Moving from Scotland to England

[poppet31]

Hi there. I am hoping someone may be able to provide some advice. It is looking likely that our family will be moving from Scotland to the north of England at the start of next year. I am aware that the education system is quite different and am trying to understand the differences.

Our son is 3 and a half (March birthday) and currently attends a private day nursery 3 full days a week. We receive 30 hours funding from our local authority (but spread it over the full year) and then pay the difference. Would we be able to do something similar in England? Do nurseries usually operate all year round?

In Scotland, our son would go to school the August after his 5th birthday, so not until the year after next. However, am I right in saying in England, he would be expected to start next September when he is 4? And is it possible to defer?

To add an additional layer of complexity, our son is adopted and has some additional needs but is doing well and we're fairly confident he will be able to cope in a mainstream school.

What else do I need to be thinking about? Many thanks in advance for any advice or help. I feel totally overwhelmed.

You can’t defer for a March birthday, no. But Reception is a bit more laid back than P1. He’ll be in the middle of the age range which helps.

Should specify the age cut off for entry to school in England is 1st sept. Deferring is new and rare ish I think. Some schools don’t let deferred children into reception class, just into Year 1 a year later which doesn’t achieve all that much.

Thank you. He is developmentally delayed but making good progress. In Scotland he would have had an extra year of nursery before entering primary 1 and being the oldest in his year would have really benefited him as the gap between him and his peers may not have been quite as obvious.

Are you aware that there are often not firm catchment areas? Schools will accept 30 or 60 children and that is it. So composite classes are very rare (my son’s school currently has a P1/2 composite which I don’t think is great), but the flip side of that is that you won’t be entirely sure you will get in to your chosen school unless you are very close to it.
Councils may release maps of ‘where children were accepted from’.
You say north, it’s not Leeds is it? I can be more specific if so.
You can of course move into an area with a few good primaries.

We found England much more focussed on testing and maths and English progress, particularly at the ‘outstanding’ school mine went to. I’d avoid outstanding.

I’d ask really specific questions about how much timetabled time there is for outdoor play etc in years above Reception. I remember it was May before my daughters did any art in yr 3

You probably want to check when you need to apply by too.

Just totally didn’t respond to your post, sorry! I know, but at least he’s in the middle of the year.

Given your son is adopted, many schools put children who are “looked after” or “previously looked after” as priority for admission above all other children. This means that you could actually have some genuine choice over which school you feel is right for him and not have to live in catchment or on the school doorstep.

Look at all the admissions criteria for every school you are interested in as a result. Also make sure you write that he is adopted on the application form to ensure the council is aware of this at the point the school allocations are made. Telling them afterwards could be too late.

There are some great state schools out there for supporting those who need a little help and reception is very gentle. Lots of playing and more about getting ready to learn than bombarding them with stuff.

As Zodlebud says, you should have a priority getting the right school for your son so at least you needn’t worry about catchments. You’ll need to apply for a school soon so that he can start Reception in Sept 2021. The local council will have an education section on their website with all the details of schools and the admission process.

He'll start reception in September 21, in the interim assuming you both work full time you will get 30 hours funded (15 if you aren't working). My kids are both sen and I chose morning preschool (15 hours) attached to a school rather than day nursery as they were more highly trained and could access send services. You can't defer entry for spring birthdays and most kids go in the correct year (sep-aug) so he'll be mid year birthday. Additional resources will be sought in a mainstream school as required. Check the application deadlines for where you plan to live, they vary, but he should be prioritised as a former looked after child. Try not to worry, they will start at very different abilities - my dd really struggled until around 12 then something clicked, she's at university!

Thank you so much everyone. In respect of applying for a reception place, it's a bit awkward as we're not looking to move until February/March time and haven't bought a house yet. We know the general area we want to move to and I'm looking at schools there but I guess we're not going to know for sure where we would ideally like him to go until we actually find a house, which will be after the admissions deadline for the year. Does anyone know if late applications are accepted or what happens for children who move during the year? Thanks again.

I’m not quite sure about late applications but there are some application experts on these boards or you might able to find an old thread.

In terms of moving when school has started and or in the summer holidays etc, it’s called ‘in year applications’. So you’d contact the local council and express your preference for schools. If none of those schools have a vacancy, they will give you a place elsewhere.

You might also want to look into EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan).

You could also look at the website below. It’ll give you all sort of data about schools. Not just performance but school size + makes it easy to identify all local options. In addition, schools get inspected by Ofsted so it might be worth reading the reports of schools you’re considering (readily available online).

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools

You should be able to apply for places in the new area in the normal time scales even before moving (well you can in the UK, not sure about switching from Scotland to UK). In normal circumstances you would only get a place if the school was highly undersubscribed, but given your son is previously looked after turn like I said, he will be bumped to the top of the admissions criteria regardless of your address.

I would call the LEA for the area you want to move to and talk it through with them. His circumstances mean that your application would be treated very differently from normal.

Thank you everyone. Lots to think about and research. Really appreciate your advice.

well you can in the UK, not sure about switching from Scotland to UK

I think Scotland voted to stay in the UK after all

As soon as you get an English address you'll need to apply. It'll be a late application as places will already have been allocated. But you'll go straight on the waiting list which will be held in priority order, although you're relying on someone declining their place. If he was adopted from LEA care he will be top criteria of the list (although faith schools can prioritise children of the faith first). If you don't move till September you'll be making an in year application so reliant on vacancies.