All Local Authorities in England are required to have co-ordinated arrangements for admission to Reception in primary schools. Parents of children resident in Bristol apply to Bristol City Council on the common application form regardless of where the schools applied for are situated.
Bristol co-ordinates applications for schools in Bristol including academies, community schools, free schools, foundation schools, voluntary aided schools and voluntary controlled schools and will liaise with other local authorities where Bristol parents apply for schools outside of the city.
All Bristol resident children will receive a single offer of a school place that will be sent by Bristol City Council on the relevant National Offer Day.
Full details can be found on the Bristol City Council website New reception primary school place – bristol.gov.uk

Transfer from Elmlea Infant School to Elmlea Junior School
Year 2 children attending Elmlea Infant School are offered a Year 3 place at the Junior School automatically. Year 2 parents will be contacted to confirm acceptance of their places.

All other Admissions
Vacancies may occur for any year group at any time. Applicants should contact the school for details and complete the school’s pupil application form available for download here:

and email to admissions@elmleaschools.org.uk

If the school has places within the relevant year group, a place will be offered, and admission will be arranged between the school and the applicant. It is expected that the applicant will have informed their child’s current school prior to making an application. In the best interests of the child, the Executive Headteacher will contact the current school prior to offering a place to liaise to enable and support a smooth transition.
If a place is unavailable for the relevant year group, the school will add the new application to its waiting list of all applicants seeking a place. All applications will be ranked in line with the school’s over-subscription criteria and allocations will be made in accordance with it.
Priority will not be given on the basis simply of the date an application was added to the list.
Children who are the subject of a direction by the Local Council to admit or who are allocated a school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol for school places will take precedence over those on the waiting list.

Admissions policy 2025.26