Registering for a place

If you would like to apply for a place for your son or daughter in Nursery or Reception please complete our online registration form. This enables you to register your child and make a payment in one simple process through our website.

You will be asked to upload the photo page of your child’s passport or birth certificate (and visa, if appropriate), and a brief outline as to why you feel The Perse is the right school for your child (maximum 500 words). You will also be asked to make an online card payment of the registration fee of £195.

Unfortunately, the form cannot be saved and returned to at a later date. For the optimum user experience, we recommend that you complete the form using a laptop or desktop computer. We strongly recommend you use Google Chrome and not Internet Explorer.

Registration forms for Nursery must be submitted by 1 December in the year prior to entry and registration forms for Reception 2021 entry must be submitted by Monday 19 October 2020.

If you would like to know whether we currently have any spaces in Year 1 or Year 2, please contact Marianne Hipperson, the Head’s PA, on 01223 403940.

If you need further advice, or would prefer to pay by BACS, cheque or other means, please contact Pelican admissions at pelican@perse.co.uk.

Assessment

We are very aware that some small children may be daunted when going into a new environment. We do all we can to ensure that they have had the opportunity to become familiar with the Pelican and staff, and feel comfortable in our friendly school, prior to the informal assessment session. Once you have registered for a place, your son or daughter will be invited with a parent or carer to attend a play session and coffee morning during the week before the assessment. This is not part of the assessment process, but it is recommended that all who can attend, do so.

The informal assessment takes the form of a playgroup. We are looking for children with a thirst for knowledge and a keenness to solve problems. We note whether or not they are curious, display attention skills, are persistent and show initiative. We look at the whole child, assessing a broad range of personal, physical, linguistic and mathematical skills appropriate to their level of development. We are interested in each child’s all-round development and learning characteristics.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs should discuss their application with us before the assessment dates.

Nursery

Prospective Nursery children of similar ages are assessed in very small groups. Experienced staff support the children as they play, reading stories, using the construction equipment and even holding tea parties!

Reception

Reception assessments are similar to those for Nursery, with some emergent literacy and numeracy tasks included in these activities.