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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Ive missed the application deadline to put my dd in school by 3 MONTHS all because i thought she was going to start NURSERY instead!!

53 replies

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 14:33

My dd is 3 and a half and I went down to the school which has a nursery attached to it to apply to put her in there in September. My sister told me children start reception the term before their FIFTH birthday. For my dd that would be in January as dds birthday in june - so I thought she would turn 4 in June 12 and start reception September 12. However when I for there I was shocked to find out that she starts actual school un September and I the deadline was 15th January to apply. It's now nearly APRIL! The school is 5 mins walk and I REALLY wanted her to go there but as the school only has 90 places I have no chance now as they will all be taken. The next school is a 30 minute bus ride away which is a pain but not too much if a problem but only has 30 spaces which will all have been taken as I'm 2 months late. And that's not to mention siblings always get accepted into schools first so it makes it harder for my dd to get accepted. I'm so upset that u didn't even know when my dd started school by and I feel so stupid :(

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

RitaMorgan · 27/03/2012 14:37

Well, legally she doesn't have to start school until the term after she's 5 - so she could skip Reception and go straight into Year 1 in September 2013.

Or, maybe go on the waiting list for your preferred school and see if a place comes up in January?

RueDeWakening · 27/03/2012 14:38

Phone your council, speak to them - if you apply now you'll go into the second allocation (I think? - ask them!). Still apply for the schools that you want her to go to, then assuming that your closest school is full she'd go on the waiting list.

There's quite a lot of waiting list movement around here, and since you're so close hopefully she'd be quite high up the list.

Also, for info, none of the places have technically been taken yet, everyone's waiting to find out which school their DC has been allocated. Allocation date is normally early April I think.

Good luck!

crazygracieuk · 27/03/2012 14:39

Eek!!
I hope that you have applied and got her on the waiting list..

PatriciaHolm · 27/03/2012 14:39

Oh dear. You need to apply for a school place for her immediately; talk to your LEA about the process for doing this. You will be a late application, but they have to find you a place somewhere (and provide transport if its more than 2 miles away). As soon as places are allocated, make sure you are on the waiting list for a place in your chosen school; if you live very close, hopefully you'll be reasonably high on the list, and with 90 places, I would have thought you have a fair chance of getting in over the next year or so even if you have to go somewhere else first.

RueDeWakening · 27/03/2012 14:40

Oh, and to make you feel better, my friend knew that DC4 was due to start school in September, talked to her husband about it, and still forgot to apply for a place :o

Gumby · 27/03/2012 14:41

Wow that is crazy that you didn't know she starts in September!! Does the school even do a two year intake?
Ours have everyone starting in September?
Have you looked round any schools?

Original poster

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 14:48

Dd is my only child so I just took my sisters word for it as she has 2 children! She told me there are 2 terms, a child can start in Jan or Sept. She was wrong and now I'm in a mess! Also I'm in a big shock as I was trying to put dd in nursery and now she's going to start school instead! Poor girl won't know what's hit her when shes away from me for 6 hours every day!

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Ghoulwithadragontattoo · 27/03/2012 14:49

Right you need to call the Local Education Authority and ask them what to do. You will probably need to make a late application and put your local school as your first choice. They will have to allocate you a school place and I think they provide transport if it's over a certain distance away (2 miles?). Then you can put your DD's name down on the waiting list for your preferred schools and hope a place comes up. If no place comes up before Sept you have a choice of send her to the school you've been allocated or send her to nursery (with the 15 hours free funding until she's 5) and keep yourselves on the waiting list and hope something comes up. As others have said legally she doesn't have to be in school until Sept 2013 but she miss the whole of reception then which is not ideal even for a summer born child.

I hope everything works out for you.

clux73 · 27/03/2012 14:51

Did you sister tell you you could apply directly to the school at any time??? How long ago did she apply for her own children??

RandomMess · 27/03/2012 14:51

Even if they do a Sept and Jan intake, you all still apply the Autumn the year previous....

Gumby · 27/03/2012 14:53

Can you get her into nursery for the summer term? You get 15 hours a week free

Original poster

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 14:58

Oops I realised I wrote it wrong. I ment to say she turns 4 on June and o thought she would start in January 13 because that would be the term before her 5th birthday.

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Original poster

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 15:02

My sister told me I could apply online bit she as I thought she was starting in Jan 13 I wasn't going to do it for a good few months yet. Her children are 7 and 5 so maybe it was Like that back then but the school told me there's only one time everybody starts and that's September. I tried to apply online just now but it wouldn't let me because the application closed midnight on Jan 15th. Il have to find out who I have to call and try to get round it.

OP posts:

RandomMess · 27/03/2012 15:02

Pimp I understood what you meant but they only allocate places once for an entire school year regardless of start date. Around here some schools do a Jan intake but you still apply and get allocated places with those that start in Sept.

RandomMess · 27/03/2012 15:03

Phone your local education authority LEA - tell them you need to do a late application - ask to go on the waiting lists of your nearest schools.

vanimal · 27/03/2012 15:04

I called my LEA about my late application (a few days late), and they said that even very late applications will still get slotted into the system as and when they arrive, so if distance is taken into account, you should still get in even though you applied late, as you live so close to the school.

Schools places aren't formally offered here until April, so, theoretically there would still be time for you to get a place until they send out offer letters.

Definitely ring your LEA now, and find out what you should be doing. If spaces are not formally offered yet you might be ok. Good luck, let us know what they say.

Original poster

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 15:04

Gumby that's what I was originally doing. I went to the school to pit her into nursery over until Jan( cause I thought that's when she started school) the head teacher then told me she starts school in September and has missed nursery. What a mess :(

OP posts:

Original poster

PimpMyTunnel · 27/03/2012 15:07

Sorry if my my words don't make sense as I'm typing rely fast on my phone which likes to correct stupid things and make my sentences not make sense lol but thanks alot everyone I'm going to call them in a mo

OP posts:

RandomMess · 27/03/2012 15:07

In the grand scheme of things she will be fine.

Are there any pre-schools around with places that she could do a term at?

ChippyMinton · 27/03/2012 15:09

You may go straight to the to of the waiting list if you are very close to the school. Call the LEA now and get some advice.

Don't worry - my friend is a school teacher and forgot to apply for a place for her son. She only realised when the head asked why there was no application for him! He got a place but how silly did she feel!

KnitterNotTwitter · 27/03/2012 15:14

Definitely contact your local LEA/Council and get an application in now. Worst comes to the worst you'll be on the waiting list for your nearest school and you should get a place fairly easily - especially as it's a three class intake.

Also investigate your local SureStart centre - they often have 'preparing for school' sessions which you and your DD might find useful.

Agincourt · 27/03/2012 15:15

I just wanted to echo everyone else, ring the council and then apply through there system but please try not to worry. They will either give her your catchment school still or if it is over 3 miles away they will have to provide transport for her anyway (and they do not want to do this as it's expensive)

You are not the first Parent to forget to apply and I doubt you will be the last :)

Agincourt · 27/03/2012 15:16

their system, gah! I can't even blame it ona phone either

tantrumsandballoons · 27/03/2012 15:17

Don't worry too much op, as far as I know if you go to the LEA with the form, you will go into the 2nd allocation.
They will find her a school place at a school as close as possible.
And if you don't get your preferred school, there are waiting lists

RitaMorgan · 27/03/2012 15:18

She hasn't necessarily missed out on nursery - you might be able to find a place somewhere for her to go for the summer term after Easter.

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