Admission to St. Stephen’s Junior School
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St. Stephen’s Junior School was built in 1952 on an attractive site close to Canterbury city centre. The school is set in woodland and has large playing fields, two playgrounds, outdoor classrooms and interactive exercise areas.
The school’s permanent accommodation consists of 18 classrooms, 2 music rooms, a dining room, a large sports hall, a dance studio, a library, and an art room. Our school philosophy is reflected in our commitment to quality education and the development of an equal partnership between home and school. We believe in empowering all children to fulfil their potential. We are very proud of our school and welcome all prospective parents to look around the school.
Please get in touch with the school at 01227 464119 or email
The admissions policy is as follows:
Boys and girls will be admitted at the age of 7 years (Year 3) without reference to ability or aptitude. The number of intended admissions for the year commencing September 2024 will be 100. (Published Admissions Number)
Where application for admission exceeds the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit.
Before the application of oversubscription criteria, children with a Statement of special educational need or education (SSEN), Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this, the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly.
Over Subscription Criteria
1.Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children
A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to school.
A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear in the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or we accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.
2. Sibling/Current Family Association
Where a brother or sister is in the same school at the time of entry and the family continues to live at the same address as when the brother or sister was admitted or has moved closer to the school than when the brother or sister was offered a place, or has moved to an address that is less than 2 miles from the school. Brother or sister is defined as children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters. Linked infant and junior schools are considered to be the same school for this criterion.
3. Attendance at a linked school
An admission link has been established between the Infant and Junior Schools concerned. Children attending St. Stephen’s Infant School are given priority for admission to the Junior School.
4. Medical / Health and Special Access
Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend St. Stephen’s Junior School. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’, physical or mental health or social needs means that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend St. Stephen’s Junior School. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and St. Stephen’s Junior School.
5. Nearness of children’s homes - we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for the school, these straight line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.
In the unlikely event that two or more children in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place at the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place.
Making an application
Applications for entrance into St. Stephen’s Junior School should be made through Kent Primary Admissions Scheme. You will be required to complete the Junior Common Application Form (JCAF) either online through the KCC website www.kent.gov.uk or by completing a paper form available from October 2023 at Kent primary schools or the Local Authority Admissions Office. The application process will open in November.
Late applications will be placed on a waiting list and places allocated based on the above criteria. The school’s waiting list will be re-ranked, in line with the published over subscription criteria, every time a child is added.
After a place has been offered St. Stephen’s Junior School reserves the right to withdraw the place in the following circumstances:
• When a parent has failed to respond to an offer within a reasonable time; or
• When a parent has failed to notify the school of important changes to the application information; or
• The admission authority offered the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent.
Requests for admission to Year 3 outside of the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher at the school as early as possible to allow the school and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date.
Where a parent is requesting for their child to apply a year early, they should contact the school at the start of the application process related to the year they wish their child to start.
Where a parent is requesting for their child to apply a year later than expected, they should make their request at the start of the application process associated with the child’s date of birth. Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entry at the same time, in case their request is declined. This application can be cancelled if the school agrees to accept a deferred application for entry into Year 3 the following year.
Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request to defer their application, however where provided it must be specific to the child in question. This might include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede the school’s ability to agree to deferral or early admission.
The school will take into account the year group the child has been taught in leading up to transition. If the request is declined, a school may offer a year 3 place as an alternative or simply refuse admission if the child is younger than the normal entry age. Deferred applications must be made via paper JCAF to the LA, with written confirmation from each named school attached. Early or deferred applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with the school’s oversubscription criteria. Further advice is available at www.kent.gov.uk/schooladmissions”
If siblings from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc) apply for a school and the school would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those siblings, the school will offer a place to each of the siblings, even if doing so takes the school above its PAN.
In Year Admissions:
Pupils defined as In Year admissions, i.e. pupils who have not joined the school at the beginning of Key Stage 2, shall be subject to application of the above criteria by St. Stephen’s Junior School to determine order of entry. Parents of prospective pupils who are In Year admissions are asked to fill in a form (IYCAF provided by KCC and available from the school) and submit it to St. Stephen’s Junior School.
Appeals Timetable 2024 - Click Here
Admissions 2024
Click here to see the Admissions Arrangements
Click here to see the Admissions Policy
Admissions 2025
Click here to see Admissions 2025
Admissions 2026
Click here to see Admissions 2026
Consultation of Admission Arrangements for 2026