What age do I put my child on school list

[V1X]

My son has just turned one and some around me have commented that I should already have started to apply for a nursery & school place - are they right, should I start now or is it too soon?

It depends what school you might be considering... We were too late at 18mo for my son at a local private....

Not for state schools. You apply in the year before they start nursery or reception. Putting their name down early will achieve nothing. Might be completely different for private schools.
You'll find all you need to know on your local authority website.

Usually they advise you apply at around 2, but you have to reapply for the reception class place.

So I would say that 1 was too young, but probably the right age to go looking round preschools. You should be thinking and gathering information about local schools, finding out how the system works - it's different everywhere, but school secretaries know everything....

Also, another thing to consider is do your high schools have a feeder school system, if so, it's worth considering your high school options first....

Yes, where I live state schools and all!

Monty, you can reserve state school places by putting their name down early?!
Where I live everyone applies by the closing date (usually about 9 months before the September they start) and everybody has the same chance of a place. Criteria mainly how close you live to the school.

That's how it was where I live when my dcs were young. DD was only 2 when someone told me I need to get her name down.

It might be different now, mine are teenagers! .

Ask around your area.

A local pre-school I wanted Ds2 to go did their admissions by birth date, so if you had a summer baby you had no chance of getting in. Really unfair.