Starting school is an exciting milestone for you and your family.

Mrs Carvell, together with the staff and children at St John’s, looks forward to meeting you and welcoming you to our school community.

Information

Applications to start at St John’s are made directly to the Local Authority. The application window opens on 9th November 2026 and closes on 15th January 2027. Please visit the Local Authority admissions page for further information and to access the online application form – CLICK HERE.

The following link will take you to the Derbyshire Local Authority website where you will find all the official information you need:

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/apply-for-a-school-place.aspx

Parents that have applied for a place at St. John's will be told by the Local Authority in April 2027 if their application has been successful. We will then write to these families in May 2027 welcoming you to St. John's and inviting you to our Introduction Evening.

Admissions criteria

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/primary-admissions/parentsguide/how-to-apply/rules/criteria/admissions-criteria-for-primary-schools.aspx

Children are admitted according to the following criteria, in order -

• Children who are in care of, or accommodated by, Derbyshire County Council or another LA.
• Children living in the normal area served by the school, and have siblings at the school at the time of admission. CLICK HERE to use the Derbyshire postcode search tool to find your normal area school. 
• Children living in the normal area served by the school
• Children who do not live in the normal area, but have siblings at the school at the time of admission
• Other children whose parents/carers have requested a place by the published date
• Children whose parent/carers did not express their preference by the published date

Open Days 

We are very much looking forward to welcoming our new children and their families. To support you with your application, we warmly invite prospective parents to join us for one of our open days. These sessions offer a calm and friendly opportunity to meet staff, ask questions, and experience the caring, close‑knit feel that makes St John’s such a special school community.

Please contact the school office to book. Dates are to be confirmed.

Nursery Information

Children are able to join our nursery in the September, January or April after their third birthday. All information about our nursery and how to apply for a place can be found in the nursery section of this web site. CLICK HERE. Applications to join the nursery are made to the school and not the Local Authority.

Children are able to attend our nursery for up to 30 hours a week.

EYFS 2 Information

Children join primary school in the Reception year in September following their fourth birthday. If your child was born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, they will be eligible to start school in September 2026 in one of our Reception classes. Families with children already attending St John’s Nursery who were born between these dates will still need to apply for a Reception place for September 2027.

We look forward to welcoming these new children and their families to our school and hope that the timeline below helps you plan this exciting time for you and your family. 

• September 2026 - We will publish information about our open mornings/afternoons. These will run throughout the autumn term.
• November 2026 - The local authority will open the application process. 
• January 2027 - the local authority close the application process
• April 2027 - The local authority write to us letting us know which children have been offered a place at St. John's and write to parents letting them know which school they have been offered a place at. 
• May 2027 - We write to the families joining us welcoming them to St. John's. 
• June 2027 - Welcome evening for new parents and carers
• July 2027 - Introduction morning when your child can come and spend a morning at St. John's
• September 2027 - Your child's first day at school. 

Moving Schools

Step 1

If you are looking for your child to join St John’s at any point other than the usual Reception start - for example, if you have recently moved into Belper – we ask that you first contact us on 01773 822995 to check whether there is space in the year group your child would potentially join. 

Step 2

If places are available, we will then invite you to visit the school and meet Mrs Carvell, giving you the chance to experience the welcoming, close‑knit feel of our community before applying.

Step 3

You then need to apply for the place through Derbyshire local authority by ringing 01629 537479, or by going to the Derbyshire website and following the links to their applications website. CLICK HERE. 

Further Helpful Links

Parents who hope to be joining us in September 2027 are also invited to –  

• Visit our reception starters page  - Reception starters page - CLICK HERE
• View our class pages to see what children do at St. John's - CLICK HERE
• View our teachers page to find out a little bit about our class teachers - CLICK HERE
• Subscribe to our weekly email and begin to find out about life at St. John's - CLICK HERE
• Read our Headteacher weekly blog to find out about daily life at St. John's - CLICK HERE
• Put these dates in your diary
  • 6pm Thursday 25th June 2026 - Introduction and welcome evening for new parents and families
  • Tuesday and Wednesday 30th June and 1st July 2026 - Transition mornings when your child will be invited to come to school for the first time and meet their new teacher.
  • Your child's first day in reception at St. John's will be Monday 7th September 2026.

• Uniform & starting St. John's

• Timetable & the school day