Fate means no school place arranged for September - any advice??

[snowbella]

HI - our DD is 4 in June, and so due to start reception in Sept. We were set to move out to kent but our co-freeholder has blocked our sale of our London flat before exchange (this could take months to sort out in court). So now our buyers have pulled out and our sellers pull out next Monday.

Kent CC told us we had to BE in Kent to make applications, so we made none in London, thinking we wouldn't be here. I have just made a late application for primary schools in Kent but worried we could be allocated literally anywhere in the county as we have no base yet. Equally we are up the creek in London.

I have another baby on the way (due Oct) and am beside myself thinking we've failed our daughter!! Has anyone any experience of late applications, in-year applications, etc. I am wondering whether it would be crazy to keep her in her nursery till she is 5, but surely that would hold her back? Any advice at all (even if it's just "calm down woman!") would be very much appreciated!

You poor thing - what a nightmare! I guess get on the phone asap to local schools and LEA/ the local independents, dependent on chosen route. And get ready to have to travel.

Can't make any more constructive suggestions, but fingers really tightly crossed for you.

I would call the LEA and make a late application. If they don't come up with a school you like, keep your daughter in nursery until they do or until she is 5. In London reception places do come up through the academic year and you are not going to do her any harm if she doesn't start reception immediately in September. You can always look for a nursery that offers quite a lot of structure: some of them are quite good at teaching the older ones, while some schools don't teach much in reception, so there's not all that much of a disparity imo.
You can always teach her some phonics yourself. Between that and nursery so she has friends I'd say she won't miss anything significant.

Take a deep breath and stay calm!

You have already made an application to Kent. It would be a good idea to make one to your local authority in London as well in case the move takes longer than expected. The LA must find you a place somewhere. You've missed the main admissions round so you won't have much choice but you will get a place. You can also go on the waiting list for any school you want. You can appeal for any school you want as well, although most appeals will be infant class size so your chances of success will be limited.

If you don't like the school the LA offers, accept it and get on the waiting list for all the schools you would prefer. You can tell the school you are going to defer entry until Easter next year. That way you've got a fallback position if nothing else comes up but you are also giving yourself as much time as possible to find a better school. The one thing I would avoid doing is delaying for a full year as then your choice of schools will be very limited.

Deep breath - she doesn't need to start school until September 2012 (& even then you still have the option of home education).

Apply to the LA you are living in now (in London); things change and many children may drop out before September (holding a reserve place in maintained sector but intending to start pre-preps etc.); applying now will also mean that you will get preference over people who might move into the area between now and the start of term.

If the LA doesn't offer you a place at the school you want then you can keep her in pre-school instead (using your free entitlement to early education).

It would probably be a good idea if you can move before early January then if a school in Kent takes her they will get money for her, otherwise she comes with no funding.

She's going to be only just four. A late start honestly won't hurt, especially if she is in nursery.

You see a lot of posters talking about deferring places and not starting until January anyway. So I think that gives you at least a term to take deep heaths and follow the advice above about securing a reception place in London.

Also, talk to your current nursery about what they can do for her. Obviously they will have an outflow in September, but will there be others staying until January. Nurseries and Reception both follow EYFS, so they should be able to offer similar to a reception class - though in practice they might be less experienced with slightly older children. Finding out what they would do might prove reassuring that it won't matter at all if she stays.

Good luck with sorting it all out!

Big reassuring vibes in your direction!!
You are not failed your daughter. Staying at nursery gives you a lot more flexibility over the next year. You can find out on line what they cover in reception (use jolly phonics, reading chest and the links to Dfes, although the pre-school may well do this anyway). New baby, new house, new area; that's a lot of change - you don't have to throw the school thing in as well yet.

Places often come up at schools in year, it will all be fine.
Chill, enjoy your extra time with your 4 year old!