Is your school preschool open?

[gigi556]

My DS 3.5 years is at home because the preschool he goes to his part of a primary school and it's now closed except for key worker kids. He misses it. He misses his friends. I appreciate our situation is no different than thousands of other kids stuck at home at the moment.... but I'm really pissed off that all his friends at private nurseries are still able to attend. He starts reception in September and I know he's only little but I feel like he's going to be disadvantaged. I know many parents with kids of different ages have this same feeling from other threads I've read. I guess I'm just curious how many publicly funded preschools are open to all right now? Is being open to all the norm or the exception?

The majority of school nurseries/preschools are open as usual in my experience (in my social media groups) and personal experience. About half of my families have decided to send their children back.
According to the powers that be nurseries/preschools are safe and ‘should’ be open. Most local authorities have said that they will not give funding to any nursery or preschool if they are not open to all. Some are not even giving funding to nurseries for families who do not wish their children to attend. Therefore lots of school nurseries have had to reopen.

It had closed but it is opening again tomorrow. DD is a KW child so she has had to join reception class and now she can't switch bubbles which is sad.

@RosieLemonade same here. KW nursery children have been moved into reception.

@Doubledoodlemummy that's interesting. I ran into a mum this morning who's had closed but her son went back this week after receiving a letter saying they could come back.... but consider keeping them at home.

IME, the school Nursery classes, are counted as part of the school.

If it is a PVI that has a portacabin on the school site, but is separately managed, then they are open.
A Nursery class at a Primary school will usually have a teacher, who is qualified as such, and seen as a member of staff at the school.

A PVI usually doesn't have teachers, the dc have a better ratio of adults to children, and they will have a separate Manager.

In our LA that is what is distinguishing them

Though, confusingly, the (maintained) but Stand alone Nursery Schools, which do also have qualified teachers, do also seem to be open.

@BackforGood is there a way of finding out how the LA is handling it? My sons nursery is definitely part of the school. He has one teacher and one TA and in non Covid times, the nursery and reception class are mixed together.

Yes and it's part of a primary

Also, we are being provided with a home learning provision.

Not at our school. That seems to be the norm in our area. Seems like it varies a lot by region?

My DD's preschool has shut too. It's not attached to a school but they didn't have enough staff to open after considering those who were CV or had school age kids at home.

Numbers are really high in our area so it feels like the safest option and I would have kept her off anyway as I'm a SAHM.

I do hope all children can go back to their peers as soon as possible. It's so hard for them.

Ds's preschool is open, it's part of the primary school.

Sorry, I don't know, but I think you've answered it yourself. It is school provision. Schools are closed, therefore the Nursery is closed as it is part of the school.

@BackforGood I guess you're right! I'm still annoyed. Ergh. The infection rates are going down here so fingers crossed he won't be stuck at home much longer 😬😬😬😬

This is the a recent guidance from the DFE about early years provision

I’ll try again- sorry

Yep, school nursery here is closed. Guidance specifically says they should be open. But MAT and headteacher didn't want to reopen and guidance isn't statutory. I am expecting it to cause a hole in the school finances but they obviously think they can cope with that. All I can do is hope that they go back after Easter.

@Doubledoodlemummy that is very interesting! So I guess any early years settings (bar reception) that are staying closed to non-key worker children are going against the guidance.

I'm a preschool teacher and it's usually open as normal (closed right now because I have covid)

@Herhereherhere did you ask the head specifically? Or how did they relay that information to you?

@gigi556. We (a few parents) pointed out the above guidance, including the lines that state they wouldn't be funded if they didn't open. They called a meeting with the MAT and decided to stay closed and emailed us to tell us all. They had basically ignored the nursery until then!

Unfortunately the other local pre school is full though it I would have moved.

Ours was closed, but I think once it became clear the LA wasn’t going to fund them they were forced to reopen this week. Not sure how many families have decided to send their kids in though, I haven’t - and we’re still getting a full timetable of home learning.

Very interesting about funding. We don't need the childcare desperately or I would have looked into sending him back to the private nursery he used to attend. I just really feel he's missing out and as much as I am really trying.... he's watching a lot of tv! It's a Catholic school so perhaps they are able to get some funding from the church instead. No idea!

Some heads have made the decision not to open as it puts them in a uncomfortable position expecting some members of the staff to work as normal when the majority are only having vulnerable and key worker children. If staff are shielding it is also a staffing issue.
It is only guidance so not legally enforceable and most heads I know were keeping nurseries closed until the threat of financial penalties kicked in.
Thankfully my nursery only has 1/2 of the families sending their children in but that is still children from 20 different families and 5 adults all in one room together, if they all returned it would be an awful lot of contacts for us each day.
No one who works in early years wants to be closed and I expect the reasons for the closure of your child’s preschool are valid despite it being difficult for you and your child.

Oh I know @Doubledoodlemummy. And I also appreciate we aren't in a special situation. We are in the same shit situation as thousands of others. I know my frustrations are shared. I assumed it was to protect their staff tbh and because as you say it's odd to have different rules for different staff. I imagine teaching in person is easier. My sons teacher has to teach as normal to all the key worker kids and provide the online provision to everyone at home.

Yep, must be awful for the nursery class staff to be having to work with no social distancing or PPE when all their colleagues are being protected.
They’d be within their rights to get their union involved and refuse on safety grounds.