anybody else had a problem finding a place at state nursery?

[knickerelasticjones]

Hi there, just wondering if I'm alone in this...

We're moving to Trinity in a week or so, with our DD1 4.5 and DD2 2. DD1 is just too young to be at primary so I tried to find her a place at state nursery for this year but found that

1. there are hardly any state nurseries in Trinity.
2. The only one there is (holy cross) is full.

I was honestly really surprised that this would happen. I'd never thought that part of the city would be so poorly served by nurseries.

So now I'm trying to think of the many ways to fill the days over the next year until she goes to school....

Anybody else have this problem or am I just very unlucky?

ta!

Sorry to hear that Stewie.

I'm glad I'm not the only person though, as all my friends have got their DCs into nurseries and they were all gobsmacked when I said I really couldn't find a place for my DD1.

It's particularly noticeable for me as DD1 will be really old in her year so if I take her to any groups or classes in the morning she always feels like the 'oldest swinger in town' at the grand old age of 4.5....

Stockbridge nursery told me they had places, but it is far to far from us to be practical.

Ooh the Acorn club sounds like it might be good. Thursday morning is a tough one for us as well - thanks for that!

Don't know if this is any help but when I spoke to Stockbridge they said there were places morning and afternoon and didn't put any pressure on me to hurry down their to sign DD1 up. So it sounds like there are plenty of places.

Good luck in January!

SGM - why was it difficult to get February to April babies in this year?

Aren't they first on the list (if they turn 3 Feb to April) for a place after the summer holidays?

ah...so are a lot of kids being kept back from primary then? There are ten kids being kept back at our school leaving only 20 left in the morning session. My DS has been left in the afternoon class with the new starts. Big year at our school this year too.

I was also told my one nursery that there was an unexpectedly high intake this year as well.

I'm kind of frustrated by the whole thing because the whole idea that your child is entitled to a year's free nursery education is not really being met by the council's provision.

But then I work two days a week so I've long since given up on the idea that the state sector could provide any form of childcare that could be vaguely useful to me in any way. God alone knows what I'll do when DD starts school!

my understanding of it all is that it is all done by birth dates.

so of the 20 places left in the morning session at my nursery, ten of these were taken by the eldest of the previous year's afternoon session and then the remaining ten were taken up by new kids who were older than the remaining kids in the afternoon class who were waiting for a morning place to turn up. These afternoon kids are being joined by new pre-school year kids who cant get into the morning session and new just- turned three year olds who are starting their first nursery year.

But hey, at least we'll be able to trek off to distant schools on the fabby trams!

Exactly SGM!
My school is waiting until they get applications in in writing before they decide what to do about P1 spaces for our "record year".

Madness if you ask me.

It is perfectly clear from the pre-school year, it will be a HUGE intake in P1...all in catchment too.

I would start planning now!