so confused start school when?

[Bella2010star]

OK so I feel well thick! When do children start education that is classed as state and free. I thought that it was five but when looking at Ofsted reports I realised that many schools have provisions for children from 3. Is this classed as private and has to be paid for? I also am interested in peoples thoughts whether starting education this early is more valuable.

Thankyou

They get nursery education funding of 15 hours per week, term time only from the term after they turn three. This is pre-school/nursery/childminder setting.

The September after they turn four they are eligible to join reception year at school.

Compulsory education starts the September after they are 5.

Sorry - reception year onwards are free.

Early years eudcaiton, esp pre-school is mostly just play. So maybe, if a child is playing with a dolly the childcare worker might help to teach them to put clothes on the dolly. That kind of thing.

right then I'll have a go at this.

Term after 3rd birthday, entitled to 15 hours (ish) a week free from either a state nursery or private nursery which is registered to provide state care (for want of a better word).
School year of 4th birthday, pre school year. I think 15 hours again, usually in a nursery attached to a school. But again can be in a private nursery which has the relevant status.
School year of 5th birthday start full time school in reception.

Mind you I am in wales so this might be slightly different to other uk countries!

thanks guys this is a MINDFIELD! been looking at Ofsted reports tonight and can not believe the amount of primary schools that are satisfactory around by me. What age have people sent their children? does it make a difference if they start at three?

They don't start school at 3, they have subsidsed childcare.
There is a big difference to what they do in nursery, pre school and school.

Assuming you are in England (because it's different in Wales and Scotland), from the age of 3 you get funded 15 hours a week (5 half days) which can be from any registered provider. That could be a school nursery class, a private nursery, a pre-school or whatever.

From the September after they turn 4, they are entitled to a place in reception class at school. It is very unusual for children not to start school in reception. In some places there are staggered starts depending on birth month so some start in the January if they are younger.

I'm not sure when they are legally required to be in school, it's either the term they turn 5 or the term after. Unless you opt to HE of course.

Legally have to be educated from the term after child is 5. So ones born later on in the year don't have to be in reception.

In scotland you start school between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2, ie start in august if birthday falls between 1 March & 28/29 Feb. For at least the year before and up to 2 years before school you get 15 hours funding at nursery (state or private) - actual start date depends on birthday.

Just one minor correction - children start compulsory schooling the term after they turn five, NOT the September after they turn five.

But at least around here if a child doesn't start in reception the school may not have a place for them. They will have also missed out on the early education (any arguments about a legal right to start later have to be weighed against the fact that I expect most schools will become academies).

In England children have to be receiving an education the term after they turn five (you can educate at home if you prefer).

At the moment children are entitled to 15 hours pw free early education / childcare from the term after they are three years old until they start primary school, you can chose to take this at a variety of settings from childminders, nursery schools, independent schools etc. Whether you take up the free early education offer is entirely up to you - you don't have to although most parents do.

From September 2011 children who are four will be entitled to start state school full-time, although you can chose to start them part-time or delay their entry to Reception class until later in the year (if you do that you will still be entitled to your free 15 hours pw childcare / early education until the term after they are five or they start school - whichever happens first). However if you delay their start beyond mid-January 2012 their primary school will not receive funding for them so they may not be best pleased.

The free early education entitlement will soon be extended to two years olds as well.

In practice you have to start reception in the school year they will turn 5 according to the time of year offered. Until recently the state schools around here (London) let the youngest children (post Feb or March birthdays, I think) start in Jan of that year (so when (4 and 3/4s) but this seems to be changing with more schools insisting they start in the September, whatever their birthday (so an unlucky Aug 31st babe will start reception aged 4 years and a week or so). There may be no legal requirement to go that early in the year, but in practice there just won't be any places (which means applying for schools as early as the prev December ie when that august baby is 3.25 yrs old, varying by authority). Independents pretty much always want them from the sept.
Good quality nursery education is very closely correlated with good educational outcomes, and is not the same thing as child minding or day-nursery childcare. Nowadays reception is viewed as part of the foundation period annd I would urge you to look into what is on offer locally. As said above, you can use your allocation of funding in many private settings (although it won't always over the whole cost) or use state nursery schools. If the only schools on offer are poor, you may not want to use them, but if you take that course, make sure you find another way of tapping in to the local word on which primary schools you will want to apply for, when to do so etc etc, and make sure you cover the basics of the early years learning at home.

Which country are you in, Bella?

Michaelahpurple - Schools can no longer insist that children start in September. Parents have the absolute right to delay entry until later in the year, although the child must start school by the beginning of term following their fifth birthday. If the parents say they want their child to start after Christmas the school MUST comply. However, you still apply as if your child is going to start in September even if you intend to delay the start until later in the year.

I am really out of this loop.
I have always thought that legally they had to start school at the begining of the term that they will turn 5. So they start at 4 but will very soon be 5.

No. The law is that children must start compulsory education no later than the start of term following their fifth birthday. Most will start earlier than that - most children start in Reception the September after their fourth birthday.

Prh can you point me to any regulations regarding delaying entry. I have just seen that my local authority are saying all children must start in the September of the academic year they turn 5.

I am wanting to delay my twins start until they are 5 as the nursery they are in is excellent and very small class size.

Certainly. Assuming you are in England, refer your LA to paragraph 2.69 of the Admissions Code. This states:

Admission authorities MUST allow parents of children who are offered a place at the school before they are of compulsory school age to defer their child?s entry until later in the school year. Where entry is deferred, admission authorities MUST hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child. The parent would not however be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child?s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. This MUST be made clear in the admission arrangements for the school.

MUST means it is compulsory. The Admissions Code has the force of law so the LA has no choice. You must apply as if your child is starting in the September of the academic year they turn five but they do not have to start until the term after their fifth birthday.

Unfortunately the version of the Admissions Code currently on the Department for Education website is out of date, having been replaced in February 2010. The current version can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode.