If Your Child is 3 or Has Just Turned 4, This is For You
If your child has reached the age of 3 or has just turned 4, it’s time to apply for their primary school place. While children are within this age range, applications must be made between the start of September and mid-January if you want them to start school the following September. If you miss the deadline, your child’s application effectively goes to the back of the processing queue. That could adversely affect which school your child is offered, particularly where popular schools are oversubscribed. So, timing is important if you want your child to have the best chance of receiving an offer for your preferred choice. With all this in mind, today’s Guide to Primary School Applications outlines the key dates and guidelines for making a successful school application for your child.
Compulsory School Age
In the UK, children reach the statutory age for starting school, known as Compulsory School Age, on 31st of December, March, or August following their fifth birthday (whichever comes first). That means that, according to UK law, they must start full-time education no later than the beginning of the school term following their fifth birthday. That said, in practice most families opt to start their children earlier, while they’re still four.
* Starting Primary School at 4 vs. 5
Most children in England start school in Reception Class, usually in the September term, when they’re still only 4. That’s up to a year before they have officially reached Compulsory School Age. This allows them to start their school education earlier than the law requires so that, by the time they begin Year One at school, they can confidently hit the ground running. Starting in Reception at the age of four sets them up for success in so many ways, including academically, socially, emotionally and more. Beginning earlier also empowers them with a wider skill set, with a greater level of confidence and independence, an existing cohort of friends, a better grasp of what Year One will have in store for them, and so on. And, of course, by enrolling at school from Reception Year, they will complete the final EYFS modules that will be so important to their success from Year One onwards.
However, families with ‘Summer-Born’ four-year-olds (born from April to August inclusive) may feel they’re too young for ‘big’ school at the age of four. Such children would be the youngest in the year if starting in Reception at four. It may be similar for parents whose children are affected by developmental delays, medical conditions, or other limiting factors that adversely affect school readiness. In light of such scenarios, some parents may consider delaying their child’s school start until they’re five years old — the statutory age.
Several options are potentially available for such children if postponing the school start:
- Parents can ask to defer their four-year-old’s start to a term other than September if they wish, for example, beginning in the January or April term if they think their child would be more school-ready by that time.
- They can also ask the school if it’s possible to agree part-time rather than full-time attendance while the child remains below Compulsory School Age.
- Or they can elect to delay their child’s school start until the child reaches Compulsory School Age (5).
What Happens if They Delay the Child’s School Start?
If electing to delay by a full academic year, parents of such children would need to make a request to their local school’s admission authority. It is worth noting, however, that it would not be up to the parents which year children go into if delaying until the age of five. Although the parent would be able to request which year their 5-year-old goes into (i.e. Reception or Year 1) the final decision would be that of the school’s admission authority. It would be based upon what was deemed to be in the child’s best interests, given their abilities and individual needs at that time. It is also worth noting that, if skipping Reception year, a child would miss out on the part of the EYFS curriculum usually covered in that year, key elements of which are phonics and arithmetic. Such a facet is likely to be factored in by school admission authorities when making their decision.
Need Advice About Timing of Your Child’s School Start?
If you need advice or a second opinion about the timing of your child’s school start, speak to the school you have in mind and to your early years provider.
If your child is at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, we’d be happy to discuss the options with you. And rest assured, whatever the decision, we’ll always do everything possible to help your child be as school-ready as possible by the time they leave us.
Parents whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can also get advice from the “SENCo” — a specially-trained Special Educational Needs Coordinator. Both childcare nurseries and schools in England will each have their own SENCo.
Some parents may also benefit from advice from other professionals where appropriate, for example, speech therapists and health visitors.
Key Dates for Primary School Applications
The majority of people should apply for their child’s school place between 1 September and 15 January when the child is 3 years old, or has recently turned 4. That deadline is the same whether families want the child to start school at the age of four or five*.
There are a few exceptions, for example, if you are moving house and need to change schools mid-year. However, for the sake of clarity, this guide focuses on the more standard timing and circumstances that apply to the majority of families.
How to Apply for Your Child’s Primary School Place
You can register an interest directly with your primary school of choice. However, registering an interest does not guarantee your child a place even if the school is attached to the nursery/preschool your child already attends. Ultimately, you usually need to make the formal application through your local authority, which is usually best achieved online, as outlined below.
To start an application for primary school for your child, go to this Gov.uk address, enter your postcode, and click the green ‘Find’ button. The site will then match you with your local authority. For example, for those near our nursery in Hindley Green near Wigan, you are taken to Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council’s ‘Primary School Admissions’ page. This, as with other areas, has lots of information about applying for a primary school place together with all the appropriate hyperlinks for applications, appeals, further information, and such like.
As part of your application, you will have the opportunity to confirm, in order, your most preferred primary schools. Subject to there being available spaces, the order of your preferences will be taken into consideration when places are allocated. However, other factors outlined later in this guide are also likely to affect your child’s offer.
Applying Late
If you miss the 15th of January deadline for standard primary school places starting in the September term, the local authority’s site will give you access to a ‘late application form’. Note, however, that applying after 15th of January means your application will be processed after those received on time. This is likely to reduce the chances of achieving an offer for a place at your preferred school.
Changing Your Mind
If you change your mind about your school choice(s), your local authority website will also give you options and guidance. You may be required to use a late application form which, if used after the 15th of January, may also give you a lower chance of receiving an offer for your child’s preferred school.
Tips for Securing a Place at Your Preferred Primary School
There are several criteria that, if applicable to your child’s application, are likely to give them the best chance of securing an offer for your preferred school. These include:
- Filling out the application form correctly, in full, and submitting on time;
- Living near your preferred school;
- A sibling of your child already attending the school;
- Having worked at the school for 2 or more years;
- Matching the religion of the school if it’s a faith school;
- The child being eligible for the Pupil Premium (or Service Pupil Premium);
- And, of course, the chosen school not being over-subscribed.
Receiving Your Offer
on Primary School Offers Day
Families of pre-schoolers who applied for a primary school place on time between September and mid-January will find out which primary school their child has been offered around mid-April. Specifically, ‘National Offers Day for Primary School Places’ is usually 16 April each year. However, if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday, the ‘offers’ date for that particular year moves to the next working day.
Learn more about what to expect on Primary School Offers Day here. Our stand-alone guide explains the criteria used by school admissions authorities for offers, what happens if you are late with your application, what to do if you do not receive an offer for the school you had hoped for, and much more.
Little Acorns Nursery, Hindley Green
Getting Wigan Children Under Five School-Ready
If your child is at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, we’d be happy to discuss primary school options with you. And rest assured, whatever the decision, we’ll always do everything possible to help your child become as school-ready as possible by the time they leave us. Also check out our excellent guide and tips for transitioning your child to Reception Class here.
Little Acorns provides almost year-round weekday childcare from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm, representing a highly convenient childcare service for working families. What’s more, we support free childcare hours for eligible children and will be starting Forest School sessions in the near future.
To explore the possibility of sending your baby, toddler, or pre-schooler to Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, please choose an option below:
Our Hindley Green childcare nursery and preschool may suit local families in Hindley Green itself as well as those living in Wigan, Bolton, Bickershaw, Leigh, Atherton, Westhoughton, Ince-in-Makerfield, Platt Bridge, Tyldesley, or Greater Manchester.
National Children’s Gardening Week arrives in May and is the perfect opportunity for children to get outdoors and enjoy some wholesome, nature-based activities. Starting towards late May, it’s a time when spring is in full swing, the weather is usually fine, and seeds and plants grow fast in the nourishing sunshine. Embraced by children at homes, in childcare settings, schools and community groups across the Nation, this special week is fun, educational, and hugely worthwhile for children. What’s more, it benefits Greenfingers, the chosen charity supported by the initiative.
Many children have an instinctive connection to nature. National Children’s Gardening Week nurtures such instincts by encouraging children to get hands-on in the garden or local green space. As well as helping children discover many new facets about the natural world, activities in this special spring week will also teach them about the circle of life, ecosystems, and a sense of responsibility towards nature. It will also open their eyes to the beauty and wonder of the world as a whole, as well as giving them a greater sense of their place within it. Let’s also not forget that 
Growing mustard, cress, or microgreens is even more simple and can be accomplished entirely indoors if families have no outdoor access. What’s more, the results are very tasty to eat!
