Daughter 5 end of March 2013- can she stay in nursery until then?

[Rubels]

We are appealing for a school place in the next month or so.

I expect we won't win and was just wondering whether it would be possible to (if there is a space available) keep her in nursery with a view to hopefully getting a place in reception. By this I am thinking as it's a large 60 place reception we might be lucky enough to get one if we stay on the waiting list.

Is this idea totally mad?
We are desperate to keep her at this school for her own mental/social well being as she is a very vulnerable little girl with past trauma.

Yes - she doesn't have to go to school until after Easter 2013. You can keep her on the waiting list for there, and anywhere else which you may consider suitable in the meantime. You do run the risk though of not having any school place for her when she turns 5 and unless Home-ed is an option you could be forced to take whatever the council have to offer.... Have they given any indication how many people would be ahead of you on the list? Is it an area where people generally move around a lot, or have the same families been there forever? This could help you guage likelihood of a place coming up.

Yes you can do that but bear in mind that she might be on the back foot when she starts and the children will already know each other.

Fwiw I did it with DS.

It is very important however that you accept the place in the interim and tell the HT that you are waiting until after her 5th birthday. They have to keep it fir her until then if you make it clear.

Thans Runoutofideas.
She is 12th on the waiting list for a 60 place reception.
I'm wondering if the LEA would allow us to apply to the nursery as well as stay on the waiting list for reception.
we would only be interested in doing this at the nursery that she is attending which is part of the school that we have applied for and are number 12.

No, you woukd not be able to stay in the nursery it it is oversubscribed and possibly not anyway. You may get space in an attached preschool or an independent nursery. You can use your free 15 hours there.

In all honesty, 12 on the waiting list is a long way down. 1 in 5 children have to leave for that. Our local one wouldn't have that much shift, and we're in an army area.
You may find that some of those above you remove themselves as they don't want to disrupt their child once they're settled, but I'm not sure that holding on at nursery is going to be worth it. Do you have a back up plan if she still hasn't got a place then?

Thanks all. Yes we have got a plan b (and C). For our daughter's own well being we need her to stay on at this school/nursery so we are going to appeal. I was just thinking of other alternatives. It may be that we have to school her elsewhere and re-apply next year if we have no luck at appeal or on the waiting list.
what a mess.

Rubels, Your application for next year will be for Year 1, and you wiull be treated as an in-year application.

Again, for you to get that place, someone will have to leave. It may be that the children higher on the waiting list no longer want the place, but equally if anyone moves into the area and applies to that school in a category higher on the admissions criteria (e.g. if they live closer to the school, have a sibling who gets admitted to a higher year etc) then they will move above you in the waiting list. Waiting lists are maintained in the same order as admissions criteria, not on length of time on list. After a year you could be up in 2nd or down in 25th - it just depends on who joins and leaves the list around you.

FWIW, the FIRST person from the waiting list at my DD's 60-per-year school was admitted in Year 3, as that was the first point at which one of the original 60 left....

Thank you. My thinking is that NEXT year our DD will be a priority because she is adopted and from next year there is new legislation making adopted children(previously looked after children) a priority, so I'm thinking as it's a 60 place/2 class school she may have a chance of getting in.

did that priority not exist this year?

Thanks SchoolsNightmare. No, that is on my list of questions for tomorrow!! Yes I totally understand that someone needs to leave in order for our DD to go there.

Oh Lordy I doo hope so.
Could I ask you SN would I get that sort of information from the school or the LEA?

Many thanks. That's great info.