Joining Merryhills

Admissions

Children start primary school at the beginning of the academic year during which they turn five. At Merryhills we are able to offer 90 places in our reception classes (3 classes of 30 children) and all applications are processed by Enfield Schools Admission Service (0208 379 5501).  We welcome application from all members of the local community.  You can find out more about applying for a place on their website or by reading further below.  

Reception Admissions September 2025

Admissions for the September 2024 cohort are for children born between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021.  Full information will be published on the local authority website from around the middle of September.

In the result of Reception classes being oversubscribed the process used to allocate places is detailed in the Enfield school brochure and website.  Once you have been allocated a place at Merryhills, we will write to families and the children welcoming them to the Merryhills family as well as sharing vital information about the induction process and dates. 

School Tours

When applying for your Primary School place, we would always encourage you to visit Merryhills prior to your application.

Tours commence from September onwards, starting at 9.10am on Thursdays and are led by our Headteacher, Mr Hudson, or another member of staff from our Leadership Team. This gives parents an opportunity to see the school in action during a normal working day.

You are able to book onto a school tour by contacting the school office on 0208 363 1403.  We look forward to welcoming you to our school.

You may also find our Virtual School Tour a useful tool to get to know a little bit about our amazing school.

Our induction and admission procedures include:

• Home visits from our class teacher and early years practitioner
• ‘Play and Stay’ sessions in the Summer Term prior to starting school
• Merryhills will liaise with nurseries and preschool providers
• Staggered intake in September to ensure children are able to settle quickly into new school life

Deferring Entry

If your child was born between 1st April and 31st August and you want to defer their entry to school by a whole year, see the Local Authority's summer born guidance.

Full information about this can be found here:

Admission to Primary School 

Casual Admissions

Children admitted who require places within the school year will need to apply through the Enfield Schools Admission Service.  Further information can be found here:

In-year Admissions 

If any spaces become available at Merryhills during the school year we notify the Local Authority.  The Local Authority will then offer out spaces in accordance with their admissions policy.  Once children have been offered a casual admissions place, our school admissions team will contact you to arrange an induction process.  This process may look different for each individual child but may include:

• A school visit
• Meeting the class teacher
• Meeting with the admissions team
• Documentation relevant to the age of the child, such as online passwords and extracurricular activities etc.

Enfield School Admissions

Enfield schools admissions will be able to help with questions such as:

1. Aids to pupils e.g. free school meals, clothing grants, and the circumstances under which travel passes may be issued.
2. How parents should apply for admissions to schools.
3. Admissions to schools outside the London Borough of Enfield.
4. How to appeal against a placement which is not acceptable.
5. Arrangements for transfers between schools.
6. The policy of the Authority with regard to pupils bringing food and drink to school.
7. How to obtain advice regarding special education.
8. The LEA’s approved arrangements for considering complaints against the curriculum

Appeals

Information regarding appeals can be found here:

School Appeals Guidance 

The Local Authority has a waiting list of children in all year groups who wish to join Merryhills and will contact parents if places become available during the year.

Merryhills is committed to inclusive learning for all. Inclusive education means that where possible we will offer a place to all local children who wish to come to the school so long as we are able to meet their needs.

Information obtainable from the London Borough of Enfield:

The Director of Education

PO Box 56

Civic Centre

Silver Street

Enfield, Middlesex

EN1 3XQ

Telephone: 020 8366 6565