Can’t start nursery at Easter?

[CosmicComet]

Started looking at nurseries for my DS because I want to put him on the waiting list for when he turns 3 and gets free hours. But I’ve been told I can’t, because he was born in January.

The kids who turned 3 over the summer are eligible to start nursery in September. Then the kids who turn 3 before Xmas are eligible to start in January. And finally those who turn 3 in the Spring are eligible to start after Easter.

Basically the local nursery has spaces in September because that’s when kids leave to go to school. So the September starters take some places, and if there are places left the January starters take them. And there are no places left for Easter starters. So the nursery said there’s no point putting my DS on the waiting list because there’ll be no places left by the time he’s eligible to start.

AIBU to think this is unreasonable? Their only advice was to “choose a crapper nursery because they’re more likely to still have places left at Easter. Try X nursery in the next town because Ofsted has rated it as Poor”. Why should my DS have to go to a nursery rated Poor just because of when his birthday falls?!

It sucks but there’s no way around it, unless you enroll him and pay for him until he turns 3.

I don’t like the system at all, I feel like my summer born children (already disadvantaged by being the youngest in the year upon starting school) are really let down by only getting a year in preschool where the older children get nearly 2

Did you have the option to pay for a place until he is eligible for funding? The problem is that the nursery needs to fill its spaces to cover its costs so probably can't afford to lose two terms of funding.

A summer born child will get 3 terms at nursery. A spring born will get 4 terms. And an autumn born will get 5 terms. It seems very unfair. But what they’re saying is the summer born kids will definitely get places in Sept, the autumn born kids will probably get places in Jan, and the spring born kids definitely won’t get places in April. So what am I to do with my spring born DS if there’s no nursery places left?

It's irrelevant now but we're there no pre school options? My DDs went to pre school at 2 so stayed there until they were eligible for nursery.

It’s shit for you of course but the nursery are running a business- what are they meant to do? Hold unfunded places for months?

No I don’t have the option to pay for a place from Sept-April until DS gets free hours. Firstly because I don’t have the money. And secondly because a “half day paid” is 5hrs, 8-1pm or 1-6pm. But a “half day free” is 3hrs, 9-12pm or 1-4pm. And they won’t let you pay for a 3hr half day. I’d have to pay for 5 x 5hr half days, then when DS turns 3 he’d have that place and it would become free 5 x 3hr half days. It seems stupid to do more hours when he’s younger and less hours when he’s older!

I totally understand that the nursery is a business and can’t hold empty places. But it’s shit that kids are eligible to go to nursery but can’t go because there’s no places left by the time their birthday rolls around! Surely they should all become eligible at the same time, the September after they turn 3. Like they are for school!

They can't make you send him for all those hours though.

Not sure what you mean @drspouse ?

I’d have to pay for 25 hours a week so DS has a place, and when he turns 3 he’d keep that place for free but only for 15 hours. Seems stupid.

@FixedIdeal No not the fault of the nursery. But it’s awful to say DS gets 15 hours free however he can’t claim them because his birthday falls too late in the year. If he’s entitled to free hours he should be able to have them!!

You could just send him the same hours as the free place. Not all 25.

Surely they should all become eligible at the same time, the September after they turn 3.

But isn't that what is happening at your nursery? They are only offering extra places to just-3s if there are any available after the September intake. Yes, some children will get 4 or 5 terms if the nursery is undersubscribed but all will get 3.

Just start him in September then he will get 3 terms. My ds1 is 3 in April his nursery is full so he will start in September and get 3 terms. My older ds was born October and got 5 terms. He was well past being ready for school by the time it came round! Remember if you need to pay for childcare pre the 30 hours entitlement it was nearly an extra year of nursery that needed to be paid for, not such a great advantage after all!

We started in the September, one year is plenty. Or look for a preschool that isn't full day that only charges 3 hours per day for the first two terms

@drspouse I can’t send him the same hours as the free place. A paid half day is 5hrs and that’s the minimum you can book. They won’t let you pay for 3hrs.

Just send him in September then?

Just start him in September then he will get 3 terms

Well what’s the point of publicising that kids get free hours at age 3, if the nurseries are full and the kids can’t actually be accommodated until the following September? The government promised me free nursery so I could go back to work when DS turns 3, not five months later when September rolls around.

OP. Not all nursery's will give you 30 hours either. Even if you start booking your DC in for September.

Not all nursery's will give you 30 hours either

How so, when all the government literature promises 30 hours free nursery for every child aged 3? If the nursery has a space then how can they deny my DS his legal entitlement?

In the same way, all children are entitled to free schooling in the September of the year they turn 5. This doesn't entitle them to either the school their parents want or their nearest school, just an education somewhere in the local authority. It's just life I'm afraid.

It's not compulsory for a childcare provider to offer funded places. Yes you are entitled to it but you have to find it.

For example. If a nursery or childminder charges £6 per hour, they will only get say £4.50 per hour paid by the government. So they loose the rest of that money. In addition the government only pay at the end of each term so whilst the nursery has to pay their staff weekly or monthly they don't get paid for months.

I suggest you start googling and get a plan in place now rather than later. It's not as easy as getting free childcare for a week, it's gonna take some hard graft on your part.

The government can publicise whatever they want but until they start running the nurseries themselves, they can’t compel them to offer your child a place whenever it’s deemed most convenient for you.

These are private businesses and many of them are being sent to the wall by the government’s ‘generous’ PR stunt which doesn’t even cover their costs in most cases.

But at least school is an equal playing field and all kids get the same amount of schooling. In the case of nursery they’re basically saying my DS can’t start when he’s entitled to because his birthday falls too late in the year.