Joining the St James Pre-School family

We understand the challenge of selecting the perfect care setting for your child. At St James Pre-School, we strive to make our admissions process simple and hassle-free. The best way to truly experience our Pre-School environment is to visit and speak with our dedicated staff.

Easy 4-step admission process

1. Book a visit: Join us for individual tours throughout the year, offering a firsthand glimpse of our Pre-School in action and an opportunity to connect with our team. Make an appointment.

2. Submit an application: After your visit, complete our short registration form. A £10 administration fee is payable by bank transfer. Once the fee is paid, your application is considered accepted. We recommend early applications to avoid disappointment, as demand can be high, particularly at the end of the academic year.

3. Receive an offer: We aim to provide an offer within 2 weeks of processing your application based on alignment with our admissions criteria, availability, and the care you are seeking.

4. Accept a place: Upon accepting a place, a £35 administration fee and a £100 deposit are required. The deposit will be refunded against your final term's fees (see Fees and Funding for more information), with any surplus refunded in full at the end of the notice period. Full details on accepting your child's place will be provided with the offer letter.

Admissions criteria

Age eligibility: Children ages 2 - 4 years old are usually eligible for a place at St James Pre-School.

Limited availability: As per Ofsted guidelines, we can accept a maximum of eight children who are 2 years old. Once this capacity is reached, we are unable to offer additional places for this age group.

Toilet trained: Ideally, children should be toilet trained before starting at the Pre-School.

Allocation priority: Places are allocated at the management’s discretion following this order:

1. Current Pre-School Attendees: Places are offered in birth order, giving priority to older children.

2. Siblings of Current Attendees: Spring or Summer term start dates for siblings who won't turn 3 years old in the Autumn term may have limited availability.

3. Siblings of Past Attendees: Siblings of children who attended the Pre-School within the last five years.

4. Waiting List: All other places are offered to children on the waiting list in birth order.

Preference is given to children who can utilise the full number of hours offered by the Pre-School, but we are able to be flexible based on your circumstances.

Please note that meeting the admissions criteria does not guarantee a place, as availability is subject to demand and capacity.