Childcare funding starting reception 😢

[Loubeat]

So I found out from my daughters new school that they have deceived to start her on the 24th September they are staging induction in 3 stages to make it easier for the children to settle in.
Here are my issues with this:

1. I lose my childcare funding on the 31st August.
   
2. My husband and I both have to work ful time. Just to pay the bills prior to the childcare funding we were paying out twice our rent just to put her into nursery.
   
3. Schools go back the first week of September so we have planned and budgeted for this prior to recieving our letter from the school.
   
4. So the children born at the beginning of the school year have 3 more weeks to settle into school than my daughter and then she is only there 3 weeks prior to half term?
   
5. Doesn’t this just unsettle the children that has supposedly settled in the first week with new children coming in ?
   
6. Lastly we can not afford the now extra nursery fees as we have just moved so have a higher rent and cannot take time off Due to having to take time off earlier in the year and have already booked time off for half terms and Christmas etc
   

Where do we stand what do we do ???

[laptopdisaster]

you can refuse, it's not compulsory anymore. Write them a polite letter saying that she has been at full time nursery and you don't feel she needs a delayed start, you aren't able to accommodate it and you'll be bringing her for full days from the first day of term.

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/3284936-Parents-of-new-reception-starters-you-do-not-have-to-start-your-child-part-time-or-later-in-the-term-no-matter-what-the-school-says

[EggsRoyale]

Speak to the school, explain you cannot provide childcare and have to work and that you need her to start with the early born children. sure they can accommodate.

[nuttyknitter]

Do you really want your DD to start on the first day of term along with 29 others? Just imagine the chaos of all those under fives in a new and unfamiliar setting with one, or certainly no more than two, adults. That is what will happen if every parent in the class insists on an immediate start. Schools do a staggered admission for a reason - their years of professional experience has shown them what works best for the children.

[spaghettipeppers]

We do it every year nuttyknitter. It is never chaotic and starting in dribs and drabs can be more unsettling for many children.

Don't worry, OP, just inform the school she will be attending full time from date X.

[SleepingStandingUp]

Schools do a staggered admission for a reason then surely it would make sense to base it on needs. I don't work so if it was a staggered intake I would happily habe him home for three extra weeks rather than forcing a family like OP's into the financial gutter.
Incidentally our school nursery intske at 3 is one flat intake for anyone okd enough.
My son has additional needs so he's starting half term to let the others settle first. But that's needs based on child not dob

[admission]

It sounds like the right thing for the school to do, staggering the starting date of the reception children but the school always conveniently forget the issues this causes and the law which is full time education from 1st September, which is why the childcare finishes on the 31st August.
Tell the school that you want your child to start full time from the first day of term.

[admission]

It sounds like the right thing for the school to do, staggering the starting date of the reception children but the school always conveniently forget the issues this causes and the law which is full time education from 1st September, which is why the childcare finishes on the 31st August.
Tell the school that you want your child to start full time from the first day of term.

[SpaghettiDinner]

Really sympathise OP. I can't believe people are saying this is a good thing / they can't all start at once etc.

My son will start full days from day one in September just as his sister did two years ago.

It's all so inconsistent isn't it?

[ZoSanDesu]

Children get their childcare funding until the term after they turn five, so i don't understand why you say yours stops on 31st August, if DD is a younger child? Is it what nursery have told you?

I agree with the annoyance of the later term start! Not the reasoning behind it, but the lack of transparency. We accepted our school place and got a school calendar back in April. Nothing said about staggered starts until last week! If you know in April, there's more options available.

Hope you get it sorted.

[Grobagsforever]

Just refuse. Schools need a better grasp of reality. Most ppl work. Which is a good thing and they should help, not hinder this as having two employed parents gives long term benefits to kids

[PlugUgly1980]

You can refuse a phased start. My LG is a spring baby so was down to do 3 weeks of half days. I spoke to the teacher and she's starting full time. She's done full time Nursery since a baby, and both us parents work full time. The teacher did explain it phased starts were as much for the teacher's benefit as the child though as they try to keep numbers small whilst they get to know all the new children. Also she's staying in Nursery until school starts, so I do have to pay full cost for my sept Nursery days, but I'm happy with that.

[MarchingFrogs]

It's several years since even our youngest started primary school (and he was started on the first day of term anyway), but for both of his siblings, we just asked the school politely if they could please start on an earlier date than the one allocated and the school had no problem with this.

As for surely not wanting a child to start on the first day with 29 others, it's starting on the last possible date that will see your DC walking into a classroom with 29 others in it. Infant class size legislation dictates that only in very limited circumstances is an infant class allowed to consist of more than 30 with only one qualified teacher, so if yours and 29 others are starting on the first day, it's because that school has a policy of not staggering starts.

[buttyblahblah]

Mine are both summer babies and started full time with just a couple of half days to start. They were fine as they were both used to nursery.

Definitely tell the school you can't cover the extra time and you need a full time place from the start.

[Loubeat]

Hi everyone
Thanks for all the replies.
OH has taken the first week off as it’s his birthday that week so two birds one stone. Second week with grandparaents and hopefully managing to book 2 days holiday we should be ok but the teacher seems ok about starting her a week earlier. She also said a lot of people have asked for their children to start the first week of induction. Guessing they are in the same position.

We had a home visit back in April and as you said I would have been better if they mentioned this to us then!
Luckily the teachers all seem lovely just wish we knew about this a long time ago

[reallybadidea]

Schools really need to move with the times on this issue.