Admissions for summer born children

[misshardbroom]

This was inspired by a post earlier in the week by a mother whose summer born 3 year old hadn't been allocated a preschool place because the sessions had all been given to children who had turned 3 earlier in the year.

We have a very similar situation this year in that our ex-supervisor had given umpteen sessions to children as they turned 3, irrespective of how long they had been on the waiting list, which then meant that summer born children who had been on the waiting list since they were babies still stood no chance of having a place left for them.

But how do you avoid this?

I'd be really interested to hear from preschool administrators / committee about how you handle admissions in order to ensure that this doesn't happen.

In fact, anything at all you can tell me about your admissions policies would be enormously helpful.

Thanks in advance.

1. Opposite of your system. Waiting list for everyone, places offered first term after threshold age (2 or 3, depends on setting), first on the list is first person to sign up. Proximity to starting school not relevant. So 2yos might get priority over nearly 5yos. As a result, the preschool used to hold spaces all year for people not starting until April when their dc old enough, which invariably meant less funding all year for the group, and some spaces going empty at last minute as people decided not to take up their offered place. I prefer your system OP.

2. At another nursery, they couldn't start until first term after 3rd birthday and then they had to start right away, they couldn't defer entry or anything like that. If they waited, the space for that year might end up going to another child who could start sooner.

I remember the other thread.

Basically, at our pre-school we admit children in strict age order. We have intakes in September and January (because this is what the local schools do), most children start the intake after their 3rd birthday but if space is available then they can start before.

So, in our system summer born children mostly start the September after they turn 3. The ones that tend to lose out (in the sense that they have the longest wait before starting) are the March/April born children who can be nearly 3 and a half before they start.

Our pre-school is heavily oversubscribed. The way we make sure that all children get a place at some point in the first half of their 3rd year is to offer only 2 sessions to each child initially, rising to 5 in the term before they start school (and we may have to review this). If parents want extra pre-school sessions they then send their lo to one of the other local pre-schools that have vacancies.

thanks for these replies, it's very helpful.

Anybody else?!?

We have starters in September, Jan and after easter. We open more sessions as the year progresses. waiting list closes 6 months before that term starts. All children on the list for that term are considered, siblings first then by distance. Children start in the term they turn 3, they get 2 sessions. Autumn born and spring borns get 3 sessions in their 2nd term. All children get 4 sessions in the year before they start school.
We moved to this system as we are very oversubscribed and we wanted a system that was as fair to all as possible, however we have lost flexibility. If you don't start the term you are eligable you will loose the place, we are unable to offer 5 sessions to anyone. All children start in afternoon sessions and move to mornings in the year before they start school, there is very little flexibility in which days you get.