Admissions

Winston Way Academy is a three-form entry school with 90 places available per year group. Our nursery can accommodate 48 children, offering 15 hours of part-time funded places, split equally between morning and afternoon sessions from Monday to Friday.

Nursery Admissions

Applications for our Nursery are managed directly by the school. We can admit your child the term after their third birthday, subject to available spaces.

Key Points:

• Children typically start Nursery at the beginning of the academic year in September.
• Offers are made from mid-March each year based on the priority criteria detailed below.
• Applications received after mid-March will be considered if spaces are available.

To apply for a nursery place, please complete the Nursery Application Form. The form takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and can be done on any smart device.

Upon completion, your child’s name will be added to our nursery waiting list, and we will contact you when a space becomes available.

Nursery Sessions:

• Morning: 8:40 am – 11:40 am
• Afternoon: 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

You can apply for either session, but we cannot guarantee your preferred session will be available.

Due to the high number of applications, we will only contact you if your child has been successful in gaining a place. For application status inquiries, please contact the school office at 020 8478 5626 or email us at office@winstonwayacademy.org.uk.

For more details, view our Admissions Policy.

Priority Criteria

We follow the London Borough of Redbridge’s priority criteria for nursery admissions:

1. “Looked after” children and children previously looked after but then adopted or placed under a residence or special guardianship order.
2. Exceptional medical or social reasons supported by a qualified professional, considered by the Authority’s medical or psychological advisers.
3. Siblings of children already attending the school, with preference given to older children.
4. All other applicants, with preference given to older children.

In each category, the tie-breaker is the shortest walking distance from the child’s home to the school, measured by a Geographic Information System. For flats, the distance is measured to the entrance of the block. If multiple applicants live an identical distance from the school, the Local Authority will use a random allocation system.

Please note, the statutory right to appeal does not apply to nursery admissions. Admission to the nursery does not guarantee admission to the main school, which must be applied for through the London Borough of Redbridge Admissions and Awards.

Reception 

You must apply for a reception class place for your child even if they attend a school nursery or have an older brother or sister at your preferred school.

All applications for Reception places must be completed online through London Borough of Redbridge. The deadline for on-time application for Reception 2025 was 23.59 on 15th January. you can still apply as a late application through the eAdmissions portal from Redbridge admissions website, further information and guidance on how to apply can be found at https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/schools/primary-school-admissions/ 

For Reception admissions, we follow the London Borough of Redbridge Admission Arrangements. For the Academic year 2025-2026, please click the links below for the relevant documents: 

• Admissions arrangements: admission-arrangements-for-2025-2026.pdf
• Co-ordinated Primary Admissions scheme:co-ordinated-primary-admissions-scheme-2025-2026-final-appendix-c.pdf
• Fair Access Protocol: admission-arrangements-for-2025-2026.pdf

London Borough of Redbridge

Admissions and Awards
Lynton House
255-259 High Road
Ilford
IG1 1NN 
Phone: 020 8708 3121
Email: admissions@redbridge.gov.uk

Reception to Year 6 in year applications 

You can apply for a school place at Winston Way at any time. We occasionally have places in each year group when families move away from the area.  We follow the London Borough of Redbridge Admission Arrangements, as detailed above. You must apply for a place by contacting the London Borough of Redbridge Admissions and Awards Team. Please visit the following page https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/schools/primary-school-admissions/ for further information.  

If you have been offered a place at our school, Lynton House will send you a letter/email and you must respond within 5 days (from date of letter/email) to the school and to Lynton House. Your place may be offered to someone else if you do not do this. 

The admissions officer at Winston Way will contact you to arrange a meeting and request you to complete the school enrolment form ahead of the meeting.  At this meeting, the Admissions Officer will go through the form with you and clarify any necessary elements. Once this meeting is complete your child will be given their start date. 

Planning for secondary school

We follow the London Borough of Redbridge Admission Arrangements, as detailed above. You will need to apply for your child's secondary school place by contacting the London Borough of Redbridge.  Please see the following link for further guidance: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/schools/secondary-school-admissions/

Further Information

For the academic year of 2025 -2026, admissions for Reception to Year 6  will follow the London Borough of Redbridge admissions arrangements 

admission-arrangements-for-2025-2026.pdf (redbridge.gov.uk)

Parents wishing to apply for Reception 2025-2026 (September 2025), application information will be available on the London Borough of Redbridge website from September 2024.  

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office 020 8478 5626 or email us at office@winstonwayacademy.org.uk