Reception Tours 2025
Telephone: 0345 045 1370
With regard to our oversubscription criteria:
Children who have a statement of special educational need (SEN)/education, health and care (EHC) plan that names the school will be admitted. Please note: children with a statement of SEN/EHC plan that does not name the school will be referred to the Statutory Assessment Team (SAT) to determine an appropriate place.
1. Children in care (CIC) and children who were previously in care but ceased to be so by reason of adoption, a residence order (now known as a child arrangement order) or special guardianship order;
2. Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and cease to be in state care as a result of being adopted;
3. Children living in the catchment area with a sibling at the school (or partner infant/junior school) at the time of admission;
4. Children living in the catchment area;
5. Children living outside the catchment area who have a sibling at the school (or partner infant/junior school) at the time of admission;
6. Children of members of staff, provided that they have been employed for a minimum of two years and/or are recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage;
7. Children who live outside the catchment area, but nearest the school as measured by a straight line. In cases of equal merit in each set of criteria, priority will go to children living nearest the school as measured by a straight line.
For more information, please see Cambridgeshire County Council's admissions guide for parents: First Steps 2025-26.
The School Day
Uniform
All pupils at Ely St John's wear the school's uniform. This is primarily emerald green and grey. Whilst we ask for children to wear branded sweatshirts or cardigans, they are not compulsory.
- Our branded emerald green school sweatshirts can be purchased from https://www.totalclothing.co.uk/collections (please see below for more details).
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Branded cardigans are available to order from the school office.
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Sweatshirts are to be worn with white shirts or polo shirts and grey or black trousers, shorts, skirts or pinafore dresses.
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An old shirt or apron is needed for art activities.
Summer
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Children may wear closed-toe sandals and white or dark plain socks.
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In summer, girls can wear green-and-white striped or checked dresses. These should be worn with dark shoes and black, grey, brown or dark-green tights or socks.
Winter
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The school is on an exposed site, so coats should be brought to school because we make the most of being able to go outside in all weather.
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Make sure your child brings a coat to school and has raincoats and wellies available if it is wet or snowy.
Our PE kit consists of black or green shorts, a yellow T-shirt, and plimsolls.
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In summer, children need suitable shorts, T-shirts and plimsolls for outdoor activities.
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In winter, tracksuits and trainers are allowed for outdoor activities.
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Your children should come to school wearing their PE kits on PE days rather than changing clothes during the day.
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Long hair must be tied back.
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For swimming, girls should wear one-piece swimming costumes rather than bikinis, and boys should wear trunks rather than long shorts. Goggles are allowed.
High-heeled or backless shoes, or clothing attachments that could cause damage to other children, are not appropriate. No make-up should be worn for school. Children with pierced ears should wear studs for school. For safety reasons, no other earrings or jewellery should be worn. We do not allow earrings for PE. If teachers consider it dangerous to do a particular PE activity with earrings in, your child will be asked to take them out or to sit out the activity. We would strongly advise you to send your child to school without earrings on regular PE days.
Friends of Ely St John's hold second-hand uniform sales periodically throughout the year.
Curriculum Overview
At Ely St John's, the curriculum is engaging, exciting and varied.
The children spend much of their time developing their key skills through activities that interest and motivate them. Skill development is placed in practical, real-life, and meaningful contexts.
We aim to provide a rich environment for learning both inside and outside our school buildings.
We value the outdoors as a learning resource as much as the classroom and take great pride in our nature garden, allotment, outdoor classroom, foundation stage courtyards and other outside areas.
All year groups use our dedicated outdoor learning environments across a range of curriculum areas.
The curriculum is planned yearly to ensure consistency across classes and progression through the years.