The ethos of this school is Catholic. The school was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for children of Catholic families. Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will be given to Catholic children in accordance with the oversubscription criteria listed below. The school is conducted by its governing body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government and seeks at all times to be a witness to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic school, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our pupils. At a Catholic school, Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school’s activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school’s education be fully supported by all families in the school. Our expectations are that all parents will give their full, unreserved, and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school. This does not affect the right of an applicant who is not Catholic to apply for and be admitted to a place at the school in accordance with the admission arrangements.

For the purposes of this policy, parish boundaries are as shown on the Archdiocese of Birmingham parish boundary map which can be accessed at http://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/parish-map/ and will be applied to the admission arrangements for the academic year 2026/2024. A printed copy of the parish map can be requested via the school office and can also be viewed on the school’s website – www.ol-wayside.solihull.sch.uk

Published Admission Number (PAN):

The Governing Body has set its admission number at 24 full-time places (30 hours per week) for the school year which begins September 2026.

Applications can be made for children to start on a full-time basis (30 hours per week) in the September following their third birthday.

Oversubscription:

Where there are more applications for places than the number of places available, places will be offered according to the following order of priority. If there is oversubscription within a category, the Governing Body will give priority to children living closest to the school determined by the shortest straight line distance (see Note 5). Please refer to the oversubscription criteria.

Costs

Currently all parents are eligible for 15 hours of universal free childcare with an additional 15 hours of free childcare available if parents meet the funding requirements. Parents will be charged for the additional 15 hours if they do not qualify for 30 hours of free childcare. The hourly rate will mirror that which the Local Governing Body receives in funding from Solihull Local Authority. In addition, there is an option for children stay on the school premises longer than 30 hours per week. This will be charged as follows;

· Core nursery hours - 8.45am to 2.45pm are free for those parents who receive 30-hour funding. Please check your eligibility by visiting: Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

· 8.30am drop off (8:30-8:45) would incur a charge of £1.50

· 3.30pm pick up (2:45-3:30) would incur a cost of £4.50

Acceptance of a Nursery Place:

Acceptance of a Nursery place will be based on the acceptance of the above funding policy.

Nursery children are required to bring a packed lunch and there is free fruit and vegetables for snacks available in the classroom every day.

We would hope that all children starting Nursery are fully toilet trained, but on the rare occasion that this is not possible, parents would need to supply nappies and wipes etc.

Trips

Nursery usually go on two trips throughout the year, one to the Pantomime and a summer term trip to a Farm or Zoo for example.  Dependent on coach pricing, the cost to parents is between £15 - £25 per trip. 

Attendance at Our Lady of the Wayside Nursery does not automatically guarantee that a place will be offered in the Reception class at Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Primary School. All applications will be considered against the over subscription criteria by the Governing Body.