Removing DC from Preschool

[itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted]

My DC is currently at pre school before starting reception class in September 2020

For DC to go to the school we have chosen (in catchment area) we need to move Childminder's but also means pulling DC out of afternoon pre school - has anyone had any experience in that?

I'm a bit confused. Why don't yu wait until your dc is starting at the school ?
Or, as very least, wait until your dc has been allocated a place ?

Because the childminder who is the only one who has a space said they won't hold the space until September when DC would start primary school?

What exactly is it you want to know?

I understand your point about needing a new childcare provider to do the school run from September. But you have no guarantee of being allocated a place at your preferred school, even if you live in catchment. Signing up with the childminder now is a bit of a gamble.

Would it not be better to speak with multiple childminders (and other providers) to register an interest ahead of the school places being confirmed?

How likely are you to get a place at your preferred school? We only have 2 schools in the village, neither over subscribed so you’re pretty much guaranteed your preferred school (often on MN people assume you live in a town with big competition for school places).
I have no experience of taking a child out of pre school in these circumstances but I guess you have to weigh up the pros and cons for you.

@itsaboojum
Unfortunately there are only 2 Childminder's covering the school even though we live in a busy city area surrounded by lots of schools. It's a faith school and DC is christened and we are in the catchment area so have good chance to get a place......but nothing is guaranteed.

we both work full time and HAVE to be certain of getting a childminder before we can submit school applicatjon. If we were to gamble and end up with no childminder and no before/after school club we are screwed.

I'm after advice as to whether anyone has every pulled their child from pre school mid term? It is easy to do?

We've found a childminder but she said she'll only hold space until April and so we'd have to remove DC from pre school to place them with her in April ready for starting school in September

@itsaboojum
Also the before/after school group will only register interest once you've had a place at the school confirmed

We are stuck in a chicken/egg situation - we cant apply for the school without being certain we have childcare but childcare providers won't hold place until we've found out results of school application

I don’t see why it wouldn’t be easy to do... just tell them you’re leaving. Check the T&C’s for notice periods etc.

Understood.

It’s an awkward one for all parents and childcare providers. From a provider's point of view, they have a limited number of spaces to offer and their livelihood depends on getting it right. If they promise a place which a family then doesn’t take up, it can be difficult to fill. So they’ve lost earnings and have probably turned away other families (who are then all over social media, accusing the setting of being "unreliable".)

I’ve lost count of the number of parents who, over the years, have contacted me as early as December: adamant that their child is a nailed-on certainty to get a place at the village school. April comes around and they’re frantically back-pedalling because they’ve been allocated a different school. So I no longer offer a place 'on spec' unless they put down a decent non-refundable deposit.

Is your prospectively childminder needing cash up front for the place?

@itsaboojum
Thanks - the childminder hasn't asked for a deposit but I'm more than happy to pay a non refundable one

It's such a gamble but I think we ll just have to risk it! 🤞🤞

What’s the nature of your concern?

Is it that you might still not be allocated your first choice of school?

Or is it that you’re moving DC out out preschool sooner than you’d have liked?

Or something else?

Your child's current preschool will have already claimed their funded hours for this term so makes sense to keep them there until Easter. I'd then move them after the Easter holidays (give plenty of notice so that they know not to claim for the summer term) but let the new childminder know sooner rather than later.

Surely you can pay the childminder a retainer and use them during the school holidays?

So your child can go to pre school until April, then switch to the childminder for the last term. You can give notice to pre school so they can switch your 15/30hrs funding if either take them.

You can quit a funded place anytime. Funding may not be transferred if you do it after headcount day but that hasn't happened yet in my area. If you're thinking about April you'll be fine as that's a new term but tell them now

Depending on cost, you could of course pay for the childminders place from now, and just not use it?

Thanks all - my concern was whether it was even possible to remove child from pre school easily? Maybe its because the head mistress scares me shitless 🤣 and we get letters all the time about how we can't take DC out of pre school for holidays during term time etc so thought it may be incredibly difficult to remove them for an entire term from April onwards

Going to speak to pre school next week and have also managed to track down another childminder covering the school we d like to put as first choice - going to pay a deposit and 🤞 we get a place at the school. If not we ll just have to write the money off and child will stay with current childminder who covers the other school on our list

Yes it is very easy to remove a child from pre school. Pre school isn’t compulsory! You just tell them you’re leaving and leave.