Admissions
Little Bluebells Pre-School
Little Bluebells is for children aged 2 – 4 years and is run by Bluebell Childcare. The pre-school is open daily, Monday – Friday from 9am to 3.15pm, and offers morning and afternoon sessions.
For further details on admissions, please contact Little Bluebells on 07891 377581 or email [email protected]
Applying for a Place for the first time – September 2024
To apply for a place at Hockliffe Lower School, please visit the Schools Admissions Service, Central Bedfordshire Council or collect an application form and admissions booklet from any Lower School or Pre-School in Central Bedfordshire.
Parents/carers will receive a letter from the Schools Admissions Service on National Offer Day in April to inform on whether the child has been allocated a place.
For further information, contact the School Admissions Service on 0300 300 8037 or email Hockliffe Lower School
Requesting an Admission Appeal for Year R – September 2024
Following national offer day on Tuesday, 16Â April 2024, if you have named Hockliffe Lower School as one of your preferences and were unsuccessful, you have a right to appeal against the decision to an independent appeal panel.
The appeals timetable* for Hockliffe Lower School for pupils starting in Year R in September 2024 is shown below. Stage 1 hearing and Stage 2 individual hearings will be held virtually, with meeting invites issued by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel nearer the time.
Wednesday, 15 May 2024 at 3pm - Deadline to request an appeal form
Friday, 17 May 2024 at 3pm - Deadline to lodge an appeal**
Week Commencing 24 June 2024 - Appeal hearings will be held during this week. Appellants will be advised as to precise day and time by the clerk.
Should you wish to appeal against the decision not to offer your child a place at Hockliffe Lower School, please email [email protected] providing the name of the child, their date of birth, and an email address where the appeal paperwork can be sent. Requests for appeal forms must be made by 3pm on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.
*Please note it may not be possible to include within this timetable any appeals that are lodged after the deadline.
**This is the deadline by which the completed appeal form must be received by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel.
In-Year Applications
Applying for places in Years Reception – Year 4.
In-Year admissions refer to applications made at any other time after the initial September entry into Reception.
Please note that when a place does become available it is allocated strictly in accordance with the school’s admissions criteria.
How to Apply
Applications for September 2024 - 2025
Applications for an in-year admission for September 2024 can be made directly to the school from the beginning of June 2024. Please find below the link to Hockliffe Lower School application form.
Hockliffe Lower School Application for 2024-2025
To complete the editable PDF on a phone/tablet/computer, you will need to complete the form and then using ‘save as’ save it on to the device you are using. The completed form should be emailed with the other requested supporting documentation to: [email protected]
Applicants can submit the application form with the supporting documents during June and July for a place starting in September 2024, to show interest in a place at the school. If the current year group is full, you will be sent a turn down letter and your child can be placed on the waiting list. When the school returns from the summer holidays, if there are any vacancies, offers are made from the top of the waiting list.
Being on the waiting list does not guarantee a place at the school.
Admission Arrangements
Hockliffe Lower School consultation on the 2026 proposed admission arrangements
The Local Governing Body of Hockliffe Lower School is currently consulting on the proposed admission arrangements for September 2026.
The proposed 2026 admission arrangements have been rewritten now that Hockliffe Lower School is an academy and part of the Kingsbridge Educational Trust. This includes a proposed update to the oversubscription criteria to remove ‘Children for whom the school is their nearest lower/primary school’ and instead refer to ‘all other children’, with distance from the school to the applicant’s principal residence being used to determine order of priority with those living nearest being given priority (please see page 3 of the consultation document).
The proposed admission arrangements can be viewed via here.
Any comments on the proposed admission arrangements should be sent, in writing, marked for the attention of the Clerk to the Governing Body, either via email to [email protected] or by post c/o Hockliffe Lower School, Woburn Road, Hockliffe, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9LL.
The consultation opens on Monday, 25 November 2024 and closes at midday on Friday, 17 January 2025 and written comments must be received by this time. (Please note the school closes for the Christmas break on Friday, 20 December 2024 and re-opens on Monday, 6 January 2025).
Thank you.
Hockliffe Lower School Local Governing Body
Admission Arrangements 2024/25
Admission Arrangements 2025/26
Parent Handbook
The Parent Handbook contains useful information on starting at Hockliffe Lower School.
Click here for our School Readiness Leaflet
