Prospective Parents

We believe that St Mary’s is a fantastic place for children to learn and grow. We welcome children into our school in Reception and again in Year 3.

Our next Open Day will be Wednesday 3rd July after school. Timings still to be confirmed. To be added to our distribution list for more details, please send your request to admissions@stmarysprimary.org. Please include your entry year group.

Admissions Policy for Entry 2025/2026
Supplementary Form
Supplementary Staff Form

Admissions Policy for Entry 2024/2025 School Year
Supplementary Form
Supplementary Staff Form
At a meeting of the full Governing Body held on January 31st 2023 the Governors of St. Mary’s CE Primary School, Oxted unanimously determined the revised Admissions Policy for entry 2024-2025.

• Read our Admissions Policy for entry September 2024 Year R and Year 3 which gives detailed information about our admissions criteria and the steps needed to make an application.
  Double check where your address is in relation to the school and the Ecclesiastical Parishes mentioned in the admissions criteria by looking at the Ecclesiastical parish boundaries maps. You may also go to  Churches Near You and enter you address to find out which ecclesiastical parish you are in. (The school itself is located in the parish of Oxted, St Mary The Virgin but the buildings happen to be obscured on the parish boundaries map by the word “Virgin”!)
• Look at our Supplementary Application Form for entry in September 2024 if your application will be via Church allegiance the Supplementary Teacher Application Form for entry in September 2024 if you are a teacher at our school.

These documents are also available from the school office.
All applications need to be made via the Surrey County Council website. To find out how Surrey calculates distances from your home to school go to Surrey School Map and to find your closest school go to Surrey School Finder. All applications need to be made via the Surrey County Council website.

If you need to apply for a place outside of the usual admissions period (eg: if you move into the area or you wish to change schools) please use the Admissions Policy that applies to the school year you are applying in and please use the in-year application form with Surrey County Council.

• Admissions Policy for in-year admission during school year 2023-24.
• Supplementary Application Form for in-year admission during the school year 2023-24.
• Supplementary Form for Teachers  for in-year admission during the school year 2023-24.

• For an in-year school application please visit the  Surrey County Council website and complete and submit a CMA form.
• The completed form is submitted to Surrey County Council who will pass your details on to the school.
• If we do not have any places available when we receive your application form you can ask to be added to the waiting list for the relevant year group.

Despite the fact that we are usually oversubscribed, there is often some movement in the availability of places between the initial offer date and the start of the new school year and at later dates (eg: vacancies arise from time to time when families move away or if they decide not to take up a place they have applied for).

• We operate a waiting list (held in the school office) for families that would like a place when one becomes available.
• If you are not initially offered a place and would like to be kept on the waiting list please Contact Us
• When a place becomes available in a year group, the applicants on the waiting list will be considered according to the published admissions criteria to determine which potential pupil is eligible to be offered the next place.

Please note that since the order of the waiting list is determined by the admissions criteria applied to all children on the list rather than by date of request a child’s place on the list may be subject to change.

If you are not offered a place at the school and feel the admissions criteria have not been applied correctly or your circumstances are exceptional, you do have the right to appeal against the decision.

Please see the appeals timetable on our website to find the closing date for appeals to be lodged in the Summer Term so that they are heard before the term ends.

You should lodge your appeal with the appeals service at Surrey County Council and they will liaise with the school to arrange the appeal on a convenient date at the school.

Making an application for a place at St Mary’s
Key things to do:

• Check your postcode on Surrey School Map  to see which area you fall into
• Don’t forget to download and send in your supplementary form  if you are applying under Church allegiance and send to us via email at info@stmarysprimary.org or via post to St Mary’s CofE Primary School, Silkham Road, Oxted RH8 0NP
• You can also go to Churches Near You and enter you address to find out which ecclesiastical parish you are in.  (The school itself is located in the parish of Oxted, St Mary The Virgin but the buildings happen to be obscured on the parish boundaries map by the word “Virgin”!)
• Contact admissions@stmarysprimary.org – we’re always ready to help
• Remember that if you don’t apply you definitely won’t get a place!

Meeting the needs of all children
My child is more able, how will you stretch them?
We treat every child as an individual, and believe that every child needs to be stretched and challenged, as well as having the opportunity to be successful. You will see from our performance page that we have a high proportion of children at St Mary’s who achieve above the expected standard, that that this has been consistent for many years – our track record is good. Our teachers are expert a pitching learning challenges at the right level for every child.

My child has some additional needs, how will you support them?Please watch our SEND support video  to find out more about how we support children with additional needs at St Mary’s, and read the SEND  page on our website. We have expert support staff, invest heavily in training, and have strong links with outside agencies who can support us as we support you and your child. Every child is an individual, and we will work with you to ensure the can flourish in their learning.

Managing behaviour
How do you deal with bullying and bad behaviour?
Children have at least as much to learn about how to socialise and sustain friendships as they do in the curriculum. It is hard for children to learn to share spaces, and resources, and to self-regulate when they are the midst of exciting games on the playground, and when we are learning anything it is normal to make mistakes. All the work we do on Mind Up supports the children in understanding their own feelings, and our Christian Values guide us as we make our behaviour choices.

How do you support children who are finding things difficult?
Some children are naturally more anxious than others, some find managing their behaviour more tricky, and sometimes big events outside school can throw children off track. Our first protective measure is to get to know each child really well. This give us an early warning system if things start to change. Usually support from the class teacher, and strong working relationship with the parent are all that is needed to get over a wobble. Sometimes there is a little more flexibility required, and a bit more support from the senior team. Where we feel there is a deeper need the children may be given support from our Learning Mentor or our ELSAs who can offer a listening ear, and give them strategies which will help them cope.

Wrap around care
We are both working – do you have any provision before and after school?
This year we have established a new working partnership with Premier Education, who now provide our wrap around care on site. It is open to all children from Reception to year 6 every day that school is open to children, and they provide holiday camps during the school holidays. Please contact them directly at  stmarys@premier-education for more details.

Starting at St Mary’s
How do you get the children ready for joining St Mary’s?
Being offered a place at our school marks the beginning of our direct working relationship. We know how important it is to you and your child to be able to picture where they will be, and what they will be doing. You will be invited to join our School Class Dojo so that we can keep you updated with messages a videos prior to coming into school for taster sessions and transition days.

Please see our Transition video for a detailed overview.