• Stalbridge Pre-School aims to make the Pre-School accessible to all families in the local community.
• All information regarding admissions will be available in written and spoken form, and where appropriate in different languages, where necessary will try to provide information in Braille, through an interpreter or signing.
• Children can attend the Pre-School from the term following their 2nd Birthday, 2 year olds will only be offered places providing the statutory Early Years framework legal requirements for staff:child ratio’s are not compromised.
• We will expect all children to attend 2 sessions per week on 2 different days (6 hours min), this will help them form relationships with staff and peers as well as gain an understanding of boundaries and routines.
• Children increasing hours will be expected to take up full days rather than 4 or 5 morning sessions.

To enable us to allocate places fairly we will:

• Keep a waiting list with Name, DOB, expected starting, preferred days and contact details.
• Allocate places according to date of birth and for over-subscription follow the criteria below:

1. Funded 3 and 4 year olds already attending who are not claiming their full 15 hours funding (school year).
2. Funded 3 and 4 year olds already attending who are not claiming their full 15 hours funding (next school year)
3. Un-funded 3 year olds already attending who wish to increase hours.
4. 3 and 4 year olds in our catchment area with siblings already attending.
5. 3 and 4 year olds in our catchment area.
6. Funded 2yr olds in our catchment area (ratio’s permitting)
7. Un-funded 2yr olds in our catchment area (ratio’s permitting)
8. 3 and 4 year olds out of our catchment area (hoping to attend the Stalbridge Primary School*)
9. 3 and 4 year olds out of our catchment area (not expected to attend Stalbridge Primary School)
10. Any 2 yr old out of our catchment area (ratio’s permitting)

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* For catchment area please refer to the Dorset For You website guidance for Stalbridge Primary School by clicking on the button below.
* Attending Stalbridge Pre-School does not guarantee a place at Stalbridge Primary School (Please refer to the  schools admission policy at https://www.dorsetforyou.com/school-admissions by clicking on the button below.
* A Birth Certificate and proof of address will be requested prior to a place being allocated.

Catchment area for Stalbridge Primary School

Dorset For You - School Admissions

Stalbridge Primary School

Pre-School Uniform - Brigade

​Extra sessions/changes in sessions:
Where places are available a form for extra sessions will be sent to parents/carers for children to increase sessions. Extra sessions will be allocated in line with the above criteria. Hours above the 15 hours entitlement will be offered if places are under-subscribed and may mean that these places are only available at the beginning of the school year when the number on the register is lower.

Exceptions:

• If a Health Visitor or Local Children’s Services felt that it was in a child’s best interests to attend.
• A ‘looked after’ child requires a place.
• If a child moved into the area and had already been attending an early years provider or was about to start school.

You are welcome to add your child to the waiting list for future extra sessions i.e the following term, but this does not guarantee that they will be available at that time, It would not be financially viable for the Pre-School to hold open sessions for children intending to join or increase at a future date, if other children want to take up the sessions prior to that time.
If you wish to change your child’s hours after they have started a request should be made in writing to the Manager, we will do our best to accommodate you, but it may not always be possible.
Extra hours will not be offered until any outstanding fees have been paid.
There may be times when you are asked to consider changing your child’s hours, this may be to move into a full day when eligible for funding to free up morning hours for younger children, you are not obliged to accept this.