Admissions
Nursery admissions
Hitchin Partnership Admission Information for Local Authority Nursery Schools and Nursery Classes Admissions for 2024/25
Nursery applications for entry in September 2024 have now closed. If you would like to complete a late application please email admin@highover.herts.sch.uk
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:
Hitchin Partnership Timeline for Maintained Nursery Schools and Nursery Classes for admission in 2024/25
Autumn 2023
Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes will make nursery admission information available on their websites
Wednesday 31st January 2024
Applications open via school’s websites for Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes (online applications preferred)
Friday 8th March 2024
Applications close for Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes
Wednesday 27th March 2024
Offers made to parents (via the same method as application was made)
Friday 19th April 2024
Deadline for parents to accept/reject places
Continued interest offers will be made after this date
All places are funded by Hertfordshire County Council, have a qualified nursery teacher and provide the opportunity for children to experience being part of a school.
Children will be offered a nursery place to start in the Autumn term of the academic year they turn 4 (falling between 1st September to 31st August). At Highover we have 30 nursery places and children attend five morning sessions from 9am to 12pm, providing 15 hours of free nursery education. Nursery children can also stay for ‘lunch club’ from 12pm to 1pm where they bring and eat their lunch together and play in the safe environment of the Nursery class. There is a small charge for this club and parents/carers are asked to pay and book the required days in advance.
Applications for our Nursery class must be made directly to the school but please note that Primary admissions are managed by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) see above. A separate application is needed to move to the main school and allocation of a Nursery place does not guarantee your child a place in our Reception class. More information on applying for a school place within Hertfordshire can be found on the HCC website by clicking here.
Should there be more applications than places, an agreed over subscription criteria will be followed. Please click here for the link to the oversubscription criteria. If an application is unsuccessful, you may request to go onto the Nursery’s continuing interest list and, if a space arises, the criteria will be applied again.
Nursery Lunch Club
In addition, we offer a Nursery Lunch Club which runs daily from 12:00 - 13:00 at a cost of £5.00 per session. Full details can be found on the information leaflet here and bookings are made via the Arbor Parent Portal.
Nursery visits 2024: for children with DOB 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021 (starting Nursery in September 2024).
We do hope you will be able to join us on one of our Nursery visits.
Tours of our Nursery will take place with our Nursery teacher, Mrs Sharon Musk, at 10.30 am. We expect to be finished by approximately 11:00 am.
Please note you will be visiting us on a normal working day when lessons will continue as usual. To make these visits as accessible and meaningful as we can we limit the number of prospective new families we have on site. If possible we request that children do not attend the tour allowing parents to fully focus on the information being shared.
Please note there is no parking available on our school site. If you do need to drive to us we request that you park considerately on one of the residential roads near the school. Entry to the school will be via the main Cambridge Road entrance only.
You may book a place at one of the following sessions by clicking on the link below:
Primary admissions
Primary School admissions are managed by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC).
More information on applying for a school place within Hertfordshire can be found at the HCC website by clicking here.
Reception Visits
We do hope you will be able to join us on one of our Reception visits.
Tours of the school will take place with Lisa Hayes (Headteacher) at 9.30 am followed by a visit to the Reception classes. We expect to be finished by approximately 10.30 am.
Please note you will be visiting us on a normal working day when lessons will continue as usual. To make these visits as accessible and meaningful as we can we limit the number of prospective new families we have on site. If possible, we request that children do not attend the tour allowing parents to fully focus on the information being shared.
There is no parking available on our school site. If you do need to drive to us we request that you park considerately on one of the residential roads near the school. Entry to the school will be via the main Cambridge Road entrance only.
You may book a place at one of the following sessions by clicking on the dates below and booking through Eventbrite. Please order a ticket for each adult attending:
If you are unable to join one of our tours above, please take a look at our virtual tour here:
Highover Virtual Tour.mp4In year admissions
If you have moved or you want your child to go to a different school, you can apply to change school during the school year. This is called an "in year admission".
All in year admissions from Reception to Year 6 are dealt with by Hertfordshire County Council, please click here for more information. In year Nursery admissions are handled by the school. Please contact the school office for more availability and information.
If you are allocated a place, you will be offered a visit to the school. Please note we do not offer visits prior to the allocation unless there is a place available.