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JOIN OUR OUTSTANDING ACADEMY
In-Year Applications
If you are looking for a place in Harris Primary Academy Benson because you have recently moved into the area, or your child is at another school and you feel that a change of school would benefit their education and/or general well-being, you are entitled to apply for a school place.
Please complete our 'In Year Admissions' form here and if we have a place, will contact you regarding your application. If you are not contacted we will keep you on our waiting list.
Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available, but you have the right of appeal if you are refused a place.
Welcome to the Harris Academy Benson Admissions information page. Please look at our news page for details of our open evenings for prospective Parents, Carers and Students. Our full policy, with details of our admissions criteria, can be downloaded from further down the page. A brief summary of the application procedure follows, Reception and in-year admissions.
Academy Admissions Contact Details
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Telephone: 0208 726 6400 Department for Children, Families & Learning School Admissions Team Bernard Weatherill House 4th Floor Zone G 8 Mint Walk Croydon CR0 1EA |
Nursery Applications
If you are interested in a place at our Nursery please call the office to arrange a visit.
When can your child start?
Children can start in Nursery the term after their third birthday, if places are available.
For more information about this, please contact the school office.
How can you apply?
Applications for a place in our Nursery can be made directly to the school, by collecting an application form from the school office or by downloading a copy of the application form using the link below and returning it directly to the school once completed:
You will be notified of the outcome of your application in writing within 10 school days of the application closing date.
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Children who will turn 3 years old on or between: |
Application closing date: |
Date child will start at the Nursery (if offered a place) |
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1 April and 31 August |
Applications still open |
First day of Autumn term in September |
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1 September and 31 December |
4th October |
First day of Spring term in January |
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1 January and 31 March |
24th January |
First day of Summer term in April (depending when Easter falls) |
Reception Applications
The Academy has an admission number of 30 in Reception for September 2025
Applications for places in Reception should be made on the home Local Authority’s Common Application Form. These are accessible on the LA’s website and should be submitted in accordance with the LA’s published deadlines for applications (normally early to mid-January before the academic year in which the child is eligible for entry).
Dates for open days
Tuesday 1st October - 10am
Wednesday 16th October - 10am
Wednesday 13th November - 4pm
Wednesday 8th January - 4pm
Parents, carers and children are welcome to visit at these times. Please let the office know if you would like to visit the academy; we would be so glad to welcome you.
0208 777 1572
info@harrisprimarybenson.org.uk
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Reception Key Dates |
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1st September 2024 |
Application process opens - online |
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15th January 2025 |
Deadline for receipt of applications |
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16th April 2025 |
Local Authority informs Parents/Carers of allocated school |
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30th April 2025 |
Acceptance deadline |
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16th May 2025 |
Deadline for appeals to be made in writing to the Academy |
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May - June 2025 |
Appeals to be heard |
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Until 31st August 2025 |
Parents wishing to join the new Reception cohort must contact Croydon council |
| 1st September 2025 |
Parents wishing to join must re-apply directly to the academy |
If you are unhappy that you did not receive an offer of a school place at Harris Primary Academy Benson, you have the right to lodge an independent appeal with us.
In-Year Applications
If you are looking for a place in Harris Primary Academy Benson because you have recently moved into the area, or your child is at another school and you feel that a change of school would benefit their education and/or general well-being, you are entitled to apply for a school place.
Please complete our 'In Year Admissions' form here and if we have a place, will contact you regarding your application. If you are not contacted we will keep you on our waiting list.
Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available, but you have the right of appeal if you are refused a place.
For Parents/Carers who Wish to Appeal
Parent(s) wishing to appeal against the Academy’s decision on admissions, for any year group, should complete an Appeal Form (see below) stating the reason for the appeal, based on the published Admissions Criteria.
If you wish to appeal you must complete the admissions appeal form.
All appeals must be made in writing to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel at Harris Primary Academy Benson, West Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8RQ using the appeals form by the 16th May 2025. All appeals will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.
The appeals will be heard, in private, by an Independent appeal Panel. The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will make an appointment within a reasonable time, Appeals may be made in English or the Parents’/Carers’ first language.
- Only one appeal per application is allowed.
- Appeals are conducted in person, and you may bring a friend.
The Appeal Hearing
The Academy will arrange for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider the Academy's reasons for refusal and your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy.
The Panel will consist of 3 people (2 will have education experience and one will be an independent person with no education experience).
The Panel will consider the case put forward by you and the Academy. They must consider the admission arrangements for the Academy and the reasons why you want to attend that particular school. The Panel must exercise its discretion by balancing the weight of your argument (for wanting to attend) against the Academy’s reasons for refusal i.e. the prejudice that one more student would cause to the education of the students already offered and the Health and Safety of all the students already attending the Academy, also taking into account the Academy's published admission arrangements.
The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on the admissions authority and the Parents.
