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Education
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Local children plant tree to remember Queen Elizabeth II
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The children of a local school have planted a tulip tree, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, in memory of the Queen.
“When the Queen passed away, we felt that it would be nice to plant one of her favourite trees as a memorial, so that staff and students have a peaceful space to refl ect,” said John Secker, Deputy Headteacher at Boringdon Primary School. “The Friends of Boringdon kindly funded the tree, which will also be used as a focal point for remembrance events and activities, and we are delighted to now have it planted within our grounds.” The tree was planted by a group of Key Stage 2 students on Monday 17 October with the help of David Frost from Plymouth Tree Partnership. As part of the process, the children learnt about how to dig a suitable hole, the importance of loosening the tree roots before planting and how to install a stake to support a tree. They were also shown photographs of mature tulip trees to give them an idea of the size the tree could reach. Sarah King, Executive Headteacher, said: “We are very grateful to David for giving up his time to come into school and help us plant our new tree. The children really enjoyed getting involved and are looking forward to watching the tree bloom and grow over the coming years. “We talked about how tall the tree will be by the time their own children are attending primary school. They were very interested and also suggested that we install a commemorative plaque, which is something that we intend to do very soon.” n
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New beginnings
If your child was born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019, application services are now open for you to submit your school preferences for September 2023. Whether you are applying via Devon County Council or Plymouth City Council (depending upon location), you have until mid-January 2023 to submit your application (please check exact dates via the relevant councils). It is worth familiarising yourself with local schools before you make your three choices. If you haven’t already done so, get in touch with them to see if you can take a look around. Most will have already held open events, but will no doubt still be happy to show you around. You also need to check if your chosen schools require any supplementary information. Are there medical or social criteria for your application? Do you work at your chosen school, in which case you may need to provide proof with your application? Are you applying for a faith school, which could require supporting details of your own faith? These are all things worth considering. Always check each school’s own website for details, so that you can be sure your application is correct. Once admissions close, teams will assign school places. You will be notifi ed of your allocated school in midApril; the exact date may vary depending on which council you have applied under. You will then be required to either accept your child’s place or appeal it. Further details will be provided by your relevant council as part of the application process. n
Take a look at these dos and don’ts of choosing a primary school* for a handy guide to your next steps.
Do:
Make sure that your child is resident in the area in which you are applying Complete your application form by the deadline date Consider how you will get your child to school Consider naming your local school as one of the preferences Express a preference for 1, 2 or 3 schools Inform the council in writing if you have another child already at the school or new to the school Provide evidence if you feel there are exceptional reasons for your preference Tell the council in writing if your circumstances change Inform the council in writing if you know your child’s address is going to change before September Check whether any school you are interested in asks you to complete a Supplementary Information Form or provide a letter from a priest Return your Supplementary Information Form or letter to the school admissions team by the closing date or as soon as possible
Don’t:
Assume that you don’t need to apply for a school place – every place will be allocated based on an application Assume that you don’t need to apply for the school where you already have other children – you must still apply Assume that if you attend a pre-school on a school’s site that you will automatically get a place Name the same school three times – this will be considered as one preference Assume that if you only name one school that it will be offered Assume that the council knows what you want or the reasons why you want a place at a particular school – you must be sure to inform the admissions team
* From Plymouth City Council’s
School Admission Arrangements: A parent’s guide
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