The process for all admissions for these sites will be via a local authority multi-agency panel where placement decisions will be made. We will contact the child’s current setting and any other professionals involved to gather more information. Parents are invited to view the setting and bring their child in for an initial visit. When places are available a panel will be held to allocate placements.

You can contact each centre directly to find out more about what is available and request to be considered at the next panel. Staff will support families to complete the paperwork.

• Snowflakes at Newbridge
• Dingley’s Promise
• Norcot Early Years Centre
• Blagdon Nursery School

Please use the expression of interest forms for the specialist centres or mainstream bases or you can speak to professionals who are supporting your child about how to apply for a place.

FORMS

• Expression of Interest for Early Years Specialist Social Communication Base
• Expression of Interest for Mainstream Social Communication Base

There is a lot of information available but you will find it useful to read the mainstream Primary School Admissions Guide 2025-26. On pages 42-43 there is information about the processes if your child has special educational needs.

Mainstream

Most children will be expected to be educated in a mainstream school. Every mainstream school receives delegated SEND funding to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in their school. The way primary schools are structured can vary so we would recommend you visit different schools, including any in your catchment areas, to consider which site you feel will best suit your child’s needs. We recommend you meet with the school SENCo and discuss your child’s special educational needs.

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you may name a mainstream school of your choosing. However, if you have chosen a school that is not your nearest suitable school, transport is unlikely to be provided regardless of distance from your home address. Please see the Transport Assistance policy for more details.

Mainstream with resources & specialist schools

A small number of children who have an EHCP may require a place within a resourced base attached to a mainstream school, or a place in a specialist school. For more information about EHCPs, including how to make a parental request for assessment, please see more information on our Local Offer pages.

Most children with SEND will be educated in their local mainstream school with additional support put in place. Most children will begin their education journey in mainstream reception, and the school will use their delegated SEND funding to put in additional support. If your child requires a higher level of support than the school is able to provide from resources already available, the school can begin the EHCP needs assessment process.

Reception Year is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and will be focussing on play as well as preparing for transitioning into Year 1. It is often the best place for supporting children’s development in these early years. Please remember that all schools can put in a wide range of support to ensure a positive transition.

All maintained schools receive funding from the government called delegated SEND funding, and they have access to resources and services to support children with SEND. If the school felt that your child needed support above the resources already available, it will gather evidence using the graduated response and request an EHCP needs assessment. For more information about EHCPs, including how to make a parental request for assessment, please see here.

Most children with SEND will have their additional needs met at school with resources ordinarily available. Education settings, parents or other professionals can request an EHCP needs assessment if required. Most of the time, the local authority requires evidence of a graduated approach in supporting your child’s needs. Please speak with your early years setting or school’s SENCo for further guidance. The process prior to requesting an EHCP needs assessment can take place at your child’s early years setting. Your child’s new school may need to continue this process, if appropriate, to ensure evidence of a graduated approach and use of ordinarily available resources. You can find out more about the EHCP process here.

You can find information about your options for starting school here under “who should apply”. It is the local authority’s view that, for most children, it is in their best interest to be educated with their chronological peer group. You can choose to defer your child’s start to Reception, thus allowing another one or two terms at nursery for your child, and then starting Reception later in the same academic year. However, they will still transfer to Year 1 in line with their chronological age group. If your child is summer-born you can apply to offset your child’s entry into reception to start a whole academic year later.

There are two guidance documents we recommend you read before you consider applying to change your child’s school admission date:

– Defer/Offset Guide

– Requesting to be educated outside of your child’s year group

We have a recommended SEND Transition Passport that professionals who work with the Early Years Services will use to share information about your child. Best practice would be for a meeting to occur to include parents/carers, the child’s current setting, the new school teacher/SENCo and professionals who have been supporting your child. This will ensure that conversations are held about the support your child may need, and how the school can prepare to support your child’s transition. This should occur at the earliest opportunity once school places are confirmed. Please email early.years@ brighterfuturesforchildren.org for a copy of the Early Years Transition process which includes the SEND Transition Passport.

