Parents and carers of children who will be starting school for the first time in 2025 are being encouraged to prepare early for their child’s application to a Reception class.
Warwickshire County Council has a range of resources to help families find their priority school and to choose which schools to include on their application form. This includes a map of all the Warwickshire primary schools and guidance to find the priority school based on an address.
Although the window for applications to start primary school doesn’t open until November, the council hopes that by sharing this now, parents and carers will use the time to look at school admissions arrangements, visit school websites and read inspection reports, so that they are ready to visit those schools for open evenings once the autumn term has started.
As well as securing a reception place, it's never too early to start preparing children for school and increasing their independence so they can be as confident, happy and ready as possible. There is lots of support from the council to help and this animation covers offers information and tips to learn key skills such as getting dressed and keeping clean.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Education, said “Applications for primary school intake in September 2025 open in early November 2024 but it is never too early to start preparing children to start school. There is lots of information on our website about local schools, options for education and advice to help children be as healthy, happy and independent as possible for this next stage of their development. We hope these resources will help parents and carers feel informed and prepared.”
Primary school applications can be made online from the start of November and must be submitted by 15 January 2025.
Parents and carers wanting more information on how to apply to primary school should visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/primaryplace
Further help and advice about education and starting school can be found at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sortedforschool. These resources enable parents and carers to find information for their youngsters who are starting school for the first time, as well as resources and signposting to support around school attendance and other aspects of the education experience.