Our Admissions Process
Admissions Information for Starting at St Mary's Catholic Primary School
At St Mary's, we follow the admissions criteria set out by Kent County Council. In line with government legislation, this limits class numbers to a maximum of 30 children in KS1.
We understand that when deciding which school is best for your children, there can be a lot of unanswered questions. We aim to provide you with all the information that you may need. If there is anything you require further information about, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly team in the school office:school office
Admission to school
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School accepts new pupils from all religious denominations and cultures; you do not have to be Catholic to be a member of the St Mary’s community. However, the admissions criteria gives preference to baptised Catholics.
To apply to our school, you must complete the Kent County Council (or other Council if your child is resident in another county) Reception Common Application Form (RCAF) at:
Please read the Admissions Policy and Procedure which can be found on the school’s website here
Please also ensure that you have read the school’s Privacy Notice, which can be found on the school’s website here
In addition to applying through your home local authority website by completing a CAF all applicants who wish to apply under the oversubscription criteria listed in the policy are requested to complete a Supplementary Information Form (available on the school websites or from each school’s Admissions Officer). Completed forms, along with any supporting documentation, should be sent to the Admissions Officer at the school at the time of application. Not doing so may lead to your child being placed in a lower priority category than they should.
Any supporting documentation requested must be provided to the school by the closing date. This includes for Catholic, Other Christian or Other Faith children, a copy of the baptismal certificate/dedication or evidence of membership.
Please note that if you are not offered a place and submit an appeal, a copy of the form will be submitted to the Appeal Panel.
In Year or Casual Admissions
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. All applicants who wish to apply under the oversubscription criteria listed in the policy are requested to complete a Supplementary Information Form (available on the school websites or from each school’s Admissions Officer). Completed forms, along with any supporting documentation, should be sent to the Admissions Officer at the school at the time of application. Not doing so may lead to your child being placed in a lower priority category than they should.
Any supporting documentation requested must be provided to the school by the closing date. This includes for Catholic, Other Christian or Other Faith children, a copy of the baptismal certificate/dedication or evidence of membership.
Please note that if you are not offered a place and submit an appeal, a copy of the form will be submitted to the Appeal Panel.
Admission Appeals
We understand that not receiving an offer of a school place at your preferred school can be disappointing. If your child has not been offered a place at our school, you have the legal right to appeal this decision to an independent appeal panel that is separate from the school and the admissions authority
This page explains:
- How to appeal
- The deadlines and timeline associated with the appeals process
- What you can expect from the process
- How to lodge an appeal
To submit an appeal please complete click on this link https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/appeal-a-school-offer/appeal-a-primary-school-offer and return it to: admissions@st-marys-whitstable.kcsp.org.uk.
Please include any supporting evidence you wish the panel to consider with your appeal form.
- Appeals timetable
|
Event |
Date/Timeline |
|
Main admissions round - National Offer Day |
Thursday 16 April 2026 |
|
Deadline for lodging an appeal for applications made in the normal admissions round |
Monday 18 May 2026 |
|
Appeal Hearings heard for applications in the main admissions round |
By Monday 20 July 2026 |
|
Deadline for lodging an appeal for in-year applications |
Within 20 school days of the date of notification that your application was unsuccessful |
|
Late applications for the main admissions round – appeals heard |
Within 40 school days of the appeals deadline where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged |
|
In year applications – appeals heard |
Within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged |
|
Appeals clerk sends parents/carers notice of the deadline date for the submission of additional evidence and the appeal hearing date and time |
At least 10 school days before appeal hearing |
|
Appeals clerk sends appeal papers to parents, admission authority/school and panel members |
At least 5 school days prior to the hearing date |
|
Decision letter is sent to parents/carers and admissions authority/school |
No later than 5 schools days of the appeal hearing or, in the case of multiple appeals, within 5 school days of the last appeal hearing |
Consultation on admission arrangements for September 2027
Every year schools and academies are required to review their admission arrangements. The aim is to ensure that the arrangements continue to be appropriate, and that they comply with all the relevant requirements, particularly the national code of guidance and the policy of the Archdiocese. The Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership is consulting on proposed changes to the admissions policy for this school to take effect for school admissions for September 2027.
The proposed changes will affect new applications for entry into any of our schools from 1 September 2027 onwards. In this case the consultation period will run from 17 October 2025 to 28 November 2025 . You can find further information about the proposed changes at the following link Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership - Admissions: Public Consultation or by asking for a copy of the information at the school office.
Letter to parents ALL SCHOOLS.pdf
Primary-Admissions-Information-2025-26
Admissions
primary-admissions-policy-2027-28 (1).pdf
primary-admissions-policy-2026-27-smw.pdf
ethnic-monitoring-questionnaire.pdf
pupil-first-language-definition.pdf
Primary Admissions Supplementary Form 2026 and 2027
Please return this Supplementary Information Form to the Admissions Officer at the school (not Kent County Council). You can either return to the school office in person or email a copy to admissions@st-marys-whitstable.kcsp.org.uk.
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.
Any supporting documentation requested must be provided to the school by the closing date. This includes for Catholic, Other Christian or Other Faith children, a copy of the baptismal certificate/dedication or evidence of membership.
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.