Please do not worry about focusing on all of these suggestions. Support your child with what they are able to do, and if you are concerned about any of these suggestions, speak to your school’s SENCo about support and adjustments that can be made. To help your child develop independence, support them to do the following if they are able to:

• Getting dressed independently every day – practise closing buttons, putting on socks and shoes on the right feet, putting a coat on and zipping up
• Going to the toilet and wiping their bottom on their own – simple clothing like elasticated waistbands are easier to get on and off
• Cutting food using a ‘real’ knife and fork and pouring a drink from a plastic jug
• Tidying up their toys and doing simple household chores – giving them responsibilities will help them to become more independent
• Help them to recognise their name in writing and to consistently respond to it verbally. Create a coat and shoe peg at home with their name on it to help get them used to having something similar at school – it seems like a simple thing, but it’ll help when we ask your child to go and fetch their coat.

You can practise some of the skills your child will develop in early years in a way that suits your child’s interest and play.

• Lots of the learning in Reception happens through play. Get down onto the carpet so you’re at their level and enjoy some play with your child. Follow their lead with what they’re doing or how they’re playing. Then, try to get them to follow your lead and create games together. This will help them to get used to playing and engaging with other children.
• Do some drawing, painting or mark making together- have fun making marks with everything from mud to gravy!
• Do turn-taking activities such as playing with a toy – this helps them to get used to taking turns and to understand the concept of sharing.
• If your school has shared a simple timetable with you, you could start to offer snacks and lunch at similar times. This will help your child’s body to adjust to a school routine
• Try to encourage your child to eat with others, even if it’s just a snack.
• Talk to your child, taking turns to talk and listen as much as you can. This may mean being with your child, tuning in to them and sharing moments together.
• Talk to your child in your home language. Don’t worry about talking in English if this is not what you do normally. If your child can talk well in your home language they will pick up English more quickly at school.
• If you are using screens to stay in touch with family and friends, include children in video calls and activities. Getting them to have conversations with relatives and friends is a good way to combine screen time while helping children to improve their speech.

Support your child to develop an interest in stories, sounds and numbers

• Read to your child every day – we get most of our new words from what we read. Research shows that reading stories is one of the best things parents can do to help children do well at school. A bedtime story helps bedtime routines and gives a great opportunity to snuggle together and feel connected. It’s great to get to know some stories well, so don’t worry if your child asks for one book over and over again. This will help them later in school when they start to learn to write.
• When reading, turn the pages together and look at the pictures. There are some great videos from schools in Reading with our brilliant teachers reading some amazing stories. Snuggle together and have a listen.
• Explore rhyming words and sing songs together – action songs are fun!
• Count items out together and talk about numbers you see around you.

Routine and consistency help children to adapt and this will help ease the transition into reception. About four weeks before the start of reception, try to set a morning routine with your child. You can start with small steps and gradually add to the routine:

• Get up at the same time every day and have breakfast if possible. Try to have a set bed time
• Dress your child in the school uniform and put their ‘school’ shoes on them
• Prepare a ‘school lunch box’ – you can choose one together if you don’t have one yet
• Try to get a bedtime routine – the first few months of school are really exhausting for children and good sleep habits will keep them healthy and benefit their learning in the long term. The NHS website offers good ideas to help your child with sleep www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-andtiredness/healthy-sleep-tips-for-children/
• Try to limit screen time each day, especially at night. Screen time can be very exciting and engaging for children but can be addictive and stop children being as curious and creative as they are when screens are not around. Children will do best in school when they are used to interacting with other people and are happy and excited by a range of activities. Help your child to get to know the school and staff faces
• Many children like to know what their school and teacher look like before they start. If your school has shared photos/videos of the teacher, play area and classroom with you, look at these together.
• Your school may offer you a phone or video call instead of a home visit. This is a great opportunity to get to know key staff and for your child to meet their teacher.
• Look up the route to school and if it’s within walking distance, try it out as your daily walk. Point to the school and tell your child they’ll be going there soon.
• Show your child you are excited about school and talk to them positively about starting school. Children look to parents for reassurance, so try not to worry out loud to your child about starting school and talk to the school team about any concerns you have.

For frequently asked questions about children moving up to reception who may be on a reduced timetable, refer to this document:

Parent Guide to School Attendance FAQs