Parents and carers in Guernsey and Alderney are now able to register their children for a place in their catchment Primary School to start in September 2021.
Children due to start school must be registered before 3pm on Friday 18 December 2020. Registrations received after this period will be assigned a lower priority if spaces are limited.
All children who reach the age of 5 before the 1 September in any particular year are required to attend school, or to receive alternative education provision, from the beginning of the next academic term unless they are exempt under the law. Similarly, children who reach the age of four on or before 31 August may also start school from the beginning of the academic year if spaces are available at the school.
Children who are baptised Catholic may be registered at one of the two voluntary Catholic Primary schools, Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary School or St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School. Parents and carers of non-baptised children who still wish them to attend these schools should contact Education, but the child will usually only be considered for a place if there is no space available within their catchment school, or if additional children are needed to make up a class to full size.
Application forms for each Primary School (including the voluntary Catholic Primary schools) are available from www.gov.gg/schooladmissions, as well as the school themselves. If you are unsure of your catchment area, please go to www.gov.gg/catchmentareas where you will be able to identify which catchment area you live in based on your postcode.
The completed application forms for children seeking places in Reception should be returned to the relevant catchment or voluntary school. For those registering for Year 1, completed applications forms and supporting documentation should be sent directly to Education Resources & Estates Management at Sir Charles Frossard House.
In addition to the application forms, the following items also need to be provided:
- A photocopied proof of address (e.g. utility bill or driving licence)
- Copy of the child’s birth certificate
- Photographic proof of the parent of carer’s identity (e.g. driving licence or passport)
- Catholic baptismal certificate (voluntary schools only)
Parents and carers are able to make an application for their child to attend a school that is not their catchment school. They must still apply to their catchment school in addition to sending a PC-OCAPS request form to Education Resources & Estates Management. Further information on how to make an Out of Catchment request is available at www.gov.gg/schooladmissions.
It is vital that children are registered for a school place by Friday 18 December 2020 as the year group sizes can influence the resources allocated to each Primary School. It is expected that parents/carers will be informed by Education Resources & Estates Management of their child’s allocated Primary school by the end of the Spring Term (1 April 2021).