Registering and applying for a school nursery place

How to register and apply for a school nursery place

To access a school nursery place, you need to:

• register your interest in a nursery place
• complete an application form. We will send this to you in the year your child is due to start nursery

Step 1: Register for a school nursery place

You can register for a school nursery place at any time. For most children places are allocated based on the date that you register. The earlier you apply the more chance you have of getting a place.

To register complete the register your interest in a nursery place​ form below and send it to the school where you want a nursery place. You can list more than one nursery. 

Only complete 1 form and return it to your first choice of school by post, email or in person.

Register your interest in a nursery place​ form 

Where to register

There is no catchment area priority for nursery places, so you can apply to any school. 

If your catchment primary school has a nursery, we suggest you apply there so that your child might not need to move to a different primary school when they s​tart in reception.

If your child gets a nursery place at a certain school, it doesn’t guarantee or give them priority for a place in that school's reception class.

List of primary schools

Step 2: Application form and allocation process

If you have registered with a school, you’ll be sent an application form the year your child is due to start nursery. You need to complete and return it to your first choice school. Your information will be sent to Children, Young People, Education and Skills who allocate nursery places, this usually takes place by March.

How school nursery places are allocated

If nursery classes are full, we allocate places using a set criteria. The criteria is available in the policy below:

Admissions to Government of Jersey school nurseries policy

The nursery induction process

Once your child is given a nursery place, you will be offered a home visit as part of the induction process. This is a chance for you and your child to the meet the nursery teacher or officer.

We will also invite you and your child to visit the nursery before the school year starts, so that you can see the nursery and build relationships with the nursery staff.

When your child can start nursery

Your child can start nursery in the school yea​r that they turn four. If their birthday is before 1 September, they can start in September of the year they turn three years old. If they turn three after 1 September, they can start nursery the following school year.