Joydens Wood Junior School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 3), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Looked after and previously looked after children — A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of its social services functions (Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of application. A previously looked after child is one who was adopted, or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order, immediately after being looked after, and includes children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be so as a result of being adopted.
2. 2Transfer from the linked infant school — Children attending the linked infant school transfer to the linked junior school. Joydens Wood Infant School is the linked infant school for Joydens Wood Junior School. If applications from children at the infant school exceed the places available, they are ranked using criterion 1 and then the sibling criterion.
3. 3Siblings — Children with a sibling still on roll at the same school, or at the linked infant or junior school, at the time of entry. Sibling means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural, adopted, step and foster siblings.
4. 4Children of staff — Children of members of staff where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application, and/or was recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. The staff member must be permanently based at the school for more than 50% of their normal working hours each week during term time.
5. 5Acute medical or social needs — In exceptional circumstances, children admitted on the grounds of acute medical or social needs where only this school is suitable and no other school within a reasonable distance of the child’s address will do. The application must be supported by a letter from a hospital consultant, the special support service, a social worker or similar professional setting out why this is the only school that can meet the child’s needs, and the evidence must be provided before the closing date.
6. 6Proximity to the school — Distance measured in a straight line from the unique national grid reference (easting and northing) of the child’s home address, including flats, to the main entrance of the school building using the local authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer given higher priority.

If two applications tie: Proximity to the school. Where two applicants measure the same distance, the system goes to further decimal places. If measurements are still identical — as happens with flats sharing an easting and northing — Kent schools decide by issuing each name a number and drawing randomly; the trust’s schools outside Kent use the lower door number instead.

Nexus Education Schools Trust is the admission authority for this school, so these rules are set by the trust rather than by Kent County Council. Children attending Joydens Wood Infant School have priority for transfer to the junior school, ranked second after looked after children. Kent County Council measures the distance on the school’s behalf.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.