Admissions
If you have any questions relating to Admissions at Shirley Junior School please get in touch. For Yr 3 Junior transfers and in-year transfers, please contact the Admissions Team via the link below:
Full details of all school admissions procedures can also be found at the above address.
All Shirley Junior School admission policies can be viewed in the policies section of the website.
This information includes:
- Details of the selection criteria.
- Details of the over-subscription policy.
- The schools' admission number (PAN).
- Admission arrangements for disabled students. You should also refer to the SEND section of the website.
Starting School in Year 3
Children born between 1st September 2018 and 31st August 2019 can apply for a school place from September 2025 for admission in September 2026.
We invite parents of prospective pupils to visit our school for one of our open day events.
Our published admission number (PAN) for September 2026 is 90. This means that we have 3 classes in Year 3, each with 30 children.
Shirley Junior School’s full Admission Policy for 2026/27 is available below, on our policies page, or a copy can be requested from the school office. This details the selection criteria and over-subscription criteria of the school.
Applications should be made on-line to the local authority admissions team. Application must be submitted by the 15th January 2026.
Confirmation of offers of a school place will be sent by e-mail or post on 16th April 2026. You will also be able to view the outcome of your application on-line.
A big, huge Shirley Junior School welcome to our newest members of the SJS community. We are so very excited to be meeting you soon and can not wait to see you walking up our stairs in your dark green uniforms, hopefully in September.
Information for parents/carers including our welcome letter and prospectus can be found by clicking here or in the links at the bottom of the page.
On this page, our new to SJS Year 3 children will find lots of information about their new school and some ideas of what Year 3 is all about! We have already been working really closely with your infant school teachers and your new year 3 teachers (who you will see very soon) have lots planned to get to know you.
The Year 3 curriculum is filled with exciting opportunities to develop lots of skills. We will be uploading a video with a sneak peek of some projects you will do next year.
At SJS not only do we learn about reading, writing, maths and all the other exciting subjects, we also think very carefully about the skills we use to learn well. These are our learning values - skills which we think are REALLY important for all learners to develop. None of us are perfect at using these skills, but we're working hard to get better!
To introduce you to them, and in preparation of using them in Year 3 next year, we have created a little 'Learning Value Challenge Grid' to have a go at over the coming weeks.
Also, our 7 learning values are hidden around our website. Have a little scavenger hunt and see if you can find them all whilst seeing all the things we get up to at SJS!
Introducing the new Year 3 Superheroes
| Wordsmith | The Puzzler | Dr Sparks |
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Take a look at the attached documents to find out which teacher is which Superhero!
In Year Transfers - Changing Schools
In-year applications are when you apply for a school place at any time in the year that it is not part of the 'normal admissions round'. There are three main reasons for making an in-year application.
You might:
- Be moving house.
- Be unhappy with your child's current school.
- Want your Year 2 child enrolled at an infant school to start Year 3 in a primary school.
Moving home part-way through the academic year
If you are moving into Southampton (SO14-SO19) from another local authority or country part-way through the academic year, you will need to complete an in-year transfer application.
You can also change the schools named on your application if they are no longer appropriate.
Changing schools because you are unhappy with your child's current school
Changing schools is a big decision and should not be made lightly. If your child is having difficulties at their current school, discuss the reason you want to change schools with your child's current school to try and resolve the situation before making an application.
Changing school can be difficult for a child and rarely solves their difficulties. It is important to consider the emotional, social and academic consequences for your child connected with a change of school before making an application to another school. In-year places are not always available.
Please be aware that, unless there is a relevant safeguarding reason made known to us, we will contact your child's current school upon receipt of your in-year transfer application.
Applications should be made on-line to the local authority admissions team by following the link below:
Admission Appeals
Appeals will be considered in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022.
- School place offers will be sent on 16 April 2026.
- Appeals must be lodged by 15 May 2026.
- Appeals lodged on time will be determined in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022, before the end of the summer term.
- Appeals lodged after 15 May 2026, that cannot be added to a scheduled hearing, will be determined at a later date.
General
- You will receive at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal hearing date.
- You can waive this right if you are late in making your appeal and wish to have your appeal determined at a hearing that is already scheduled.
- Case papers will be dispatched to you within a reasonable time before the hearing date.
- Once you have received notification of your hearing date, any additional evidence you wish to submit should be sent via email to the Democratic Services at democratic.services@southampton.gov.uk in accordance with the date detailed in the notification.
- Additional evidence may be submitted up to and including the day of the hearing.
- The panel will take its significance into account and whether there is a need to adjourn the hearing to allow all parties time to consider it.
- Following the appeal hearing decision, where possible, letters will be sent five school days following the hearing's conclusion.
Secondary School Admissions
Year 6 is a very important time for the children and one of our aims at Shirley Juniors is that we prepare our leavers for life after primary school and for their future education. The move from year 6 to year 7 can be very exciting, if a little daunting. We work alongside the local secondary schools to make this transition as smooth as possible, ensuring that children are supported both emotionally and academically.
The main secondary school we feed to is:
- Upper Shirley High
Our Year 6 teachers liaise closely with all the schools that our children will be attending to create a profile of assessment data and transition needs for each child. All secondary schools send a representative member of staff to meet the children and discuss with them what their new school will be like. During the summer term all Year 6 children attend their prospective secondary schools for a Transition day (or days) where they meet their form tutors and take part in lessons.
We have strong links with Upper Shirley High and are both part of the same Multi Academy Partnership; The Jefferys Education Partnership. We believe in high quality, local education and our children and staff are involved in different activities which are held at or lead by Upper Shirley High e.g. sports sessions, maths lessons, library tasters and ICT sessions, which all help children with their transition.
Applying for a Secondary School Place
When your child is in Year 6 you will need to apply for a Secondary School place. Applications can be made online at:
It is advised that you select 3 schools and list them in order of preference.
- TIP: When searching for the schools to add to your list, please remove the postcode from the search engine as this will only pull up schools in your postcode. In addition, if you know the schools you would like to list, it is advisable to search using the first few letters of the name only.
Applications must be submitted to Southampton City Council by the 31st October deadline each academic year.
If you do not have access to a computer, please use your local library, or alternatively, please call 023 8083 3004 for further advice.