Deferring/5 year old start reception?

[Mrso1987]

Ok so basically my daughter didn't get into the only school I applied for. The same school in which my sons go to and have been for the past four years! (This was completely unexpected and frustrating) and even though a child who lives over 3 miles away got in, no my daughter didn't?! We've appealed, still waiting to hear. She is number 2 on the waiting list, the boy who is at number one is actually emigrating in June so she should be out at number one soon :/ we've had a meeting with the head mistress and she told us it's very systematic and her hands are tied, I've pestered my local council and they say even though they deal with admissions, it is the school who has the final say. So all very frustrating and some what confusing. So..... My daughter is a summer baby, she will turn four during the summer holidays, so..... Our next idea is keeping her in play school, keeping her on the waiting list for the school and even if she goes a whole second year at nursery, do the school admissions and instead of her being the youngest in her class, she would then be the eldest. I know I'll probably receive mixed opinions but no I do not want my daughter going to a different school to my boys, I just don't. I want them all in one area. Also to give the school that she was offered a chance, despite it horrible reputation. We did go and view. It all seemed ok, lovely, but the school my boys are at is not only one of the best in the area, it is also religiously based and that's what I want. I've even had our local priest sign and stamp the school form for support of our application, but still...... So what I'd like to know is, are there any other mothers who have been in this same position? Or simply didn't want their child starting school until they had turned 5? Anyone with a 5 year old in reception/foundation? Would appreciate any support or advice please x

Are you in England? If so it is highly unlikely you will be unable to reapply for a reception place out of year.

Yes I'm in England, I've researched and there have been cases where parents have succeeded, it's just not that common. I want to hear from mothers who may have been in my position

On what grounds/ criteria was she refused a place?

Are you appealing on the basis of an error in the allocations or did the child 3m away , for example, get priority due to being placed in a higher category ? You presumably realise that she could go down the waiting list as well as up . The waiting list criteria are defined the same as those published for the admissions process and there is always the possibility that another child will be placed in a higher priority category. What criteria apply? Did you perhaps not attend a specific church, lived further away than when your ds were admitted or are the ds now in a junior school and the sibling link is not counted for infants?

afaik it is not yet a given that you can opt to send her into reception in Sept 2015 and reapply next time round.

Even if you could opt to send her next time, there's no guarantee she would get in next year, if she didn't this year. With a rising birth rate, she could end up further down the waiting list than she is for this year.

I think you have very little chance of doing what you think is possible and you are potentially putting your child at a massive disadvantage.
It is not clear whether you have accepted the offered school or not but if you have then the best usual advice is to tell the school that you are delaying the start of schooling till the term they are 5, that is start after easter 2015. That still has negatives attached to it but it gives you the summer hols and two terms for a place to come available at your preferred school and you be in a position to be offered he place.
I accept that there has been recent gov advice on not starting school till after 5 but it is up to the LA and the schools to decide on an individual basis whether to accept delaying the start of school till after 5. You will struggle to find anybody who agrees with it, who can influence the outcome.

Very few schools would agree to do this.
It opens a whole can of worms.
Unless your DD has serious special needs then you've got a very small chance of being allowed to defer her reception year.
And others are right, what makes you think you'd have a better chance of getting a place next year?
What was he reason for her not getting a place. It sounds like she should have quite high up the criteria. Siblings and faith!?

Oh and my DD is a summer baby. I'd give anything for her to not have to start in September but it is what it is.
There is a snowballs chance in hell she'd be allowed so we make the best of it.

DS was born august 26th and is the youngest in the year. We could have deferred until after Easter but he would have had to start after Easter or we would have lost the place. I discussed it with the school and they were not happy, but of course recognised our right to do so. As it turned out, he started at a private school last September, something like 8 or 9 days after his 4th birthday and with hindsight, deferring him would have been a huge mistake. The friendships were formed in the first few weeks and the nature of how phonics is taught means it would have been virtually impossible for him to have caught up, putting him at a huge disadvantage for when he moved into Y1. Every child is different of course, but I am glad I decided to start him in September despite my reservations.

I have a summer birthday boy. We could have deferred for a year and they would have held his place BUT he would have started in year one with the same class and still been the youngest (just at an even greater disadvantage of being the youngest and having missed out on reception!).

There is no chance you would be allowed to defer your child's place so they would join the year below-unless she has severe SEN issues and even then they tend to like to keep children within their peer group.

Tiggytape has accurately described your best/worst case.

good luck.

Check out summerbornchildren.org and if you are on Facebook there is a closed group entitled Flexible School Admissions for Summerborns. You will find out more info about what others are going through. There are some very dedicated people on there who are really trying to push this through for parents to have the right to decide.

It's not true that there is a zero chance of deferral however unlike the recent reports in the press, the DfE guidelines are just that, guidelines...and many LEAs are still very resistant to allowing this. There is also great inconsistency from one LEA to another. Some are allowing/have allowed deferral simply for being a summer born (and therefore not requiring the child to have extensive needs and multiple professional reports) others are insisting parents jump through hoops.

If you happen to live in Hampshire, I believe these are one of the most open to allowing deferral for summer borns!

