If your child is due to start school in September 2023 you will need to apply for a school place online before Monday 16th January 2023 via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  If you are considering child joining our Phoenix Community we would like to offer you the opportunity to come for an individual viewing. Please call the office on 01233 622510 to make an appointment.  

We encourage all prospective parents to visit the school and bring your child along with you. We are always really keen to give parents and children a tour of our school so you can see our facilities, see our pupils learning and have the opportunity to ask any questions. Phoenix Community Primary School proudly serves the Bockhanger, Bybrook and Kennington areas of Ashford and beyond. Children begin school at the start of the academic year (September to July) of the year in which they will turn five years old and it is really important that you choose a school that is right for your child and that you know they will be happy at. 

We like to build positive relationships with our families and that begins at the start making sure that Phoenix Community Primary School is the right school for your child. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. Tours can be booked by contacting our Office Manager, Diane Davis on 01233 622510. We look forward to welcoming you to Phoenix Community Primary School. 

The school is usually oversubscribed, therefore all pupils will be considered against the school’s oversubscription criteria which can be found in the Admissions Policy. Our admission number is 30 pupils per year group.

Key Dates for September Entry to Primary School

Applying to a new school in-year

Appeals

Summary of how to apply

[Seperate information on Secondary School Applications and Kent Grammar School Test]

Information for Starting School in September 2023

Key Dates for Primary Transition

Friday 4th November 2022	School applications open - complete via Kent Schools Admissions
October 2022 - January 2023	Individual school tours, please contact the school office to arrange a suitable time for your visit.
Monday 16th January 2023	School applications close
Monday 17th April 2023	National Offer Day. You will receive an email after 4pm informing you or Kent assigned school offer.
Monday 1st May 2023	Deadline must be sent to accept or decline the school place you have been offered.  If it has not been possible for Kent to your child a place at Phoenix Community School, you have the right to add their name to the waiting list and lodge and appeal, please see details below.

* When you have accepted your place at Phoenix Community Primary School, you will need to come into school with proof of address of the only or main residence of your child. This will need to be one of the following:

• A child tax and working tax credit letter (TC602)
• The child’s medical card or letter from a medical centre, hospital or GP to confirm the child’s residence
• A letter from the child’s nursery or playgroup
• A bank statement of a savings account in the child’s name AND a utility bill OR a bank or credit card statement

These documents should not be more than three months old and preferably should show that the child was resident at the address at the time of the closing date.

We will need to see these documents for every child admitted (even if they have siblings at the school already). If you are unable to provide the above documents, to prove your child’s only or main residence, the Local Authority has the right to take your child’s place away. 

If you have any queries about the admissions process, please ring the school. You can also contact the Kent Admissions Team on 01622 686565 or visit their website. 

Changing schools in-year 

If you are interested in your child joining Phoenix Community Primary School at any other time other than starting school, for example because you are moving home, you should contact the school on 01233 622510.  

If you wish to apply for a place at our school for your child in-year, you would need to complete the IYCAF and return to the school.  We will then write to you and advise if we have a space available, and if not we will offer you the opportunity to join our waiting list. 

Appealing  

If your child is due to start primary school in September 2023, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day.

You must submit your appeal within the KCC timescales. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.  Online support is available, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. from the email account you used on your applications (officehours are 9am - 5pm).

For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.

Statutory limits on class size mean that, apart from some very limited exceptions, infant classes of 5, 6 and 7 year olds may not contain more than 30 pupils with a single teacher.

Where the published admissions number of a school allows for classes of 30 pupils, then the Admission Authority will have refused admission on the grounds that to admit one more child would breach the infant class size limit.

Although you have a legal right to appeal under this criteria, there are very limited circumstances in which a Panel can direct a child to be admitted to a school. 

Summary of how to apply

Reception Places for September  entry: through the Kent County Council Website – KCC Admissions. 

‘In-Year Applications’: complete the IYCAF form – IYCAF FORM – and return it to the school either by hand, post or email. 

Applying for Secondary School: see our separate page for PESE (Procedure for Entry into Secondary Education) - this includes information about entering your child into the Kent Test (11+) for grammar school entry and the Secondary application process

 

Click to read our Admissions Policy (for September 2023 entry into Year R)

Clcik here for our current Admissions Policy for 'In Year Admissions' prior to this time.