Admissions
There are two kinds of admissions to Slade.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Admissions are for those children starting school for the first time in Reception Year and In Year Admissions, which happen once a child has already started school and there is a desire or need to transfer schools, or is new to the UK and is of school age.
Both of these are described in full below. If you have any questions, please contact us using the email address admissions@slade.kent.sch.uk.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Admissions
​​​We offer 60 places in our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, or 'Year R') for new admissions (this is our Published Admissions Number). These places will be allocated by our admissions authority, Kent County Council, in accordance with the following criteria (in order of priority):
- Children in Local Authority Care
- Current Family Associations (siblings)
- Health and Special Access reasons
- Nearness of children's homes to school
EYFS Applications for September 2026
If your child was born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, they will be due to start primary school in the Early Years Foundation Stage (often referred to as Reception Year or Year R) in September 2026.
Applications will all be made via the Kent County Council (KCC) website, with the application window opening on Friday 7 November 2025 and closing at 23:59 on Thursday 15 January 2026. For all of the details of what to do and to apply during the application window, please visit the KCC website:
Primary school places - Kent County Council
Pre-Application Open Events at Slade
We are very pleased to welcome all parents and carers and their children who are considering their choices of primary school for the 2026 intake to one of our open events designed to show you our school with the chance to hear from headteacher Viki Garrett, Head of Early Years Natalie Pearson and Admissions Officer Stephen Laws with details of the offering at Slade for your family as well as a bit of a background to the applications process as well. We are mindful that this is the first time that many families will have been through the school application system and we aim to provide you with the information you want to make it as easy and stress free for you. To meet this end, we invite you to register for one of our open events below where you will also be able to take in a typical morning at Slade and ask questions of our pupils and adults as you wish. Our Special Educational Needs and Family Teams will also be available to have a chat with should you want to.
Places are limited, so we ask for the very quick registration form to be completed alongside your chosen date below. If you have any questions in advance of the open events, or at anytime during the application process, please let us know via admissions@slade.kent.sch.uk.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
Wednesday 29 October (09:15 - 11:00) : Booking form - https://forms.office.com/e/rLkTaXeEv2
Wednesday 5 November (09:15 - 11:00) : Booking form - https://forms.office.com/e/SfeZbc4DBQ
Useful links
In-Year Admissions
If you are looking to transfer your child from another primary school, please complete an in year admissions form and submit this directly to us. Slade Primary School applies the admissions criteria laid out by Kent County Council as described above in the EYFS Admissions section. Please click on the link below to find out more information about the criteria and for links to the application form required.
Please email your completed application form via our dedicated admissions email address:admissions@slade.kent.sch.uk
Useful links:
Visiting the School
For parents interested in joining Slade as an In Year transfer, we are unable to satisfy demand for tours before such time that an offer of a place has become available. Once this is the case, we will invite you in for a full 1-2-1 family tour before making up your mind whether to accept the place or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should I apply for a place for my child?
Children start school when they are 4 rising 5 and all applications should be made via the Kent County Council in the year preceding their 5th birthday.
For example: Children who are born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 need to apply in the application window which opens in November 2025 through to the closing date in mid January 2026 for admission to school in September 2026.
2. Can I put my name down on a waiting list now for a place for reception?
Slade Primary School does not keep a reception waiting list or expression of interest list.
3. What is your catchment area?
There is no official 'catchment area'. We fill our spaces using the criteria mentioned above - with the vast majority of spaces being filled by those living closest to the school (criteria 4). Although a set distance does not guarantee a successful application, and as a guide only from the last two years, the furthest distance from the school to gain a place under this criteria has been 1.3 Kilometres.
4. How are children allocated to a class when they start school?
Children are divided up into two classes in order of date of birth. We attempt, where possible to provide classes with an equal number of boys to girls, additional educational needs and other factors that will allow for a balanced year group.
5. What provision do you have out of school hours?
We have limited spaces wraparound provision at Slade for Breakfast Club, starting at 07:30 and for After School Club finishing at 17:30. Further details can be obtained on the relevant page on this website or by contacting yetis@slade.kent.sch.uk.