Admissions
Reception Class
We are really proud of our very special school. We are richly diverse and love one another for it! Our values tree in the school entrance shows our values and we live by the motto, “Aspire to Greatness”.
Our classrooms
We have recently refurbished our Reception classrooms and we are proud of the inviting setting we have. Come and look around to view our beautiful setting! Visits to school can be arranged by telephoning the school office.
Applying for Reception class starting September 2025
Admissions for Reception places are made via the Local Authority, the process is open from the 1st September 2024 and applications are made via the following website. www.lancashire.gov.uk/schools. The deadline for applications is 15th January 2025. There are 45 places offered at our school and these are managed by the local authority according to the school's admission criteria. When we are oversubscribed on parental preferences, the Local Authority will apply this criteria, in order, to offer places:
- Looked after children and those who have previously been looked after.
- Children for whom the LA accepts that there are exceptional medical, social or welfare reasons which are directly relevant to the school concerned.
- Children with older brothers and sisters attending the school.
- Remaining places are allocated according to where a child lives. Those living nearest to the preferred school by a straight line (radial) measure will have priority.
Please see the following link: determined admissions arrangements for 2025/26
An application for a place is required for your child even if they already have a sibling attending our school or attend our nursery.
Open Days
Please visit this website page for information about upcoming open days: https://www.st-stephens.lancs.sch.uk/page/open-days/152738
Nursery (3-4 years)
Families can apply for a Nursery place at any time in the year, please contact our office for an application form. Our Nursery is very popular, with limited spaces, so we advise enquiring for a place just before your child turns three years old.
Mrs Goodwin, the Nursery teacher, can be contacted on 01772 556306 to discuss your child starting at our Nursery, funding available and to arrange a tour of the environment.
Applying for a place mid-year
(In-Year admissions)
Moving house in Lancashire? Or moving into Lancashire?
If you wish for your child to start at our school mid-year, please phone us to enquire about spaces. Tel: 01772 556306. We will be able to tell you if there are spaces in the year group(s) you want, but this is not a guarantee of a place as some of our classes are fully subscribed.
If we have space, you can apply online for the place(s) via Lancashire Local Authority (LLA). Please click here to apply online. LLA will be in touch regarding the school offered for your child. We cannot admit your child, even if we have space, without notification of a successful application from LLA. Once you and our school receive written notification of a place at our school, we will be in contact to arrange an induction, completion of the necessary paperwork and arrange a start date.
If we do not have a space in the year group(s) you want, you may still apply but this will be an appeal. The appeal panel will decide if a place is to be allocated at our school or at a different one where there is space.
New Admission Appeals E-Form (November 2024)
If you would like to appeal against an admission decision please complete an E-Form. The link for the form is:here
