Nursery school intake. Can I do anything about this?

[mmmmmchocolate]

I'm just filling in DD's nursery application because she's due to start nursery this September, on a letter attached to the form is a letter saying 'your child is expected to attend either 5 mornings or 5 afternoons'. Now I really didn't want to send her every day, she will only just be 3 I would like to have at least a day free where we can do things as a family and when I finish maternity leave at the end of the year it screws up my childcare. Is there anything I could do about this? Can I refuse? I do want her to go to this school as the only other one within walking distance is not very good. TIA.

Nurserys can lose their funding if children don't attend, IME nurserys attached to schools insist on 5 days, if you refuse you could find your DD loses her place all together, playgroups and such like tend to be more flexible.

It is even worse in the county next to where I live (I'm on the border.)

Apart from a 6 week settling in period children are expected to go FULL TIME the September after their 3rd birthday. My nephew who is 3 in July is due to start this September.

A few years a friend sent her dd to a pre-prep school nursery to avoid this for her July born child.

This is the system around here too, 5 mornings or 5 afternoons for the nurseries attached to schools, but there are also playgroups and preschools not attached to schools that are much more flexible, where you can use your 15 hours for part days, full days or free days.. are there any in your area?
Theres no obligation to send a child to a school nursery, and neither does it guarantee a place in reception, so do have a look around and see if anywhere suits your needs better.x

Same here for the ones attached to the primary schools we want DD to go to- 5 mornings or 5 afternoons. We decided to go to a private one to be more flexible. A place at the nursery doesn't mean a place at the school anyway so I also didn't want her to feel part of the school and then not get a place.

I think that's pretty standard for school nurseries, as mentioned already it's for funding reasons. Your daughter's presence in nursery will have no influence on whether she gets a reception place, so look around at other options - my DS, for example, does 4 sessions a week at a private pre-school that does the LEA funded sessions.

When DS2 started the school nursery he went 3 mornings and had 2 days at a private day nursery. This was OKed by the head.

There is nothing to stop you applying and simply not taking your child in for 2 days a week.