Is your child due to start school (Reception) in September 2025? Please contact West Sussex County Council if you have not yet applied for a place.  This page also provides information about how to apply for a school place in Years 1 to 6.

Applying for your child's place in Reception for September 2025

The application process for children due to start school in September 2025 closed on 15 January 2025.  Below you will find a flyer advertising the open dates and the slides from the Open afternoons.

Admission to a Reception class will be in accordance with West Sussex County Council’s Admissions Policy for community and controlled primary schools.

Starting school places - West Sussex County Council

Applying for place in all other years; Reception (in year) – Year 6, should be done through West Sussex County Council’s Admissions Team. They will let you know if we have any places available in the year group required. If we do not have places available for your child, then you will be able to request a place on our waiting list. Places are determined following the West Sussex criteria (applying for a school place).

Parents and carers seeking a place for a child between the ages of five and eleven should contact the WSCC Admissions Team (North), Chart Way, County Hall North, Horsham RH12 1XA. Tel: 0333 014 2903 or admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk.

Admission to the nursery class does not constitute any right of entry to Year Reception, and places will be allocated according to the criteria set out in our Admissions Policy.

Parents have the right not to send their children to school until the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday, providing this is not beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. However, parents should bear in mind that only in exceptional circumstances can children remain in the nursery beyond the normal admission date for reception classes (i.e. the September of the academic year your child will start school).

Should you wish to delay the start date beyond September following your child's 4th birthday you should initially speak with a member of staff and support your request in writing.

Special Educational Needs

The great majority of pupils with some form of special educational need participate fully in mainstream schools, with help appropriate to the special needs. This includes most children for whom the Authority has issued an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP). If your child has an EHCP and is about to start school, they will most likely attend a mainstream school. A minority of children with EHCPs may need provision that is only available in one of our special schools or a specialist centre attached to a school. If your child has an EHCP, you have a legal right to say which school you would prefer. Although WSCC is responsible for deciding which school they should attend, most often parent’s preference will coincide with what is provided. WSCC will try to arrange school admissions for children with EHCPs earlier in the year than other pupils so that they can take account of your preference and your child’s particular needs. If your child has an EHCP, you should already have been contacted by the SEN team. If not please contact your caseworker or planning officer (if known) or use the general number for the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team for Crawley, Burgess Hill, Horsham East, Haywards Heath, Cuckfield, East Grinstead.

Three Bridges Primary School has 2 Special Support Centres (SSC), 1 based at the Lower Site and 1 at the Upper Site. These centres admit children with an EHCP who have a speech or language disorder, but who show average or above ability in areas of performance that do not involve language. In addition, a child should not have behavioural difficulties that require a higher level of support than that already provided. The children are part of a mainstream class at Three Bridges Primary School and visit the SSC specifically for speech and language interventions. 

Responsibility for allocating places lies not with us, but with the Special Education Section of the West Sussex’s Education Department. They will take the advice of relevant professionals via the statutory assessment procedure. This includes advice and assessment from Educational Psychologists, Speech & Language Therapists, Clinical Medical Officers and teachers.

As part of the statutory assessment process, parents are invited to visit schools/classes in order to help them decide what might best meet their child’s needs. A place is then offered in the SSC if the child meets the entry criteria, if parents and West Sussex Special Education Section think the placement would be appropriate, and if space is available in the SSC.

Some of the children who attend our SSC, live a considerable distance from the school and are therefore transported to and from school by minibus or taxi provided by the local authority.

Admission Into the Nursery

The Nursery at Three Bridges Primary School has 36 part-time places and operates a morning session 5 days a week, Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 11.30am and an afternoon session 5 days a week, Monday to Friday, from 12.10pm to 3.10pm. (This is subject to change). 

This is funded by the Government's scheme where every child in England who is aged 3 or 4 is able to claim 570 hours of free early education or childcare each year. This can be taken during term time only, which usually equates to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks a year. We will provide you with the necessary form to complete when you enrol your child with us. 

Applications for places will be considered by first prioritising in age order, the oldest children being given priority within the criteria set out in our Admissions Policy. The school will let parents know by letter if their child has been offered a place in the nursery, where possible at least one term before admission. If a child is offered a place, parents must confirm acceptance to the school within two weeks or by the given deadline.

To apply for a place in the Nursery you will need to contact the school office, and we will take your child's details and put you on our waiting list.

A child can be considered for a place in the nursery class from the start of the term following the child’s third birthday.

 

Arrangements For The Admission Of Pupils With Disabilities

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a disabled person as one who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a persons ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.  Most children with Special Needs will not be disabled within the meaning of the Act. The admission of pupils with disabilities is considered in the first instance in the same way as non-disabled pupils.  Further considerations are made in the light of need and accessibility.  It is the Governors Policy to accommodate pupils with disabilities should parents wish and individual needs are planned for  to prevent any pupils being treated less favourably than other pupils.  In practice we ensure that classroom and extra curricular activities encourage the participation of all pupils, including those categorised as having Special Educational Needs.  Staff organise human and physical resources within the school to increase access to learning and participation by all pupils.

Existing facilities provided to assist access to the school by pupils with disabilities:

• ·         Wheelchair access into the school at all entrances. 
• ·         Carpeted classrooms to aid hearing impaired pupils’ learning
• ·         Routes to the main entrance are clearly signed and free from obstructions.
• ·         One adult disabled toilet on both sites.
• ·         Disabled parking is available at both the Lower and Upper Site. 

Please read our Admissions policy here.