School Admissions

We are delighted that you have chosen to send your child to our school. We look forward to welcoming your child, and your family, to Timothy Hackworth Primary School.

Our school offers a total number of 420 mainstream places. There are two classes per year group with 30 children in each class. Our school  has 52 Nursery places and 16 places for two year olds. Our Nursery offers a flexible approach to hours with a total of 15 hours for each child. We also offer 20 places in our Enhanced Mainstream Provision for children with significant speech and language difficulties, as agreed by a panel for the Local Authority.

The closing date to apply for a primary school place for September 2024 was midnight on Monday 15 January 2024.

The main link to Durham County Council admissions information is: Durham County Council School Admissions

Nursery Admissions

Parents and their children are always welcome to visit our Nursery. If you would like to arrange this, or would like further information, please contact Mrs. Doughty, Office Manager, on 01388 772959.

The table below shows current entitlement, along with dates when the new entitlement will start.

TimeframeWhat three to four year olds getWhat two year olds getWhat children nine to 23 months get
NowAll get 15 hours – see 15 hours free childcare for three and four year olds, or 30 hours if eligible – see 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds15 hours if eligible – see Funded childcare sessions for two-year-oldsNone
From April 2024All get 15 hours – see 15 hours free childcare for three and four year olds, or 30 hours if eligible – see 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds15 hours if eligible – see Funded childcare sessions for two-year-olds New: 15 hours for eligible working families. Visit Childcare Choices to find out more and apply (applications open 2 January 2024). None
From September 2024All get 15 hours – see 15 hours free childcare for three and four year olds, or 30 hours if eligible – see 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds15 hours if eligible – see Funded childcare sessions for two-year-olds15 hours for eligible working families. Visit Childcare Choices to find out more and apply (applications open 2 January 2024). 15 hours if eligible
From September 2025All get 15 hours – see 15 hours free childcare for three and four year olds, or 30 hours if eligible – see 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds30 hours if eligible30 hours if eligible

Children are eligible to attend our Nursery in the term following their 3rd birthday. 

Detailed information about our Nursery admissions can be found at:

http://www.durham.gov.uk/earlyyears.

Application forms are available to collect from the School Office, by post, email or download a copy here:

30 Hours Free Entitlement

We are able to offer 30 hours free childcare to eligible parents. Interested parents can contact Mrs. Doughty, Office Manager, for more details on 01388 772959.

More information about eligibility and how to apply can be found at: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

2 Year Old Places

We have free places available for 2 year old children. Your 2 year old child will be eligible if you get one of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
  • tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
  • the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

A child can also get a free 2 year old place if they:

  • are looked after by the Local Authority
  • have a current Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)
  • access Disability Living Allowance
  • have left care under a Special Guardianship Order, Child Arrangements Order or Adoption Order

Further information and application guidance can be found at;

You can apply from the term your child turns two:

Child’s 2nd birthdayYour child’s place will begin
September – December (You can apply from September)January
January – March (You can apply from January)April
April – August (you can apply from April)September

Link to create an account to access a 2 year old place below:

https://education.durham.gov.uk/synergyweb/Enquiries/Citizen/EarlyYears.aspx

If you’re a non-EEA citizen who cannot claim benefits

Your 2 year old child may get free childcare if you are getting support under the Immigration and Asylum Act and have either:

  • claimed asylum in the UK and are waiting for a decision (known as ‘part 6’), further information can be found here.
  • been refused asylum in the UK (known as ‘section 4’)

A 2 year old child, who you care for, may also get free childcare if your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, and you have any of the following:

  • leave to remain with ‘no recourse to public funds’ on family or private life grounds
  • support from your local council because you have ‘a child in need’, for example they have a disability or a child protection plan
  • the right to live in the UK because you’re the main carer of a British citizen (known as a ‘Zambrano Carer’)

Check with your local council if you’re unsure if you can access free childcare.

Primary School Admissions

The closing date to apply for a primary school place for September 2024 was midnight on Monday 15 January 2024.

If you would like your child to attend our school from September 2025, you need to complete an application online. Visit http://www.durham.gov.uk/schooladmissions where you can access a useful guide to help with your application. Paper application forms are available on request from the School Office. You would still need to apply for a Primary School place even if your child attends our Nursery or already has a sibling at our school. For more information please contact Durham County Council School Admissions. Applications for September 2025 are not open at the moment.

If your child’s birthday falls between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 your child will start Reception at an infant or primary school in September 2025.

If you would like to apply for a place, after this date, please contact Durham County Council School Admissions. Our school’s published admission number, for our Reception classes 2024, is 60.

Full details of Durham County Council’s Admission Arrangements can be found in the School Policies section of our website here.

To appeal against an admission decision visit: School Admissions Appeals.

Secondary School Admissions

Young people born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 will transfer to secondary education in September 2024.  The Durham County School Admissions Department recommends parents to submit an online application at: http://www.durham.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

The deadline for applying for September 2024 secondary school places ended at midnight on 31st October 2023.

To appeal against an admission decision visit: School Admissions Appeals.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact Mrs. Doughty, Office Manager, on 01388 772959 or the Admissions Team on 03000 265896 or 03000 265892.

Applying for a school place if your child has a Special Educational Need and/or Disability

We are committed to meeting the needs of all children including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. We would ask parents to discuss the identified needs with the school prior to starting, so that appropriate intervention and support can be planned and implemented. Advice from the Local Authority or other agencies may be requested to ensure the school can meet any needs appropriately.

Applying for a school place if your child has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)

Children and young people with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) follow a different admission and transfer process for a new school.  Please continue to complete Durham County Council’s Parental Preference Form, as part of the admission process to a new school.  You continue to have a right to request a particular school and this will be considered alongside the information that we have about your child’s special educational needs.  The information would have been provided as part of the Education and Health Care Assessment or following the Review Meeting.

If you would like to discuss your child’s SEND requirements in detail, please contact the School Office on 01388 772959 to arrange an appointment or complete an online form here.

Privacy Policy

We regard your privacy as important and any personal information you give to us will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations.

We do not store personal information about individuals who visit this site except where they provide contact information via our contact us page and contact forms available on various pages throughout the website.

Any information you provide will only be used for the reasons specified and it will not be shared with any third party without your consent, unless required by law.

Your contact details are kept securely and are only accessed by authorised members of staff as part of the provision of school services. If you do not wish us to keep this contact information please tell us.

This website uses Google Analytics which provides statistical data about the usage of the site. This information is not used to identify individuals, but is collected to provide us with an understanding of the areas of interest on our site and how our site is being used.

If you are connected to the internet you will have an IP Address. This may take the form of a figure, such as 333.333.22.1. The address will be automatically collected and logged as part of the connection of your computer to our web server and may be used to determine the total number of visits to each part of the site. This data is not collected and used for other purposes.

This website contains links to other websites. The School is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites or organisations and recommends you consult the privacy information on those sites.

This policy will be reviewed and updated versions will be posted on the website.

If you have any questions about the use of your personal information, the Information Commissioner is the independent regulator for both Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

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