Is it too soon for a September 2017 reception support thread?

[BellaGoth]

Anybody about to embark on school applications and want to chat? I don't know about anyone else but I think I'll need a place to get advice / support over the next year!

DS will be 4 in January and I think will be very ready for school come September. Our catchment school is single form entry and very over-subscribed but we live quite close so fingers crossed we'll get in!

First school tours next week, quite looking forward to it!

I can't believe Its time to join this thread!
My eldest is 4 at the beginning of February and is very excited to start school. We are lucky in that there is a primary school at either end of our road, one is new (no ofsted report yet) so we have gone for the established primary as its familiar to us and she attends nursery on the school grounds but it gets very over subscribed, it's a 1 minute walk away so fingers crossed!

Yes I keep checking the application incase I've got it wrong!!

I'll join if I May? Ds2 application went in in november and even though he's pretty likely to get in as it's a local village undersubscribed school, I've still put the next closest schools down just in case. I've been in to change the order if 2 and 3 twice and realised on the 3Rd go that school 3 isn't viable with ds1 in school 1 so scrubbed that off...

I'll be happy when April comes around and I can relax (probably)

Hi Really and Rat! Rat we were on the January 2013 post natal thread together.

Presumably with your eldest in the school you should be reasonably certain of a place?

Does anyone else have younger siblings? I'll have another ready for primary school next year and the youngest 2 years after that so it feels like I'm choosing the right school for all 3 of them already!

Really yes, I also have a 5 month old DD. She's summer born so one of the questions I asked was what support they have in place for the younger children in a year group.

It all feels like such a huge responsibility!

Hello, I'm here to fret with you too! DS is 4 at the beginning of August and,although I've already submitted the application, I'm wondering if we might defer. We probably won't but then he had his moments like this morning when he had a massive tantrum and I wonder if it might just be too much for him.
He will probably be fine and I'm probably worrying about nothing!

Morning everyone. It's great to have somewhere to chat about schools!

Yes yes, I keep logging back in to check the application is saying 'submitted'!

really yes we have a 10 month old DS so I'm definitely looking closely at sibling policies etc, all the schools around here are massively oversubscribed so I want to make sure we have a good chance of getting them both in to the same school.

Yes it does seem such a responsibility- eek!

Bloody hell really Bella? It's been a long four years! Congrats on your DD. Yes we are reasonably assured of a place but it doesn't ever do to be complacent does it? DS2 really isn't ready for school though. He's just turned four last week but he still behaves like a toddler. I do wonder sometimes if he will cope very well.

Saire if it's any comfort there is a girl in DS1's class whose birthday is 26th august - fifty weeks after DS1, and she runs rings around everybody. Age isn't always a big issue.

Saire DD isn't 4 until June so will be very young for the year too. She seems quite socially confident etc but it's still a worry how they'll cope starting so young.

Saire and anyone else worrying about how Summer born children will cope - my eldest DD is now in year 2. She's the youngest in her class as was born at end of August.

Before she started I seriously considered deferring as I didn't think she was ready to go. From a slight speech impediment to tantrums, issues with buttons and labels on clothes, I was worried she'd struggle. We'd also only moved to the area 4 months before school application deadline so she hadn't attended the school's nursery and didn't know any children who would be going from the private nursery.

Barring an issue with dinnner lady and school dinners, DD has never been anything but eager to go to school. She's never done the tears and clinging thing in the playground (apart from when she's pissed about so much in morning that by time we get to school her class' line has already gone in. She isn't top of the class but she's making good progress and despite not talking to anyone for the first two months of reception, she's made some lovely friends and really enjoys school.

DD was in breakfast club and after school club on Tues and Weds during her Reception year. This was the only issue we really had with her going to school when she'd just turned 4. She was utterly knackered and would be so hugely stroppy on a Thursday. By Friday I'd make her get into pyjamas as soon as we got home then we'd snuggle on sofa (well, she would, I'd be sat on floor crawling around playing with very active toddler DD) she'd have tea on sofa watching tv and straight up to bed or she'd be a nightmare all weekend. As she's got older I've changed jobs and no longer need after school or breakfast club. Ironically she now has more hours of extra curricular stuff - one activity at school, three away from school - but as she's older and the activities are a different setting than a kind of classroom set up, she's not as knackered and stroppiness is more due to her nature (or having an unreasonable mother) rather than school overload!

DD2 was 4 in September and will start school September 2017. It'll be interesting to see how she does as she'll be one of the eldest. It's strange to look at DD2 and realise that at the same age DD1 was in school.

