Join Holly Park

Holly ParkWelcome to Holly Park School. There are two main opportunities to join our school – in Nursery and in Reception, although when spaces become available there are still opportunities to join the school in other year groups.

Here is our Holly Park Prospectus 2023-24

The chart below shows how the structure of a primary school works. The classes at Holly Park follow this structure.

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE

Age 3-4 – Nursery

Age 4-5 – Reception

KEY STAGE ONE

Age 5-6 – Year 1

Age 6-7 – Year 2

KEY STAGE TWO

Age 7-8 – Year 3

Age 8-9 – Year 4

Age 9-10 – Year 5

Age 10-11 – Year 6

To gain a place in our Nursery, parents make their application directly to the school. Places are allocated using a strict criteria based on siblings and on distance from the school. Once a place has been allocated, the children are invited in for an open session to visit the nursery and parents are invited to a meeting to find out more information. The staff make a home visit to all pupils who will be joining us. There is a settling in period for all our new pupils.

To gain a place in Reception, parents make an application to Barnet. Pupils who have been in our nursery must apply again directly to Barnet Admissions for a place in Reception. Having been in Nursery does NOT guarantee a place in Reception. Once a place has been allocated, the children are invited in for an open session to visit Reception and parents are invited to a meeting to find out more information. The staff make a home visit to all pupils who will be joining us. There is a settling in period for all our pupils. starting Reception.

Once the children have been allocated a place in Reception, the children are then part of our Reception Unit which has 60 places. The children are NOT allocated to a class. Each child has a Key Worker. There are 15 children to One Key Worker.

Holly ParkWe run a Reception unit because our pupils come from our morning nursery, our afternoon nursery and from other nurseries. Over the course of their time in Reception we can observe to see how children make relationships, we can assess them carefully and at the end of Reception, we then allocate the children in to two balanced classes with a good spread of ability, ethnic background, Special Educational Need and good learning partners ready to start in Year One.

Children stay in their allocated classes until the end of Year Two. At the end of Year two we mix the children up again ready for Key Stage Two. We do this to again ensure two balanced classes with a good spread of ability, ethnic background, Special Educational Need and good learning partners.

This is necessary because of mobility within the school and because children develop and change over Key Stage One as we get to know them better. Children then remain in the same class throughout Lower Key Stage Two.

At the end of Year Four we mix the children up again ready for Upper Key Stage Two. We do this to again ensure two balanced classes with a good spread of ability, ethnic background, Special Educational Need and good learning partners.

Parents can sometimes find this change of classes quite difficult. Of course we consider friendship groups, but best friends do not always make the best learning partners. Children are very resilient and we make every effort to make the transition to new classes as smooth as possible. Our classes at Holly Park do not work in isolation and children are encouraged to mix across the classes in House events, trips, visits , topic work, intervention groups etc

It is not our policy to move children from one class to another apart from at these key points in their time at the school, unless there are extreme circumstances which generally involve the advice and input from an outside agency giving us their support and professional opinion.

Holly ParkIf there are problems with friendships, relationships etc within a class group we work with the children and parents to overcome these problems. Moving class is not necessarily the answer to such problems.

Children who join us in another year group do so because a place has become available. Children tend not to leave Holly Park to go to a school down the road because they feel that it is better than what we can offer or they are unhappy with the school.

Children tend to leave Holly Park because they have moved house to another area of Barnet or they are moving a considerable distance away. Families who leave us are often very sad to be going.

To gain a place at any point in the school, parents make an application to Barnet. We as a school cannot allocate places.

Children who join the school at any time are also given a home visit and they will be given a ‘Buddy’ when they arrive to help them get to know the school and to make friends. Mrs Thomas our Families Co-ordinator is responsible for overseeing the smooth integration of new pupils and families and will be the first point of contact that our new families have with the school.

Click on the following links to find out more:

Nursery Admissions

Admissions into any year group from Reception to Year 6

Job Opportunities at the School

Opportunities to volunteer at Holly Park

Families at Holly Park must fill in this Pupil information form for our records. If you need to update your form please print it out and hand it into the office.