Admissions
We would love to meet with you and show you around if you are considering our school for your child. We also have advertised open day events where we welcome new prospective pupils and their parents. Please pop in or give the office a call on 01254 887223 to find out more.
September Admission to Reception Class (EYFS)
Admissions of a child to a County and Controlled Primary School, for entry into Reception class (EYFS) in September, is the responsibility of the Education Authority (Lancashire County Council). Most Primary Schools in Lancashire are able to accept children at the school the parent prefers, but where this is not possible, then preference will be given to:
- A looked after child.
- A brother or sister of a child already attending the school.
- A child for whom the Authority accepts that there are strong medical, social or welfare reasons for admission.
Under the current guidelines parents will be informed, as soon as possible after the 16th April, whether it will be possible to comply with their stated preference. If a place is not offered at a school which the parents prefer, they will be provided with detailed information about the steps which can be taken to appeal against this decision. When a place has been formally offered and accepted for Rishton Methodist, you will be invited to school to meet our EYFS staff team and arrange a pre-school visit for your child.
In Year Admissions into Other Year Groups
If you are seeking admission to our school for a child in any other year group, please contact us directly to determine if there are places available.
Our maximum admission number in each year group is 30. If a year group is full then parents may submit an appeal and should contact the Area School's Office for details.
If you are new to the area and require a school place, or if you already reside in the area and wish to move your child from their current local school then your application should be made directly to our school. Your child will be admitted where there are available places.
To apply for a place, once our school office has confirmed we have a space, please complete our In-Year Admissions form which you can find below, and email to bursar@rishtonmethodist.lancs.sch.uk
Your application will be acknowledged upon receipt, and we will advise you of the outcome within a maximum of 15 school days.
Where places are available, but we have more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria will be applied, to ensure the correct child/children are offered the places.
If there are no places available, your child will be added to the waiting list, and you do have the right of appeal. Please see below for appeal information. Please note, that the waiting list does NOT guarantee a place at our school, and if your child is currently not in education you should either make an appeal to our school and/or apply for a place at an alternative school.
Further information on how to apply for a local school can be found on the Lancashire County Council website:
Appeals
The school's admission appeals are supported by Lancashire County Council. If the Governing body cannot offer a school place, parents have the right to make an appeal.
This appeal should be submitted using the link below within twenty days of refusal of admission. The appeal provides you with an opportunity to explain why you wish to register your child at our school. The appeal form, and advice on how to complete, is available on the Lancashire County Council website:
Lancashire County Council will contact you in respect of your appeal application and inform you of the arrangements. The outcome of the appeal will be notified to you in writing.The decision of the Independent Appeal Panel is binding to all parties, ie the family and the school. Please note that this right of appeal against the Governors’ decision does not prevent you from making an appeal in respect of any other school.
Updated August 2023