Rejected from Scottish nursery - please help!

[PartyRingaRosie]

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My DD has just been rejected from our local nursery (literally a 2 minute walk from home) due to capacity. I called to ask about alternatives and was told the 2 other nurseries in our village are also full. The only option the could offer was a nursery 10 miles away.

I’m really upset and worried about this. It’s not at all practical for us to be driving 10 miles each way before work every morning, and I’m also anxious that if she can’t get into a local nursery now, she may struggle to get into the local primary when the time comes.

Has anyone been in this situation? What did you do? Is there anything I can do to challenge this and push for a place locally?

If you read the very first line of that legislation, you will see that it applies in England.

The two have no bearing on each other. There is no obligation of councils to provide any early years provision. Moreover, there is no obligation on parents to use early years provision. Also private provision is often still available to 3-4 year olds fairly cheaply and parents may chose to continue to use this. Predicting how many parents will chose to send their children to school nursery at 3 is therefore very challenging.

For LAs accommodating children in primary school is MUCH easier, because the only children who WON'T be in the primary schools are those who go to private school of which generally there won't be many, children who are home educated of which there also won't be many, and children who go to special school which will also be a small number AND which the LA will have helped place and so will be aware of. So overall predicting school places is easy compared to predicting pre-school places.

Are you in catchment? They tend to prioritise kids in catchment but be aware local authorities have a legal obligation to ensure there are enough funded places for all 3 and 4 year olds but that doesn't mean you have the right for your child to attend the nursery you want them to. When did you apply? Is your child just turning 3?

There is a legal obligation in Scotland that all lical authorities must provide adequate spaces for all 3 and 4 year old children. This can be in a local authority nursery or funding can be used by a childminder or private nursery. Under 3 they have no obligation. This is written in the Children and young people's act scotland 2014

I live opposite a primary school. Didn’t get a place in the nursery (pre school) because there were on 16 places and they all went to younger siblings of children in the school.

My DD1 stayed in her private nursery until she started reception. Which to be honest worked better for us anyway as the private nursery was 8-6 and the school nursery was only school hours. School nurseries only really seem to work if you have a nanny or childminder to do the wrap around.

They do.

No reception in Scotland, straight into P1 (same in NI)

That's interesting. There's no catchment for local authority nurseries in my authority so having an older siblings at the attached school doesn't come into the criteria for being awarded a space at the nursery.

I wish it did as I have 3 older children at the primary and would love that to matter but it doesn't here so I will cross my fingers for a place.

There are no catchment nurseries.

Local Authorities administer EY. Not the SG.

Can you not use your hours with a childminder registered under the scheme? That certainly used to be the case.

The private school near us has a nursery and some chose to use them there for longer days (although less hours because they didn't have school holidays in same way).

It's disappointing you didn't get the place for the ante pre school year. I wonder how much increased deferrals are having an impact here? But are you sure there aren't better private options than the one 10 miles away?

There is no such thing as a reception place in Scotland.

‘A school place as opposed to q nursery place’

Scottish Govt changed ruled on school deferrals meaning any child turning 5 from August onwards in their p1 year could defer school. No plans in place to support LAs with funding for the extra spaces this would require, nor any consultation. It is the repercussion of a poorly thought out SG policy.

And they did this in the midst of ongoing shortage in the sector. This 100% lands on them

Every time there is a new build scheme in our area the builders claim there will be a new school or nursery included - none have ever materialised. There hasn't been a new school built since 1974 despite hundreds of new houses being built.

As PPs have said, nursery places may be affected by deferred children. Back in the day these were usually only January and February birthdays but they now seem to be getting earlier and earlier.

There is no statutory obligation for
the local authority to provide early
years places a two minute walk from your home. The caps are the absolute and there is nothing that can be done, apart from join a waiting list. Even at primary level, you are not guaranteed a place at the most local school, and again if they have no places then places cannot be fabricated from thin air. There is nothing they can do apart from put you on a waiting list. YABU.

@EvaShoe yes. They can now have a bonus year at pre school but there's no extra places.

And with 30 hours no incentive for parents to get them in school.

While some kids may benefit, these could always be considered so don't understand why it has to become universal.

I also don't think they've considered the knock on at the other end of almost 13 year olds still in primary. My 12 year old wasn't one of the most ready in p1 (in the middle in terms of birthday) but my god he's grown about a foot in the last six months and (despite being young for his age) has grown up such a lot, physically and emotionally.

I don't think primary schools are set up to be dealing with kids of this size and associated behaviours, especially in rural schools with composite classes across many year groups.

I dreaded secondary but it's been great for him and I can see he was in need of it, despite being one of those you wouldn't call advanced for his age in any respect.

There is no one to challenge. You’re not entitled to a Nursery place. LAs can accommodate children in schools because schools have more places than Nurseries.

There seems to be alot of confusion here about the difference between preschool education and chilcare. Scottish local authorities are obliged to provide preschool education not childcare. However as a PP pointed out in a ridiculous move the scottish gov said pupils could get a third year of preschool education without providing resources meaning many LA are failing to meet their statutory obligation.

Semantics. The LA must provide a school place for everyone who wants one. No need to be pedantic.

You need to be careful with that because there have been huge issues recently with some councils refusing funding for cross-boundary places. A friend of mine has to pay the full fees for her 3 year old despite him being entitled to the 1140 hours because he goes to a nursery near her work which isn't in the same local authority area that they live in 😬

This. I'm also curious to know because things can vary by area. Not often by much but it can make a difference. Although I'm unaware of any councils who would start funding a 3 year old with an October birthday any earlier than the following January anyway. I know Glasgow it used to be the Monday after your third birthday but they changed it. But the OP says she lives rurally. Although saying that some semi-rural areas could come under Glasgow city Council.

You should have posted this in Scotsnet! So much confusing advice from people who live in England.

The spaces avaliable will have been filled by children who are higher up in the admissions priority list than your child. They have discharged your duty by offering you a place, even if it's not a convenient one. You can ask for your application to be considered again at future admissions panels, in the hope that a place comes up. These are every 6 months in the authority I work in, but you'd need to check your LA website.

In the meantime, you could approach closer private nurseries who may have spaces, or use your 30 hours funding at a childminder, if you can get a funded place.