Shit, no places left for DS this January :(

[kittyletteItBe]

I know its only nursery but Id got it into my head he would be going and been preparing him for it.

Wont be till next september now

Is there an alternative playgroup or something in area that he could start in the meantime?

I really wanted him to start the school nursery TBH, I went there so Im familiar with it and got comfatable with the idea of him being there (I have anxiety issues with leaving himanywhere).

I guess I could look around.

Do they have a waiting list? Children often drop out/move

Yes he's on that. But I didn't ask how far along he was on it.

oh crikey, that is a shame

i put down DDs name for local playgroup a year before she was due to start, as i knew it was popular

definitely ask re the waiting list

maybe he'll get a place at easter instead... how old is he

dd2 goes to a little nursery mainly used by children before they go onto school nursery. It only runs two mornings a week and is a lovely introduction to the real thing. I would check in your local area for something similar. It is quite a long time until Sept if your dd is ready. Usually these nurseries charge a fee but that's unavoidable if your child does not qualify for a free place.

Is it a state nursery? Normally you have to apply the academic year before they start to get a place. Eg round here you had to apply by last March to start either thie Sept or January.

If you are a 1st timer though you don;t always realise this though they do often put posters up at local pre-schools and in the papers.

For my ds's private nursery we put his name down when he was 2 to start when he was 3.

That's a shame, kitty. I'm having a similar problem myself. I live in a nice village within a few minutes of the city centre.

Consequently, all our nurseries are full of children who've been driven in from the city. I'm prepared to walk, and I live in the village, but there are no places for my ds.

If this situation continues at primary level, I'll home-ed him. I don't see why I should have to get in a car just to take my kid to nursery/school.

Really Desiderata. The system round here is that for nursery everyone applies at the same time through the LEA and it is done by proximity to the school/nursery (after the usual special need/sibling priorities)

We were informed that DD2 didn't get a school nursery place in June of last year but we kept her name on the waiting list and three weeks later she luckily got a place. It is surprising how many people have their children's names down for two nurseries or who have moved away etc since applications are made so much in advance. Don't give up hope, it might be worth ringing the school to find out what place DS is on the waiting list. Places in our county are allocated by date of birth and she is one of the youngest in the group but was sixth one their waiting list.

That's what I assumed, too, which is why I didn't put his name down at birth.

Now I'm told there are no places in the village. Having made some enquiries, it turns out that many places are being filled by children who don't live in the village.

I'm going down to my nearest nursery next week to have it out with them. He's entitled to 12.5 hours from January, and I intend to see that he gets them!

That's not good.

Mind you round here everyone goes full time the September after they are 3 (if you llive in one LEA) or 5 half days the September after they are 3 in the next LEA.

So if your ds is 3 between now and Xmas he wouldn't be entitled to place until next Sept.

Does the nursery publish its admissions criteria? You can argue if they are not follwing proper procedure.

I'll certainly check out their admissions criteria. When I spoke to them on the phone in February, they told me ds would be eligible for a place in January (he's three tomorrow).

But other mums have said that because the one nearest to me is a pre-school, they only have one admissions date, which would be September.

Are they state school nurseries (owned and run by the LEA often but not always attached to a school) or pre-schools run by a committee with a constitution but sometimes using schools as venues?

Children are entitled to funding the term after they are 3 that can be used at either a private nursery, playgroup or state nursery. However most state school nurseries have one admission date per year (even if they sometimes have staggared intakes).

The council is under no obligation to provide nursery places as they say that the funding can be used in the private/voluntary sector.

Playgroups can unfortunately operate on a 1st come 1st served basis regardless of where the child lives. State school nurseries should generally admit like primary schools.

Children should really come with an education instruction manual.