Admissions Policy for Nursery and Preschool 2026/27

CLF: Waycroft Academy Guidelines for Admiral Nursery (2 year olds) and Mary Rose Preschool Admissions (3 year olds)

​The following guidance will be applied when applying for a place at Admiral Nursery and Mary Rose Prechool:

​There are three admission intakes during the academic year: September, January and April.

​Places at Admiral Nursery will be allocated to children who are aged 2 before the end of August to start in September. Places at Mary Rose Preschool will be allocated to children who are aged 3 before the end of August to start in September.

​If the nursery/preschool is not full after the admissions process in September, the Academy may offer places for children who reach their respective second/third birthdays part way through the year with a January or April start date. This is dependent on spaces.

​To apply for a place, parents/carers need to complete the relevant online ‘Expression of Interest’ form which is located on the Waycroft website or via the links on this form.

​This Expression of Interest form does not represent confirmation of a nursey or preschool place, and parents/carers will be advised whether they are successful in securing a place after the deadline has passed and when the allocation process has been completed.

​The allocation process will only include Expression of Interest forms which have been submitted before the deadline.

​Children can only attend for either 15 or 30 hours a week.  We will not offer ‘in-between’ hours (i.e. fewer than 15 or between 15 and 30 hours), due to the high number of applications for places. 30 hours places will be Monday to Friday and 15 hour places will be EITHER for start of the week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning) OR the end of the week (Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday).

​Regular attendance (in line with the whole Academy attendance target) at the Nursery will be expected as a condition of accepting the place.

​Attendance at Admiral Nursery will not be taken into consideration when determining the allocation of places in the Mary Rose Preschool.

​For a space in Reception, the Local Authority application process will need to be adhered to.

​In 2026/27 the Admiral Nursery intake will be a maximum of fifteen (15) children per day, spread across 30 and 15 hour spaces. For Mary Rose presschool the intake will be a maximum of thirty nine (39) children per day, again spread across 30 and 15 hour spaces.

​Waycroft Academy reserves the right to override the admission criteria at any stage on a case-by-case basis. 

​Oversubscription

Waycroft Academy will determine the allocation of hours, which may affect the number of 30-hour and 15-hour places available, to ensure full utilisation of capacity. Where applications exceed the number of available places, the following oversubscription criteria will apply. Places will then be offered to children who meet these criteria in the order of priority outlined below:

1. ​Looked after and previously looked after children
2. ​Disadvantaged (eligible) 2 year olds
3. ​Children with a sibling at the Academy in Nursery, Preschool or Reception to Year 5
4. Children living closest to the Academy

Looked after and previously looked after children

• ​A ‘looked after child’ is one who is (a) in the care of a Local Authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a Local Authority in the exercise of their social services functions, in England.
• ​ A ‘previously looked after child’ is one who was looked after in England, but ceased to be so because they were adopted, or became subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order, as well as a child who appears to the Admission Committee to have been in state care outside of England (i.e. in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society), but ceased to be so as a result of being adopted.
• ​Applications in this category may need to be supported by documentary evidence, such as a signed letter from the child’s current or former Social Worker confirming their status, and/or an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order.  Documentary evidence must only include confirmation of the child’s status as a Looked After Child or Previously Looked After Childand no other details such personal details about parents and families, the first language of the child, details of parents’ or a child’s disabilities, special educational needs or medical conditions.
• ​In the case of children adopted from state care outside England, evidence of having been in state care outside England and of being adopted may be required, ideally accompanying the application.  When considering the evidence provided, the DfE’s current guidance Admissions
• ​priority for children adopted from state care outside England will be followed. The guidance can be found here.
• ​Where the Virtual School Head (VSH) at the Local Authority has already verified the child’s status and the Academy is able to confirm this with them, there will be no need for documentary evidence to be provided with the application.
• ​Where no documentary evidence can be provided, the application will be considered on the available evidence.

​Disadvantaged (eligible) 2 year olds

• ​For Admiral nursery only, applications from disadvantaged (eligible) 2 year olds will be given priority. Further information on who can apply for an disadvantaged (eligible) nursery place can be found via the Local authority’s website by clicking here.
• For the purpose of the Admissions Policy, only applications that have been processed and accepted by the Local Authority will be considered. The child must be identified as a disadvantaged/eligible two year old on the Bristol City Council’s Early Years Provider Portal.

Children with a sibling at the Academy in Nursery, Preschool and Reception to Year 5

• ​For inclusion in this criterion, the sibling must attend the Academy in Nursery, Preschool, Reception to Year 5 at the time of application.
• A ‘sibling’ means a full brother or sister (sharing both parents), a half brother or sister (sharing one parent), an adopted brother or sister (sharing one or both parents), a foster brother or sister of an applicant who falls under the definition of a looked after child, a step brother or sister (where one child’s parent is married or in a civil partnership with the other child’s parent) and a child of the applicant’s parent’s partner where they have cohabited for at least one year.  For the avoidance of doubt, a child of a family member (e.g. cousin or grandchild or child of another child of the family) or friend will be a ‘sibling’,  if they live at the same address as the applicant child.
• ​In all cases, the sibling must live at the applicant child’s home address (as defined in this policy) as part of the child’s family unit.  For the avoidance of doubt, a child of a family member (e.g. cousin or grandchild or child of another child of the family) or friend will be a ‘sibling’,  if they live at the same address as the applicant child.
• Parents will be expected to provide satisfactory documentary evidence of the child applicant’s home address, and/or the home address of others (e.g. siblings), and/or family relationships where appropriate.  This may include family court orders and/or birth certificates and/or proof of ownership and renting

