Nursery admissions prioritising 30 hour eligibility

[TBC45678]

We've recently been denied a pre-school place at the school our elder children attend due to the fact that we don't have a 30 hour code. So the nursery prioritise 30 hour eligibility over siblings. Anyone experienced this? It seems so unfair to me but I know they can choose their own admissions policies for nursery places.

I guess it's unfair to anyone who doesn't get a place, regardless of the reason why. It's not anyone's 'fault' why they don't meet the criteria but if the nursery is oversubscribed then they have to choose something to be the deciding factor.

Is the reason you don’t have a code because your little one is too young or you don’t qualify? Local authorities are under huge pressure to ensure that all children able to receive funding have a lace. Some LA’s are passing this pressure on to settings.

No, my husband earns above the bracket, hence why we're not eligible. Totally get that they have to choose something to prioritise, it just seems a shame to school families! I think maybe they don't want the hassle of taking payment, as obviously we'd top up the missing hours. I did ask if he'd get a 15 hour place but still no, and that wouldn't work anyway as we both work. There will be a lot of siblings missing out because they are only eligible for 15 hours due to one/both parents not working.

What childcare are you using now?

Does that also affect the entry to school then?
here our primary school admission criteria 1) attendance at school nursery.

• always thought that was unfair given it’s a half day and useless for working parents

He's in a private nursery. I'd just always imagined him having a year of pre school with his older siblings and them all being in one place! He'll turn 4 in the autumn so he's been at his nursery a long time and lots of his friends are leaving for school in the summer (and it's also more than double the price!!). My middle did so well at the school nursery and it helped a lot with the transition to reception, but that was in the days that they weren't over subscribed so we didn't have this issue. We've all been assuming he'd be there in Sept, which was obviously a mistake!

@UncharteredWaters no, attendance at the nursery isn't anywhere on the school admissions criteria. Siblings is at the top after looked after etc, so that shouldn't be an issue.

The whole thing just seems odd.

This is rubbish but school nurseries/pre schools set their own criteria for admissions and will always want to maximise their income. It easy to prioritise thirty hour children with a code. I think it really unfair on families where a parent chooses not to work and stay at home to look after their children. I hadn’t really thought that it also exclude those earning over £100000. Have you raised it with the pre school
and offered to pay for unfunded hours used?

Can you pay for the additional 15 hours?

Why does the whole thing seem odd?

Clearly a popular preschool, they need some way of choosing who to take. Some will do a firsty come first served, but this penalises newcomers to the area; some will do age but this penalises summer borns... ultimately they have chosen to prioritise funded children, possible to reduce the payment issues they might get with parents.

You only find it odd because it's your child missing out. I doubt you'd find another way odd if your child got a spot!

@ScrewedByFunding I've just never heard of siblings not getting in before, but I take your point

Can your DH add a chunk to his pension to make you eligible for the 30hrs?

It does seem unfair.

Do preschools attached to schools even accept payments? Maybe that’s why they can only accept funding.

I'm certain you would have found it unfair if child 1 hadn't got a place because they were your eldest, with no siblings above them.

Your income gives you options that poorer families don't have.

Really?? My understanding is that this isn’t a valid criterion under the Admissions Code.

@ArtTheClownIsNotAMime yes, we are lucky that private nursery for an extra year is a valid option for us! But I disagree that I'd have found it unfair if our eldest didn't get a place if it was oversubscribed. My feeling that it's unfair is based solely on the fact that his two siblings are at the school. Though unfair isn't actually a word I'd use, it's just a shame!

How far over the 100k bracket is he? Any chance of him paying more into his pension to bring him under?

Well you did use "unfair" in your first post. But I agree it's a shame.

@ArtTheClownIsNotAMime haha oh yes. Well maybe I do think it's unfair then 😂

I’d be so pissed off! Is is because they don’t want to deal with the money?

I miss the laugh emoji... I thanked that but then I thought it might seem passive aggressive 😅

How many places are there in the pre school vs places in reception?

School nurseries don’t always want to charge fees, one of mine went to one but it was 3 hours each morning, but it seems unfair that dc who have a sahm (eg younger or disabled sibling) are excluded

Ours does.

I think nurseries in schools should be more clear on the application forms with people that they are not linked to the school in terms of places etc.

There's a few people been complaining on a local Facebook page today about the same thing who didn't seem to realise that siblings at the school doesn't feature in nursery priority.

Yes, ours does. The children get every morning for three hours which is their fifteen hours education. Thirty hour children stay in the afternoon. If you do not receive thirty hours you pay for the pm sessions. I think it £6 an hour. If they have school lunches it’s £3 but can bring a pack lunch. The admissions criteria is the same as school. So no requirement to access thirty hours for a space. I would have though it was discrimination.