I've got anxiety about DD2's school place - she should get in as we're in catchment and her sibling attends but there's such high demand for school places here (every school within 10 miles over subscribed) that there's no guarantee. Also, we desperately need to move house but nothing's coming on the market within catchment (tiny catchment area) so we'll probably have to stay put until September or we could risk DD2's school place.

So great to hear your summer born DD is doing so well baking, especially as we have a June DD ourselves. We're in the middle of moving house right now and in our area they use your address as of 6th Feb and it doesn't matter if you move after that date, so might be worth ringing and checking with your Admissions department what the rules are about moving if you're desperate to move, you might not have to stay put until September.

Hello all, we've just done dds application. Our first choice was undersubscribed last year so I'm hopeful that she will get in there. Our second choice is nice too, but slightly further away and it is very popular, we wouldn't have got in last year. I didn't really like our third choice as it seemed very religious and we aren't, but it is very local and has after school clubs - this is important to us as dp and I both work, and we can't afford to reduce our hours! My biggest worry is that I have somehow messed up the application.

Dd is another January 2013 baby (hello Bella and rat!). Socially she is v confident and ready for school. She's not quite there on some of the practical skills though - tying shoe laces, and things like that. I'm not sure what is expected of children starting reception?

Good luck everyone!

I'm not sure what is expected of children starting reception?

Don't buy shoes with shoelaces if your child can't tie them. Similarly, if they can't undo the clasp on the Tupperware, get them an easier box/bag to put their lunch or snacks in.

IME, most teachers are happy to help out if children can have a good go at zips, buttons, gloves etc.

Children should be able to

1. Generally judge when they need to go to the toilet
2. Toilet themselves independently (obviously SEN aside)
3. Listen and follow simple instructions
4. Play and share
5. If they take off their jumper, put it somewhere safe instead of flinging it at their feet and charging off to play

I've just submitted the form for my baby . She's too small (summer born). I've applied to the now out of catchment school her older siblings attend. No idea whether she'll get a place and not convinced she'll be ready by sept anyway.

Wish I could home educate as the pressure to perform is just too much IMO. Our school has the loveliest reception teacher ever and I know she will look after her but I'm still worried

We are applying to schools for our mid August born twins and have included a letter requesting delayed entry to reception until 2018.

Developmentally they are fine but we feel that socially and emotionally they have a way to go before they start school. At nursery they naturally gravitate towards the younger cohort of children than those applying to school like them and the nursery staff have been supportive of our reasons. DH shares a birthday with them and he said that he was eternally playing catch up and doing tests with children who were nearly a year older than him. He struggled and didn't catch up until he got to uni and had much more control of his studies and timescales.

I know a lot can happen between now and Sept but I'd hate it if our two would struggle like DH. If our request is turned down then so be it, but if it's accepted we will go through the whole process again next year.

DS is in reception this year. We had the wraparound care issue. Our catchment school doesn't have any but next closest 1.1 mile away does. We put that as our 1st preference but was allocated the catchment school anyway. I suspected as much and as it's an outstanding school and perfect in nearly every other way, I didn't object.

We really struggled with care. Both made changes to working hours so we could do drop offs, plus 1 or 2 pick ups per week. Grandparents also do pick ups. We have holiday clubs close by, so that's ok.

It's been really lovely having his school friends living just a few streets away, great for play dates and when he walks home with his dad. As he grows up with these kids, he will want to play out. Knowing they are 2 streets away, not 1.1mile means I will let him play out. I didn't think about this before.

We were still making changes to our preferences up until Friday night! Went for the school very near us in the end with excellent wraparound care. I'm glad we can't change it anymore as I'd still be agonising over it now. Just a nervewracking 3 months to wait now until we hear what school we've got.

I've only checked my confirmation email three times today!!

I keep checking too and keep panicking that I've somehow withdrawn my application. Which I haven't. I'm nuts.

Pleased to know I'm not the only paranoid one.

I wonder how many people have actually forgotten?

Oh cactus it doesn't bare thinking about, does it? I put a subtle comment on my Facebook last week to hopefully jog people's memories!

Flat it's the listening I'm really worried about. DS is terrible. I've no idea what I can do to improve things.

Ds's nursery asked me if I'd done it last week, I said yes done in November and they said there were a few parents who hadn't realised the deadline is now so they needed to get a move on.

Ds is just four and really not ready for school at all. He's still only a toddler in many ways socially and emotionally. Ds1 was the other way and couldn't wait but I have lots of reservations about ds2 and suspect he will treat reception as another nursery year.