When does my child start school?

[icantthinkofanotherusername]

She is 2 and a half, 3 in June. She attends nursery 5 days a week. My sister says shes meant to start this September, you get 15hrs free. But where wanting to keep her in her normal nursery As Well. As she has so many friends there. So can she start a school nursery and be in there like 3 days and do 2 days of her normal nursery??

You are allowed to split your free hours between settings. You get 15 hrs free once your child is 3. You can get up to 30 hours depending on income. Not all settings are in a position to give you exactly what you want though. You don't need to go to the school nursery at all. It won't guarantee you a place at the school but it usually means your child will know a lot of the children already if they do move up to the school together.

She can start in the nursery of a school if you want her to, but you can just as easily get the 15 hours from your existing nursery assuming they participate. Most school nurseries will only let you have the free hours as 5 x 3hrs either all mornings or all afternoons, and will be school term times only. The existing nursery is probably more flexible.

Your dc will start proper school the September after turning 4 which will be September 2019.

Nb bring in the nursery class of any school will not usually guarantee any child a place I'm the school itself once they are 4.

All in, I think you are probably better to keep your dc at their existing nursery.

Nb if you do get the 15 free hours don't expect the fees you pay to go down by a straight 15 hours worth of full fees. The government give nurseries a pittance for the free hours and they can't stay in business without finding some way to make up the difference.

That's the thing I want her to be making g friends because like my sister said the children will al make friends then at four I don't want her to go in and all the other children will know each other and it will be hard for her to make friends

Your sister is right about her starting at a school nursery in September - I don't know of any school nurseries who will take children before the age of 3 (and it's normally the term after their third birthday), but it's worth asking the school directly in case.

As a previous poster said, being at the school nursery does not guarantee a place in the reception class - children in the nursery do not have any more of a chance of getting a place in an over-subscribed school. It is based purely on catchment area, the 'sibling rule' and SEN. This gives any child the same opportunity to gain a place in their preferred school regardless of which nursery they are at.

Check with your school nursery to see if they will accept a split placement between their nursery and another. The school I work at have a policy that children who wish to take up a full-time place will be given priority over those who do not - this is not an issue if the nursery has spaces, but if it was over-subscribed then the dual-placement would not be agreed.

Does your child's current nursery feed into the school you want? If there aren't many primary school in the local area then you'll probably find that a number of her current friends will end up at the same school anyway.

Do you know the other parents well enough to ask which schools they'll be applying for? If you only have one school in your catchment area then you're unlikely to be given a different school anyway (same for any of your child's friends if they live in the same catchment area). Also, if her friends have siblings at the same school then they are most likely to be allocated that school themselves as they will be given priority.

Sending your child to the school nursery does not guarantee that the children she makes friends with there will get places at the school for reception anymore than the children at a local day nursery (unless day nursery children aren't living in the catchment area). Ask around and see what other parents are planning to do to help you with your decision.

She can use the 15 hours Education funding at the current Nursery, more than likely, or, she can split and go to 2 different places (if you can make the hours work).
She doesn't need to go to school Nursery - friendships are very fluid at this age, and children don't need to 'make friends' with others before they start - at that age they will play with whoever is near by.
She will start school (as in Reception) - if you are in England - in Sept 19.
Traditionally school Nursery classes took from the Sept after they are 3 (so Sept 18), although there has been a lot of change in recent years and a lot of Nursery schools and school Nursery classes do now take children before that age too.
Having a place in the Nursery class at the school has no bearing on her getting a Reception place there (if that, indeed is where you want her to go). The school will follow the admission policy for Reception.

If you are happy with the Nursery she attends now and you will get the reduction in fees I would just carry on there. Friendship groups are very fluid at this age and, from experience, in reception class at school she will make friends even if she knows no one when she starts.