This page has four main sections and some links to help new parents
ONE - Reception children starting school in September 2026
TWO - Joining our Nursery at any time
THREE - Joining our school at any time, for example if you have moved to Belper
FOUR - Reception children starting our school in September 2027
ONE - Starting Reception in September 2026
Starting school is an exciting time for you and your family. Mr. Averis and the staff and children at St. John's look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to your child's new school.
Children start primary school in the reception class in the September after their fourth birthday. Therefore, if your child was born between September 1st 2021 and August 31st 2022 they will be able to start primary school in September 2026 in one of our reception classes. Families of children born between September 1st 2021 and August 31st 2022 who are already attending St John's Nursery, still need to apply for their child to start school in September 2026.
Applications to start St. John's need to be made to the Local Authority. Applications open on 10th November 2025 and close on 15th January 2026. Please go to the Local Authority admissions page to apply and for extra information and a link to the online application form. - CLICK HERE.
We look forward to welcoming these new children and their families to our school and warmly invite prospective parents to come for a tour around our school to help with your applications to come and join us. Places are limited to a maximum of five families per tour, please ring school to book a place on one of the tours. More dates will be added if required.
Parents that have applied for a place at St. John's will be told by the Local Authority in April 2026 if their application has been successful. We will then write to these families in May 2026 welcoming you to St. John's and inviting you to our Introduction Evening at 6pm on Thursday 25th June 2026.
Parents who hope to be joining us in September 2026 are also invited to -
If you are a parent of a pre school child this leaflet from the DfE, that we have added to our curriculum page is a fantastic read letting you know how you can help prepare your child for school to help them get off to the best possible start when they join us. CLICK HERE.
TWO - Admissions to the nursery at any time
Children are able to join our nursery in the September, January or April after their third birthday. All information about out nursery and how to apply for a place can be found on the nursery section of this web site. CLICK HERE. Applications to join the nursery are made to the school and not the Local Authority.
From September 2022 children will be able to attend our nursery for up to 30 hours a week.
THREE - Information for parents that want to join us for any other reason, for example you have moved to Belper.
If you have a child that wants to join our school at any other time other than the start of reception, for example you may have moved into Belper, you are advised to ring us first to see if we have any spaces in the year group you child will attend. Our telephone number is 01773 822995. If we have places we will gladly invite you to come and see our school and meet Mr. Averis before you apply.
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.
For children that are changing primary school Derbyshire have a specific website to help parents. CLICK HERE.
FOUR - Children who will be starting our school in September 2027
Children start primary school in the reception class in the September after their fourth birthday. Therefore, if your child was born between September 1st 2022 and August 31st 2023 they will be able to start primary school in September 2027 in one of our reception classes. Families of children born between September 1st 2022 and August 31st 2023 who are already attending St John's Nursery, still need to apply for their child to start school in September 2025.
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.
The links below take to information about our uniform and start and end times of the school day
Admissions criteria for joining St. John's
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