Admissions

 Admission Information for Hertfordshire County Council, York Road Nursery School.

From September 2017 Nursery settings now operate their own admission process. Please find below, details of York Road Nursery School’s admission process.

  York Road Timeline 2025/26.

Nursery settings operate their own admission process.

Local authority nursery schools and classes within Hitchin form part of the Hitchin Partnership. In order to provide consistency and simplify the process for parents, the partnership has agreed a timeline for admissions and a set of over subscription criteria.

York Road Nursery Timeline for Applications to Nursery From September 2024 Please note there will be no admissions to Nursery in January or April 2024.

Autumn 2024	Hitchin maintained nursery school and nursery classes will make nursery admission information available on their website.
Monday 18th November 2024	Applications open via schools website for York Road Nursery and Yorkies Daycare (online applications only).
Friday 7th March 2025	Applications close for York Road Nursery School
Wednesday 26th March 2025	Offers made to parents (via the same method as application was made)
Tuesday 22nd April 2025	Deadline for parents to accept/decline places. Continued interest offers will be made after this date.

York Road Nursery School offer the 15 hours FREE Nursery education, between 9.00am and 12pm Monday to Friday, term-time only. This is open to children whose third birthday falls between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024. 30 Hours operates from 12pm until 3.30pm Monday to Thursday and until 1pm on a Friday. This can be covered using 30 hours free childcare if the remaining 15 hours are not being used by another childcare provider.

If you require wraparound hours before or after these timings then you need to also make the application (on the same form) to Yorkies Daycare.

Should there be more applications than places, an agreed over subscription criteria will be followed. Please see below for the over subscription criteria. If an application is unsuccessful, you may request to go onto the nursery’s continuing interest list and as a space arises, the criteria will be applied again.

Hitchin Partnership Over Subscription Criteria for Maintained Nursery Schools and Classes for the School Year 2024/25

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs which names the school will be allocated a place in accordance with section 324 of the Education Act 1996. Schools will also admit children with an EHC (Education, Health and Care) Plan that names the school.

Parents may state their preference as to which nursery class, school or centre they would like their child to attend in the years leading up to the child’s fourth birthday. However, if there are not enough places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

a) Children looked after and children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order).

b) A child ‘at risk’ (or the sibling of a child ‘at risk’) who is the subject of an inter-agency child protection plan.

c) Other applicants where the following criteria are considered to determine priorities:

1) Children for whom it can be demonstrated that they have a particular medical or social need to go to the school.

2) Children who have a sibling at the school who is not leaving in the following academic year

3) Any other children.

Proof of documentation to support any of the criteria above will be required.

In Year Admissions

We also take children the term after their 3rd birthday subject to availability. If you wish to apply for a place, please email your child’s name, date of birth, home address and a contact number to admissions@yorkroad.herts.sch.uk. We will write to you in due course with details of your child’s start date and any associated paperwork.

Thirty Hour Provision

For those parents who are eligible for their child to receive 30 hours childcare provision, this will be arranged so that your child attends York Road Nursery School for 15 hours a week and then the additional 15 hours will be within the school setting and maybe in partnership with Yorkies Daycare. The hours available for the 30hours childcare provision will be Monday- Thursday 9.00-3.30 and Friday 9.00 – 1.00, term time only.

For those parents who may be entitled to 30 hours childcare provision, you will be expected to do an online eligibility check using the HMRC Tool Kit provided. If you qualify you will receive a voucher code which you will need to give to the school once your child’s Nursery place has been finalised. It will be parental responsibility to update your personal circumstances and inform the school of any changes.