Discovery hunts are also fun and entertaining this spring. If children have completed the spring nature hunt above, they can graduate to 
Make a mini garden, also similar to a fairy garden. These are always a huge hit with children, and look magical! 
In our introduction, we mentioned that this fabulous children’s gardening week raises money for Greenfingers. They are a wonderful charity that supports children in hospices. This is achieved by creating beautiful gardens and open spaces where children and their families and friends can spend quality time together. Without the support of Greenfingers, such magical spaces simply wouldn’t exist. Check out 
Outdoor play is one of the truly magical elements of any healthy, fun-filled childhood. At the very least, it gives children the chance for some freedom, fresh air, and adventures that simply aren’t possible indoors. In today’s technological age of electronic screens, however, it’s also something that children have been doing less and less of over the generations. That’s a shame, when you think about it, not least because outdoor play is immense fun and incredibly beneficial to children. In light of this, today’s post explores 18 Reasons Why Outdoor Play is Essential to Children — of all ages. Take a look and see why outdoor play is so good for little ones.
We mentioned it in our introduction — playing outdoors provides children with wonderful opportunities for real adventures! Whether it’s exploring The Great Outdoors on a family ramble, climbing on playground equipment with friends, embarking on a make-believe quest with the family dog, or making a den with siblings, there are no limits to what’s possible with outdoor play. Indeed, the adventures that are possible through outdoor play are only limited by a child’s imagination! Speaking of which…
Let’s not forget, too, that playing outdoors is huge fun — and that’s important. Simply put, playing outdoors and giving children space to run around will make them happy. And there’s not much in life that’s more important than a child’s happiness — it’s an essential part of any magical childhood.
Outdoor play lends itself to the learning of new skills. With such a varied array of activities possible, children will naturally attempt new things, and each of these can be an opportunity to extend their skills. Physical skills might include tying knots, building dens with branches, playing ball games, climbing, racing, and so on. In addition, children will learn softer skills like teamwork, cooperation, strategy, critical thinking, leadership, and role play. What’s more, all of this will happen instinctively — such is the power of outdoor play.
Children who regularly play outdoors will inevitably meet other children and encounter new dynamics. These will help them make new social connections, and immersive activities will deepen existing friendships. Playing outdoors is a great way, therefore, to strengthen and extend a child’s social circle, and boost social skills like teamwork, leadership, cooperation, brain storming, and so on.
The often high-octane activities associated with outdoor play will also help children boost strength, fitness, motor, and coordination skills. By exposing themselves to different terrains, environments, tasks, games, and equipment outdoors, they will increase the variety of motor skills they need to accomplish activities. Running, jumping, hopping, constructing, chasing, and climbing will all help improve them physically, in so many ways that may not be possible indoors. What’s more, such things will help children protect themselves from harm, as well as empower them physically.
Playing outdoors, with adult oversight, is the perfect opportunity for children to begin learning how to assess risk. Whether it’s safely navigating outdoor play equipment, stepping over undulating ground, climbing a tree, or playing fast-paced ball games, children will soon learn when and how they need to assess possible risks. It’s a skill that, once learned, will keep them safer from harm, so is incredibly important.
All these new skills and enhancements make under-5s well-equipped when the time comes to leave preschool and begin school. Through outdoor play, they’ll have greater independence, confidence, communication and social skills, and physical skills, to name just a few. What a great way to help them hit the ground running from the moment they begin school!
All in all, outdoor play prepares children for life. Through greater independence, better confidence, raised self-esteem, and new tools, skills and knowledge at their disposal, children can go forward with new vigour and thrive. Such is the power of outdoor play.
Even the youngest children have an incredible gift for imagination. Give them a handful of crayons and a sheet of paper, and, in no time at all, they’ll have created charming drawings that will delight. You’ll be introduced to colourful monsters, kindly robots, prancing unicorns, and pets reimagined. They may also depict family members, perhaps holding hands outside a home surrounded by flowers and love hearts. Each drawing tells a story and gives insights into how they see the world. Now, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), families can bring those stories to life in a simple yet magical way. What’s more, it’s incredibly good fun and the results can be astounding!
This activity works best as a family project. Begin by letting your child create a drawing — anything they like, from a friendly monster to a robot, a pet dragon, or a family picnic on the moon. Encourage them to use lots of colour and detail, then take a clear photo of the finished drawing — a smartphone’s camera is usually perfect for the task.
Some children know exactly what they want to draw, while others may need a starting point. You might suggest a dancing robot covered in buttons, a dragon who lives under the nursery slide, or a family of aliens enjoying tea on the moon. 
Once you’ve created your child’s AI-enhanced image, there are plenty of ways to keep the creativity flowing. You might print both versions and frame them together, start a digital scrapbook of your child’s art, or create a picture book where each page features one of their AI-inspired characters. 
Following May’s 
Children will need some leaves for these ‘leaf art’ activities. We suggest they collect a wide selection of shapes, sizes, and varieties, so they have the flexibility to undertake any of the leaf art activities below. Our 
Whether fresh, dried, or pressed (see below), leaf collages can be used to make wonderful pictures and designs. With a little imagination, leaves can suddenly resemble little trees and landscapes, or be combined into formations that depict a flower head or a graphical design. The accompanying images show a couple of examples to get children’s creative juices flowing.
One of the most straightforward creative activities with leaves is simply to paint and decorate them with coloured paints. Doing so can create highly attractive groups of leaves that are fun and cheerful to look at. Experiment with flat colours or more intricate decorations such as polka dots, stripes, stars, or zigzags. Glue the finished leaves to paper or card once dry to use them as part of a leaf collage (see above).
Leaves and small flowers can be dried, flattened, and kept longer by pressing them. Once pressed and dried, they’re like little works of art in themselves and are quite delightful. They can be kept as bookmarks or keepsakes, or used as art and collage components for some of the other leaf activities outlined today.
Leaf rubbing is a simple yet effective art activity involving leaves. First, simply place a leaf under a sheet of fairly thin paper. Holding the paper still with one hand, children should use their writing hand to rub a crayon, pastel, charcoal stick, or soft pencil lead over the area where the leaf sits, scribbling from left to right in closely aligned lines. A ‘picture’ of the underlying leaf will gradually appear!
Leaf printing is super-easy and fun for little ones. Find a suitable leaf and, using a broad brush or — better still — paint roller, paint the most textured side of a leaf with a thin layer of paint, ensuring it covers the whole side of the leaf. Then, while the paint is still wet, place the painted side carefully over a sheet of blank paper. Without moving its position, press all parts of the leaf down so the paint makes contact with the underlying paper. Another way to accomplish this is to use a clean roller to ‘roll’ over the leaf so it connects the paint with the paper. Carefully remove the leaf and — hey presto — you should have an image of the leaf structure and texture right there on the paper. Try different leaves, various colours, and overlapping experiments to accomplish different outcomes.
Instead of painting or using leaves directly, children can also try to depict them with their own paintings and drawings. These are a good way to encourage children to focus on getting the shape and details correct, fine-tune hand-eye coordination, and bolster technical mark-making skills. And, because children are free to paint or draw however they like, they can let their imaginations run riot and perhaps invent their own leaf shapes, leaf patterns, and natural worlds on paper.
Children can use some of the creative skills they’ve learnt in the activities above to make greeting cards that feature their leaf art. For example, they can forage for heart-shaped leaves and paint them cerise pink to use as part of a simple Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day greeting card. More general greeting cards for other special occasions can also be accomplished using leaves and dried flowers — for example, arranged to depict a leaf or dried ‘bouquet’ on a card sent for a birthday.
Calling all children and their families — people of all ages are needed this July and August for the world’s biggest wildlife survey — the Big Butterfly Count! So, whether you’re a child or an adult, you can play your part. This is a great activity for under-fives too as it’ll be fun, educational, and incredibly worthwhile. What’s more, they’ll become little citizen scientists by taking part. The nature-based activity takes as little as just 15 minutes and costs nothing at all. Children don’t need any special abilities other than a little patience and good observation — both great skills for them to practise. Let’s take a look and see what the Big Butterfly Count is all about and how children can take part this year.