​Children living closest to the Academy

• ​Children living closest to the Academy will be given priority.  Home to Academy distances will be measured in a direct line from a point on the home address to the main hall within the main school building using an electronic mapping system (http://maps.bristol.gov.uk/)
• ​The child’s home address is defined in this policy, and it is the address meeting this definition that must be stated in the application, and will be used when the application is processed.
• ​The child’s home address is the residential (not business) address at which they will live and sleep for more than 50% of their time from Sunday to Thursday night each week during term time, at the time of their admission. The home address will usually (but not always) be the address at which the child is registered with their GP, hospital, dentist and/or optician, at the time of application.
• Where the child lives with more than one parent and there is a factual 50% split between the time described above, the home address will be that used in the application.
• ​Where any question arises over whether the stated child’s home address is correct, parents will be asked to provide satisfactory documentary evidence to establish this.  This may also be required for other children (e.g. siblings).  Satisfactory documentary evidence may include family court orders setting out child arrangements and/or proof of ownership and renting, however other evidence will also be considered.
• ​Where the family owns or rents another property, additional documentary evidence that the address stated in the application is the applicant child or sibling’s permanent home address may be required
•  If the child/sibling moves address during the course of the application process, Bristol Local Authority (and, if different, their home Local Authority) must be notified as soon as possible, and provided with satisfactory documentary evidence that the new address meets the definition, and of the expected moving date.
• ​Applications are welcomed for the admission of the children of UK Armed Forces personnel and Crown Servants.  Where the family is relocating from overseas, the address used will be the address at which the applicant will live when they return, as long as the parents provide some evidence of this address.  Alternatively, a Unit or Quartering address may be used, at the parent’s request

​Tie breaker

​Where two or more distances are equal (e.g. where different families live in the same block of flats), the order in which places are allocated will be determined by random lottery, which will be performed in front of a person who is independent of the Academy.

​Where it is not possible to distinguish between applicants within a particular oversubscription criteria, places will be awarded by random allocation. This process will be supervised by an independent person to the Local Authority and the academy

​Special Educational Needs

​Special Educational Needs Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan follow the transfer arrangements set out in the SEN Code of Practice and are not subject to the general admission arrangements.

​Attendance and Loss of the Nursery/Preschool Place

​If attendance and punctuality is poor or erratic, a letter will be sent to the parents/carers reminding them that for their child to benefit fully from nursery/preschool education, attendance needs to be regular and punctual.

​If following the letter and further communication with the parent/carer, there is no sustained improvement in attendance within an agreed period, then the child may lose their place.

​A nursery/preschool place will be withdrawn if a child is not using at least 80% of their allocation over a 10-week period, if these absences are unauthorised, or if a child is absent for two weeks of their consecutive nursery/preschool sessions and there has been no contact from the parent/carer to explain this absence.   

​Meals/Snacks

​The children will sit collectively as a group to encourage social interaction and table manners.

​Fruit, milk and water will be provided by the nursery/preschool at snack times at no charge to parents.

​Parents/carers are not able to provide alternative snacks.  If there is evidence provided to the Academy of their medical/dietary needs, suitable snacks in line with the Food Standards and our ethos will be provided by the Academy.

​Parents and carers are welcome to provide their child with a packed lunch. Alternatively, a hot school meal can be ordered through the MCAS app. The cost of a hot school meal is £2.75; however, some children may qualify for free meals. Full details on how to order school meals will be shared during the induction process, along with guidance on how to check if your child qualifies for a free hot school meal.

​Charges

​Admiral Nursery and Mary Rose Preschool are funded by the Local Authority. As such, places are subject to the provision of a valid eligibility code, except where a child attends Mary Rose Preschool for 15 hours per week. In this case, places are offered universally to children of qualifying age without the need to provide an eligibility code.

​We do not accept applications where funding is obtained directly from parents, carers, or any other private source. Therefore, there is no requirement to publish charge rates.

​Additional Charges

​We do not change for consumables, and no additional charges are made to the parents/carers of children who attend Admiral Nursery and Mary Rose Preschool except where a parent/carer opts to purchase a hot school meal. However, we reserve the right to introduce additional charges in the future, provided they are in line with our Charging and Remissions Policy, which is can be viewed here.

​Admissions Procedure

​Applications can be made as soon as the child is two or three years old, however the length of time on the waiting list will not be taken into consideration when allocating places.

​Places will be allocated by the Nursery or Preschool Lead/Operations Manager and Principal.

​If the form is completed before the deadline and the nursery/preschool is full, children will be placed on a waiting list and contacted if a place becomes available.

​Late applications will only be considered after all the on-time applications have been allocated.

​A place will be allocated in line with the hours requested on your application and these hours cannot be negotiated after the allocation has been made.

​Vacancies, if available, during the Academy year will be allocated based on the criteria listed above.

​Applications cannot be made based on a telephone call.

​It should be noted that there is no appeal process for unsuccessful applications and the decision of the Admission Panel is final.

​Link to Application Forms:

​For a September start – the closing date for the Expression of Interest forms is the last working day of February 2026: 

​ Expression of Interest Admiral Nursery September 2026  

​Expression of Interest Mary Rose Preschool September 2026

​For a January start- the closing date for the Expression of Interest form is 16th October 2026:

​Expression of Interest Admiral Nursery January 2027  

​Expression of Interest Mary Rose Preschool January 2027 

​For an April start – the closing date for the Expression of Interest form is 8th January 2027:

​Expression of Interest Admiral Nursery April 2027 

​Expression of Interest Mary Rose Preschool April 2027  

​If you have any queries or question, please contact:

​Lydia Devereaux – Operations Manager: lydia.devereaux@clf.uk

​Nursery information: info@wca.clf.uk  ​