Admissions
Nursery Admissions
Hitchin Partnership Admission Information for Local Authority Nursery Schools and Nursery Classes
Admissions for 2025/2026
Nursery applications for entry in September 2025 have now closed. Please email admin@highover.herts.sch.uk for further details.
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 2025/2026
Autumn 2024
Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes will make nursery admission information available on their websites
Wednesday 29th January 2025
Applications open via school’s websites for Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes (online applications preferred)
Friday 7th March 2025
Applications close for Hitchin maintained nursery schools and nursery classes
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/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.
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.
If you were unable to join one of our tours, 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.