How does Accepting a Nursery Place work?? West London Primary

[BecauseItoldYouSo]

I have applied at 4 West London Primary Schools for a nursery school place for my DD in September 2011.

This morning I received a letter from one of the primary schools offering an afternoon place to my DD. I am happy about this, albeit surprised as this school was the most unlikely as it is HIGHLY oversubscribed and we are way out of catchment. In fact we are not really in catchment for any school (we are on the very edge of one awful school, which we did not apply for).

Now I have not heard anything from the other 3 schools we applied at...yet. The school offering the place would like a confirmation of the place by 18th Feb. Although I would be happy to take a place at this great school, if I am offered a morning slot at one of the other schools I would (most likely)prefer this.

So what I would like to know is can I accept the place at this school and then if I get offered the morning place at one of the other ones we applied at can I cancel the place at a later day, therefore protecting a place for my DD.

Sorry for the spiel but could someone Please advise....

Seems a bit odd to me. Do you mind me asking what borough you are applying to? Where I live, all offers are made at the end of the spring term.

Why don't you ring your local council's admissions service and ask them for advice?

It is not made through the local council, it is done directly with the schools at it is a nursery place rather than a reception place. The London wide admissions system only applies to reception places for 5+.

The applications for nursery places are still made directly to the schools and the places are offered by the schools and has nothing to do with the council system.

Sorry if this wasn't clear in my OP.

How strange. In most areas now nursery applications are made through the council as well. They all have to be in on a given date and everyone gets their offer on the same date (apart for private) London must be different.

Nope applications are not made via the council for nursery places.

Directly From the council website:

Please note that admission to a nursery class does not guarantee admission to the main school on the nursery class site. Nursery schools and nursery classes take children aged between three and five years old. Parents can apply to any of the nursery schools or nursery classes.

Parents can register their interest for a nursery place with the school by completing an application form with the school when their child is two.

The offers are made by each school individually at different times.

Please can any West London mums help....

I know that nursery places aren't coved by the pan-London admissions system, but your local councIl will still be able to advise you on how the acceptance/space blocking issue works where you live.

...and I live in west London too, but I suspect in a different borough.

Our council is the same - you deal directly with the school. I'm not in your area, but I would say as Nursery places seem to be almost a private arrangement between you and the school I can't see why you can't accept one then decline it at a later date.

It might be worth ringing the other schools and asking them when they give out notification. You might find they're all over the next couple of weeks, or that they've been sent out and no letter means no place

I live in Ealing.

I would rather not speak to the council about childcare/schooling etc if I can help it as any previous occasions I have found them to be beyond unhelpful.

if I were you I would accept the place (perhaps hang on till just before the closing date on 18th Feb) incase you have heard from the other nurseries by then.

If you do get offered one of the others you can decline the place later once you know this. Don't delay though, do it immediately to be fair to the school and others possibly waiting.

If the nursery is oversubsribed then they will have a waiting list and your childs place will simply be offered to another child so everyone happy.

IMO morning nursery places are much in demand and afternoon places less sought after and so that may be why you were offered an afternoon place for a nursery where you are not in catchment.

Yes, actually ringing the other schools to find out when they give notification sounds like a good idea.

Thanks MrsDTK.

This London nursery/school admissions -hell- minefield is very confusing to me as an expat.

I also live in Ealing and have had completely to opposite experience to you. I've had to contact the admissions service lots over the last year with various complicated enquiries and they've been really helpful.

If you really don't want to speak to anyone about it, I echo Dmitri's suggestion. Accept everyone who offers a place to you and then turn down the ones you don't want later.

One thing I would say about accepting a Nursery place outside of catchment is that you're pretty much guaranteeing that your DC will have to change schools for reception. Having a Nursery place makes no difference to applying for a place in Reception (I'm sure you knew that but just wanted to check!) I know a lot of schools don't have attached Nurseries so it's not a big deal really.

I have just spoken to the other schools that I have applied for nursery places. It seem that their notification of acceptance is completely varied (End of Feb, March, April).

I spoke to a very helpful and friendly administrator at one of the schools who advised to accept the nursery place as being out of catchment I was very lucky to get a place at this school as it is an excellent school. She said should I wish to change my mind based on any other offers anytime up to the first day of school I can do so without problem.

I do understand a nursery place does not guarantee a place at Reception but we are hoping to emigrate back to Canada by then so hopefully will not be a problem. [fingers crossed]

Thanks for your replies as this is all new and confusing to someone who is used to a system where you can send your child to any school of your choosing.

I'm in Hammersmith - I applied to 3 nurseries for DD (for her 3 yo placement) and was delighted to be accepted by our first choice (close walk & brilliant nursery).

I never heard back from one other which was also close which I thought strange - perhaps they are linked up & knew I had accepted the other place?

The third I heard from last week - they only have one intake a year, which at nursery age is kind of daft. They are miles away & were out third choice. So I didn't proceed with the application there.

Good luck

Does anyone know on what basis they allocate morning or afternoon sessions? In the application form I filled they didn't ask about my prefernces

Every preschool and nursery will have different criteria for how they allocate sessions. They should have a policy telling you how it works. At my DD's preschool, they ask your preferences and then sessions are allocated on how long you've been on the waiting list. Other preschools near us work on date of birth, so September birthdays will be allocated first.

It is odd that they don't ask your preference, but not unheard of. Maybe they sort according to birth date, so all autumn birthdays are in the same group. Or by where you live. As I say, they should have a policy.