Come and visit our school!

If you would like a tour of our school, please email the school office (office@downham-ceap.sch.uk) or telephone on 01268 710387 to make an appointment with our Executive Deputy Headteacher, Miss Bailey.

Reception admissions for September 2026

The deadline to apply for a primary (reception) school place at an Essex primary school has now closed. Applications received after 15 January 2026 will be considered late and will reduce your chance of being offered a place at your preferred schools.

Before you apply, you should:

• check you live in the Essex administrative area
• read the primary school admissions booklet.

Applications can be made online via www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. 99% of parents in Essex applied online last year. All of the application information is available on the website above.

Offers will be sent to online applicants by email on 16 April 2026.

Mid-year applications 

You can apply to change your child's school during the school year. This is called a mid-year admission. Your child is not guaranteed a place at your preferred school. You should not remove your child from their school before you have received another offer.

Mid-year applications should be made direct to our school, using the application form below.

Essex County Council recommend that you:

• speak to your child's current teacher or headteacher before applying to another school
• contact the schools you are interested in before making a decision to move house or submit an application

If you are moving to a new house, you need to provide proof of your new address with your application.

If your child has an education, health and care plan (EHCP), you need to contact the SEND Operations Team.

Please use the link below to find out more information about waiting lists, and mid-year admissions. 

https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions

Useful links

The link below gives you all the information you need regarding school admissions, term dates, school closures, school transport, school governors and school consultations.

https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools

The link below takes you to the priority admission area section, where you can check which schools' priority admission area an address is located in. Simply enter your postcode and select your address from the list of results. Please ensure you read all of the information on the page once results are displayed.

Please note that living in the priority admission (catchment) area of a school does not guarantee entitlement to school transport. Please use the link to the school transport pages to find information about home to school transport and the transport policy criteria.

https://secureapps.essex.gov.uk/cas/Priority-Admissions-(Catchment)-Area.aspx