The Big Butterfly Count is a nature survey that anyone can take part in during July and August each year. For 2025, it takes place from Friday the 18th of July to Sunday the 10th of August, a period in which temperatures are usually warm and butterfly populations are likely to peak. In essence, all that is required is for butterflies to be counted during a 15-minute period (more detail follows later in this guide). The survey event is open to everyone and, indeed, the more people who take part, the better. So, if you, your child, your family, or your friends want to play a part in protecting butterflies and nature as a whole, please get involved.
The populations of butterflies can be used as a barometer for the health of pollinator numbers and nature as a whole. With some butterfly species already disappearing from our gardens and countryside and others nearing extinction, there is no time to lose. Only by identifying the issues can we, as a nation, begin to reverse some of the decline. By reversing it, it will be good for butterflies, good for other pollinators like bees, good for nature as a whole — and good for humans too! After all, without pollinators, the supply of foods like cereals, fruit, vegetables and legumes would start to run out. So, taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is extremely worthwhile and we urge little ones and their families to take part.
First, ensure you have downloaded and printed out 
Choose a spot for your butterfly survey. It should be somewhere outside where butterflies are most likely to be seen. Sunny, sheltered spots are good, particularly where a variety of different sizes and types of flowers or blossoms are in bloom.
Sometime in the period from Friday the 18th of July to Sunday the 10th of August, you/your child should spend 15 minutes making a note of how many of each type of butterfly you can see. Concentrate only on the species included in the event organiser’s reference from Step 1. You must count how many of each single species you see at the same time. So, if you see three Painted Ladies at the same time, then record that as 3. However, if you see one Painted Lady on three separate occasions during the 15 minutes, that would only count as 1 — otherwise, it could simply be the same butterfly revisiting.
Did You Know?
Nature and outdoor play feature significantly in children’s time at 
Wherever you look, nature’s flowers and trees are bursting with life during spring and summer. This got us thinking about the many nature-based activities that are possible for children and under-5s to enjoy at this time of year — under appropriate supervision, of course. One of them is a simple leaf-hunting activity that’ll get little ones exploring the outdoors, enjoying the fresh air, having some fun, and learning about the natural world. With this in mind, we’ve put together a Leaf Scavenger Hunt reference poster for children and families. It can serve as inspiration for some common leaves to look out for during the warmer months of the year. The poster is free to download, right here today, and highlights 16 different types of leaves. Included are oak, sycamore, beech, lime and many more. Children will probably be familiar with some — especially oak leaves with their wonderful little acorns — while others may be unfamiliar. However, all of our examples were sourced on a single morning’s outing, so it’s feasible to find all 16 kinds with a bit of eagle-eyed persistence! So, download the poster for your children, print it out, and explore the outdoors to see how many of the 16 leaf types your little one can find. See if they can identify the differences which make each species of leaf/tree/plant unique — and learn their names if they can. The free identification poster and some help from an adult should help. Have fun out there!
Some of the leaves will be easier to identify than others. For example, Horse Chestnut (a.k.a. ‘conker tree’) leaves are quite distinctive with their fan of multiple sections (see the 2nd row, last image on the right on the poster for our example). In contrast, hazel and lime leaves are quite similar to one another. One easy clue to tell them apart is that lime leaves are slightly shiny, whereas hazel leaves are extremely matt. And, of course, they have very different seeds once those appear (the lime seed clusters are quite beautiful as you can see on the poster in the 3rd row, 2nd image from the right).
Another interesting factor to point out to children is that some of the leaves come in different colours. Beech leaves, for instance, can be green or deep burgundy, brown or dark purple depending on which variety of beech a child locates. It’s similar for acers, which can be green, yellow, red or a deep purple/maroon. Acers however, are more likely to be found in gardens and parks than in the countryside. Some are a little like miniature sycamores, only rather more delicate and fancy! And, come 
This activity is a great opportunity for children to open their eyes to the natural world. By looking at nature more deeply, they’ll see the finer details that may have been overlooked. Nature is incredibly varied and interesting when you take the time to look closely and discover it properly. It’ll teach children about the natural world, the seasons, the changes in plants and trees at different times of the year, the circle of life, and so much more. Getting out, close to nature, is also incredibly beneficial to children. From busting stress, improving well-being, supporting the EYFS and boosting exercise, to improving concentration and even academic grades, 