I don't think you could just apply for the next year school's admissions - your DD's birth date would be outside the eligible birth dates. So you would have to have agreement from the LA and the school to defer her which is unlikely tbh.

Deferral is possible for developmental reasons with a sympathic LA and school but this doesn't sound like the case here. Deferral isn't for not getting the school you wanted but otherwise you'd be perfectly happy for your child to start school....I presume this is exactly why LAs are reluctant to agree to deferrals without a lot of evidence why it is needed for specific reasons.

Gosh this is so frustrating, I understand what you're all saying. In the letter of refusal it stated that it's because we live up to 2 miles of walking distance and at her age it's too far.So how that child from the next town got in I have no idea. In my appeal I've stated that I am now driving and have a car so she will not be walking and that I already have two sons at the school, majority of my daughters friends from nursery will be attending the school. I don't know how I'm going to do two schools at the same time, either my boys will be Kate every morning or my daughter will. I'm not the kind of mother that let's her children walk to school on their own so that's a big no no. We won't be sending them in cabs as one can't afford to and don't really like the idea of it. I really don't know what to do and another obstacle is that the school stopped doing mid year in takes about two years ago. What can I do? Is number two honestly a good place in the waiting list? A friend of mines child was number three and she got in to another school of her choice. So maybe leave the play school viewing and wait for the appeal? X

Also to add, I know that holding out till next year wouldn't seem like a 100% guarantee but my local council told me that if she was to stay in the waiting list that she would get top priority. So that's why I'm thinking yea she would get in next year. In all previous years it was so much more simpler, my boys got in so easily! But this year I've heard a lot about how popular the school has been because of the influx of Romanians, Polish. Apparently the majority of them are catholic and this is the only catholic school in my area x

I would confirm that they actually meant a reception place for next year. They may have meant that there is usually some movement in the waiting list and to stay on it either for a reception place this year or a yr1 place next year.

im deferring my nearly 5year old until jan.

she dident get her sisters school just over mile away.
youngest starts preschol next to eldest primary in sept.
cant be 3places or aford 150quid childcare make it work
our 3choices were al faith schools they baptised.
school 3 less half mile 5mins away,]

problem is my councils crap admisions policy varying from nearby la and we live close border means hild rom different county gets in over us and we live in same la as school

have same mess next year when aply youngest hes spring b day does not seem ready and may have special needs.

Im home ed 5year old until jan then need make decision wait it out or apply another school.

I cant see how missing aut.winter term be bad as many schools staggered part time starts and xmas term lots fun stuf happens but doubt they cover huge amount work and eldest moved schools and made freinds.

You can move up down waitlist family ould move next door school and bump you down.
nationaly figures increase year on year so dont rely on next year.
localy was lower sibling year than last year which was crazy so next year be higher numbers of aplicants+more siblings+more new houses here:(
story hope freind dident get any of her 3.
she drove vilage school 3miles away.
he was no 14
jan was offered a place.
intake was 90 and lots mod families

good luck

Thank you 3asAbird and thank you tiggytape for all your advice. I've already sent in the appeal, I did it immediately. It's been about 6 weeks now and still I haven't heard anything. I was told that the local council usually give the school ten days for an answer and if they still haven't decided, they give them abit more time. I think it's taking the p### abit now though. I only just found out about the child from the next town getting in the other day, can it ring the council up and trying adding that information to my appeal? Or it is sign sealed delivered, too late to add anymore info kind of thing? Even though i did try giving that other school a chance, I just really don't want my daughter going there. The school already has a bad reputation, it's been in the papers for bullying and problematic children, mums fighting outside to school, parents smoking directly outside the school. I can't even apply for another school closer to my sons school as they are also full and I know mothers in my same situation trying to get their youngest child into the other school

There is something very wrong with the process if one of the reasons for not getting a place was that the school thinks you live to far away to walk to school. Yes there could well be a distance criteria and the nearer to the school the more chance you have of being offered a place but the ability to walk to school is not a criteria that can be used.
there is absolutely nothing wrong with sending in some more information for your appeal but again there is some wrong information going on here. The school has to come to an agreed appeal date and argue their case not to admit in front of the appeal panel and yourself. You will be told when that is but anytime in the next 6 weeks would seem sensible. I think you need to email the school, assuming they are the admission authority and ask them specifically when the appeal is.

I sent the appeal in about 6 weeks ago and I've been told different things, one women from the council said I'll have to wait till June, another guy who was the most helpful said the whole thing about they give the school ten days and if needed abit more time. Im just waiting..... This year I was hoping to start my own studies by going back into education to finish my degree. But now it's looking like unless the college I attend is understanding to my being late. I don't know how I'm going to get my boys to school then my daughter to another school then race down the dual carriage way (without speeding :s ) to get to college. Maybe open uni it is then :/ and another thing I think of is what if there's a time where god forbid my car isn't running? The distance between the two schools is a good 40 minute walk and no bus runs in that particular route. So there would be no way I could get them to school. I've been thinking about moving county's for a while now, maybe this is a big slap in the face to say 'go now!' Lol.... X