Thank you for taking the time to consider St. Benedict's Catholic  Primary School for your child.  Choosing the right primary school is such a major decision for any family and we appreciate that you will need to take your time to look around. So feel free to learn as much as you can about our school before making your decision.

Parents will need to apply using the Medway Council (or other Council if resident in another county) Reception Common Application Form (RCAF) at: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1059/applying_for_a_primary_school_place.  Applications are made through the Local Authority and not directly to us. However we will need you to complete the supplementary form which is also on this page and return it to the school.

Mrs McAlpine, the Head Teacher will be happy to give you a tour of the school.  Please contact the school office to book an appointment.   Family morning prayer on the playground begins at 8.35 am.  Children can arrive from 8.40am and the register is taken at 8.50am.  The school day ends at 3.20pm.

The school participates in the local authority’s Fair Access Protocol to allocate places to vulnerable and other children in accordance with the School Admission Code 2014. Admitting pupils under the protocol may require the school to admit above the planned admission number for the relevant year group.

Primary Admissions

Please read the Admissions Policy and Procedures and our School's Privacy Notice which can be found on the school’s website here. 

Please return this Supplementary Information Form to the Admissions Officer at the school (not Local Authority). For Year R entry in September 2026 please return this form to the school no later than 15 January 2026 in order that we may rank your application.

Please note failure to submit a completed Supplementary Information form when applying for a Catholic school place may result in your application not being placed in the correct category and could result in you not receiving an offer of a place.

In Year or Casual Applications

Applications made too late for the local authority co-ordinated system, In-year applications for year R and applications for entry to years 1-6 must be made on the IYCAF (In -Year and Casual application Form) available on school websites. The same policy and procedure (apart from the timetable) applies to these applications. This form must be sent to the school’s Admissions Officer with this supplementary information form.

Please note that if you are not offered a place and submit an appeal, a copy of this form will be submitted to the Appeal Panel.

Admission Appeals

Parents whose applications for places are unsuccessful, may appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel set up in accordance with sections 88 and 94 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

If your child is due to start primary school in September 2026, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Wednesday 16 April 2025).

The deadline for submitting an appeal is Wednesday 14 May 2025 for offers made on 16 April. For late applications, appeal requests should be submitted within 20 school days of your application outcome. You can appeal after these deadlines but your appeal might not be heard at the same time as those submitted on-time.

For appeals related to in year applications, appeals will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

IN YEAR/CASUAL ADMISSIONS

 For parents and carers who wish for their child to join our school in another year group other than Reception class/Early years, this is called an "in year/casual admission".

 An application must be made to the school by submitting Medway's Local Authority " in year/casual admission form" to the school alongside our Supplementary Information Form. (SIF)

 Parents/carers will be notified of the application outcome with 15 days of receipt of the application forms.

 Parents/carers who have been refused a place at the school for their child have the right to appeal.

 The appeals form needs to be completed and sent back into the school.

APPEALS

The Timetable for appeals:

• Includes a deadline for lodging appeals. The deadline will allow appellants at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge their written appeal (during coronavirus, this is now at least 28 calendar days’ written notice)
• Gives appellants at least 10 school days’ notice of their appeal hearing (during coronavirus, this is now at least 14 calendar days’ written notice - please see the first section above)
• Includes reasonable deadlines for appellants to submit additional evidence, for admission authorities to submit their evidence, and for the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
• Ensures that decision letters are sent within 5 school days of the hearing, wherever possible (during coronavirus, letters are now to be sent within 7 calendar days of the hearing or panel decision - please see the first section above)

Here are the deadlines for hearing different types of appeals: