about our Nursery is accessible in written and spoken form and where necessary we will assist in providing information in Braille. We are happy to communicate via text relay.
As a Governor Led nursery, we are not obliged to offer places in any specific order but our policy is to take into account the following:
date of birth of child
siblings already attending the main school
catchment area
Length of time on the waiting list
whether a child is attending another pre-school
looked after children
In line with Suffolk County Council directory of early years providers, we are obliged to provide funded places for eligible 4 year olds first, followed by eligible 3 year olds. After these places have been allocated, any remaining spaces will be offered to those on the waiting list.
We welcome children regardless of their gender, special educational needs, disabilities, background, religion, ethnicity or competence in spoken English. We also accept children into nursery, whether they are toilet trained or not. We will liaise fully with parents and professionals to ensure that it would be in the child's best interests to attend our Nursery.
Parents and carers are encouraged to visit with their child shortly before admission is due, and should be prepared to stay with their child if necessary for the first session or two. We operate a fully flexible admissions procedure and where appropriate a child may attend for brief periods at first; gradually building up to a full session.
Please note that admission to our nursery does not in any way constitute a promise of a place in our Primary School or any other local Primary School.
Reception
All children are entitled to a full-time place in a Reception class at the beginning of the academic year (September) following their fourth birthday.
Parents are able to apply for full-time places in the Reception year from September. The law makes it clear that if parents so choose they may defer full-time entry until later in the year – certainly no later than the term after the child’s fifth birthday (statutory school age).
Our selection and over subscription criteria are all governed by the local authority admissions team. Currently, our published admission number (the number of children we are allowed in each reception year group) is 60.
If you have any queries about this arrangement please contact the admissions team on 0845 600 0981 or follow the link below.
https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-places/
Year 1 to 6
Our selection and over subscription criteria are all governed by the local authority admissions team. Currently, our published admission number (the number of children we are allowed in each year group) is 60.
If you have any queries about this arrangement please contact the admissions team on 0845 600 0981 or follow the link below.
https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-places/
Specialist Support Unit
What is Gorseland Primary School’s Specialist Support Unit?
The Local Authority have commissioned two specialist units at Gorseland Primary School:
Reception / Key Stage One - Specialist Unit
Key Stage Two - Cognition and Learning Unit
(Cognition and Learning should be the main area of need on the child's EHCP.)
The aim of these units is to enable pupils with moderate learning difficulties to access specialist teaching and learning in small-groups with regular access to mainstream facilities and activities. A Communication and Interaction Unit may be more suitable for your child if Cognition and Learning is not their main area of need. Other specialist units in Suffolk are signposted below.
How can pupils gain access to Gorseland’s Specialist Support Unit?
Placements in the Specialist Units are made by the Local Authority. For a child to gain a place they must (in most instances) have an Education, Health and Care Plan.
To gain access to a Specialist Unit, parents can name the setting during the assessment for an EHCP or request a change of setting during an Annual Review. If your preferred specialist setting is Gorseland, then please state ‘Gorseland Specialist Support Unit’ or 'Gorseland Cognition and Learning Unit' instead of ‘Gorseland Primary School’. The admissions panel will discuss suitability, send out consultations and make a decision.
Please note that admission into our R/KS1 Specialist Unit does not mean automatic progression into our KS2 Cognition and Learning unit.
If your child is offered a place then you will be contacted by the Local Authority. If you choose to accept the offered place, we will contact you to arrange a robust transition programme for your child.
More information is available on the Suffolk local offer page HERE.