Admissions (2025/26)

Choosing the right school for your child is an important decision, and at Nightingale Primary School we are proud to offer a welcoming, inclusive and stimulating environment where every child can thrive from the very start of their education.

We follow the Maritime Academy Trust Admissions Arrangements and the Royal Borough of Greenwich co-ordinated admissions process. All applications for a Reception place must be made through the Local Authority.

Our Published Admission Number (PAN) for Reception is 30 pupils.

Admissions Process

Children are eligible to start school in the September following their fourth birthday.
Parents and carers must apply through the Royal Borough of Greenwich website, selecting Nightingale Primary School as one of their preferred choices.

Applications for September 2025 entry open in September 2024 and close in January 2025.
National Offer Day — when families receive the outcome of their application — will take place in April 2025.

If you are offered a place, you will receive information from the school about induction meetings, home visits and transition sessions to help your child settle confidently into school life.

Oversubscription Criteria

If more applications are received than there are places available, offers will be made in the following order of priority:

1. Looked After and previously Looked After children, including those previously in state care outside England.

2. Siblings of pupils attending Nightingale at the time of admission.

3. Children with exceptional medical or social needs, supported by professional evidence.

4. Children of school staff, as defined within the Trust’s Admissions Policy.

5. Distance from home to school, measured in a straight line — with nearest distance used as a tie-break.

All children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming Nightingale Primary School will be offered a place before any other applications are considered.

Deferred and Part-Time Entry

Parents have the right to defer their child’s start date until later in the school year (but not beyond the start of the term after their fifth birthday).
They may also choose for their child to attend part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Requests for deferred or part-time entry should be discussed with the Headteacher once a place has been offered.

Waiting Lists

If the school is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be maintained by the Local Authority in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
Children will move up or down the list as new applications are received and ranked according to the same priority order.

Appeals

If your child is not offered a place at Nightingale, you have the right to appeal the decision.
All appeals are conducted by an independent panel in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code (2022) and are managed by the Local Authority on behalf of the Maritime Academy Trust.

Further details about the appeals process are available on the Royal Borough of Greenwich website.

Review and Policy Access

We publish our next year's admission arrangements and timetable by 15 March each year in line with DfE requirements.
This page was reviewed and confirmed for 2025/26 on: 15 March 2025.
Following review due by: 15 March 2026.

📄 Maritime Academy Trust Admissions Policy 2025–2026 (PDF)