Welcome to our School Community
Starting school or moving to a new school can be quite scary but we want to make it as easy as we can for you and your child here at Sandbrook.
Parents are warmly invited to visit the school by appointment to help them in choosing a place for their child.
You will be invited to tour the school and see the curriculum in action, as well as meeting the Headteacher and other members of staff who are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Parents considering the admission of their children to Sandbrook Community Primary School NURSERY OR RECEPTION can make arrangements to visit by contacting the school office.
Our admissions policy can be found on our centralised policies page.
Nursery Admissions
The children in Nursery are taught by a full-time teacher and highly qualified teaching assistants, including bilingual teaching assistants. A range of activities are provided in order to develop children emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially following the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
Children may join our Nursery once they become three years old. Parents should state a preference for morning, afternoon or a full time place, (if eligible).
- Morning session– 8:45am-11:45am
- Afternoon session– 12:15pm-3:15pm
- Full day session– 8:45am-3:15pm
Please contact our school office for any queries regarding Nursery or school admissions.
We admit children who are three before 1st September in September.
We admit children who are three before 1st January 2024 in January.
This means that some children benefit from 5 terms of early years education at Sandbrook before they begin their Reception Year.
Details on the 30 hours funding is available here.
Please contact our school office for any queries regarding Nursery or school admissions.
Please note – Nursery children must re-apply for a school place. A place in our Nursery does not guarantee a reception class place.
Reception Admissions
All applications for Reception places must be made through the Local Authority Admissions department.
The Admissions services can be contacted via school.admissions@rochdale.gov.uk or telephone 0300 303 0340. A starting school guide and the online admission forms can be found by clicking the button above. The website also explains the appeals process.
Sandbrook Community Primary School has a published admission number (PAN) of 90 pupils.
| Timetable for Applying for a Primary School Place | |
| Monday, 15 September 2025 | The online admissions system opens for primary school places starting in September 2026. |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 15 January 2026 | Closing date for applications Ensure your reception class application for a primary school is submitted before this date. Otherwise, you will need to apply for a late application. |
| Friday, 13 February 2026 | Last date for any changes to the address in your application. |
| Thursday, 16 April 2026 | National offer day. |
| Sunday, 10 May 2026 | Closing date for Round 2 applications. |
| Friday, 5 June 2026 | Round 2 offers are sent. |
| Saturday, 6 June 2026 | Online applications re-open. The online admissions system re-opens for primary school places starting in September 2026. |
| Monday, 31 August 2026 | Final closing date for applications. |
Please find below links to Rochdale Borough Council’s website giving details on how to apply for primary and secondary school places, including the timetable for applying:
How to apply for a primary school place.
How to apply for a secondary school place
Our admissions policy can be found on our centralised policies page.
Early Years
Our Early Years curriculum is delivered indoors and outdoors, using high quality resources. Great emphasis is placed on developing close links between the Nursery and the rest of school. There are close links with reception as the unit shares the outdoor area. We are lucky enough to have an incredible outdoor space which is continually being developed and it is a place for everyone to grow and achieve.
Home-School Partnership
We make significant steps to develop close relationships between home and school. We utilise the learning platform ‘Tapestry’ for parents to see the exciting learning opportunities their child is accessing at school. Parents are also able to share learning from home with teachers at school. We love to see all the learning the children do when they are at home and often celebrate this in school, via newsletters and on our social media channels.
In Reception, we also have the app ‘Boom Reader’ which allows parents to share when their child has read outside of school. This could be while they are at home, at the library or anywhere your child reads; all you need is the app.
We hold a new intake meeting for the parents of children that are due to start in Reception during their final term in the Nursery. At the meeting you will be informed about your child’s future learning at Sandbrook, the exciting opportunities they will take part in and any other information about school. You will have the opportunity to meet the class teacher and ask any questions you may have.
If you would like to speak to anyone about your child, then we are happy to set up a meeting and discuss how we can work together to best support your child’s learning and their next steps.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about your child starting at Sandbrook Community Primary School or you would like to enquire about anything else, please feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help.
The school telephone number: 01706 647743
Appeals
The school admissions appeal timetable can be found under the documents tab.
Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within the timescales set out in the School Admission Appeals Code.
Appellants will be sent notification of their appeal hearing along with a copy of the school’s case at least 14 days in advance of the hearing.
Further Information about School Admission Appeals can be found here:
Department for Education Website
If your appeal is received on time then it will be heard within the dates outlined above. Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or within 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date. Appeals for in-year transfers will continue to be heard within 30 school days of receipt of the appeal.
You will be sent notification of your appeal hearing along with a copy of the school’s case at least 10 school days in advance of the hearing. If you wish to submit further evidence that was not included with your initial appeal, you must ensure that we receive it at least 5 working days before the hearing date. Any additional evidence or information received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing.