Moving in-session, Skipping Reception?

[mumster87]

Hi all, please bear with me here. We are an American family moving to the UK in August, with a 4 and 2 year old, and I am trying my best to understand and navigate the school system. I'm so perplexed and worried about this! We won't have a physical address until August. So we can't even begin to apply until then. But my daughter should be starting Reception this year. The area we are moving to is known for having oversubscribed schools, so what exactly happens in these cases? Is she waitlisted, and if so, what if no spots become available? Will they place her in a school far away? Or just a bad school that is poorly rated but has availability? This system is very different than what I know so I'm confused. We are excited about the opportunity to experience British school and are eager to get her start started. As far as I can tell, all I can do is wait until August and begin the process, hoping she gets into a good school fairly quickly? Is there anything more that can be done now, and what kind of outcome should I expect? Thank you.

I am also wondering if it would be easier to just skip Reception and start in Year 1 since we're making an international move right at the start of the move. Does anyone do that?

She’d need to be in full time education the term after she is 5. You could homeschool for that time. You’d definitely need to do a fair bit of work at home though, as reception teaches them to read and write, so she could end up behind

A private (paid for) school probably wouldn’t care about a physical address, if that might be an option.

Re other schools, if you call the local council once you arrive they will tell you where there are spaces, and you can go on a waiting list for schools that are ‘full’. Are you church goers at all? If so, and there are church schools in the area you might be moving to, worth getting a written reference from your priest/minister/etc. Different schools have different criteria, so certain factors may put you right at the top of the waiting list

When is her birthday? She will have to start school the term after her 5th birthday so that’s something to consider. You cannot apply until you have an address so in lots of respects you cannot do anything until that part is sorted

Contact the local council responsible for the schools in your neighborhood as soon as you physically are in England. Places often open up in Reception and you will go on waiting list for a place. If you can prove you live in the area they are obliged to find you a school place (but not in a school of your ideal choice, just in the borough). There are many areas of London where all state schools are excellent!

Will they place her in a school far away?

It's very unlikely that the nearest school is "very far away" in London, schools are actually seeing a slight decline in numbers (demographic reasons) so generally there's at least one school not too far away that has a spot, and you will be offered something. The situation in more rural areas can be quite different, but I suspect you're moving to a large city.

Areas with lots of ex-pats also tend to be regions where there's a higher turnover of all kids, so spaces do open up more likely than others, so even if the school is the "worst" in the area, which is why it's got spaces, you may well not be there long, certainly around here, there was movement in all schools within reception year (and assuming you're close you're likely near the top of any wait list, which are generally done on the admission criteria such that distance is the only one outside a few schools which are oversubscribed even on religion, but that is rarer)

If she is still 4 on August 31st she would enter Reception in September, if 5 Year 1. You may need to apply as soon as you have a co firmed address but wait for a place to be allocated. It may not be a local school but if over a certain distance you would have funded transport. London is so densely populated it would probably not come to that. Your alternative is to find a private (fee paying) school which you could look for abd pay a deposit now.

Thanks all. We are moving to the Gloucester area, not London, so I'm uncertain

Oops, clicked Post too soon. I'm uncertain how many school options there are in the area. Hoping that she can at least get a placement in a good school within a few miles. Appreciate all the feedback, it's very helpful.

Your dd can start school in year one , regardless of when she turns five. Homeschooling is whatever you want it to be, she will learn through play at home with you just fine.

There are a real mix of schools in the Gloucester area from fantastic to awful. There are also some fantastic private schools. I would do some research on the schools in the area you are hoping to move to and contact the schools you prefer personally. This will give you an idea if they are likely to be full. I would also look at their admissions criteria. In our area the schools are all over subscribed but the LA are increasing numbers. As all the schools are overscribed parents often appeal to get into their preferred school and there is often some movement. Places do come up randomly - for example my friends daughter got a place at their preferred school 3 days after the beginning of reception year. It was a tough decision but she moved her and she is very happy.

Thanks everyone. Would it be quite odd to just wait and place her in Year 1? We are going to be in the middle of an international move and a lot of change anyway, so I wonder if it's better to wait. In the US children start school at 5, so the idea isn't foreign to me. I could maybe homeschool her so that she is up with her peers come Year 1?

Another option would be to aim to have her starting after Christmas. I have never heard of anyone just not starting reception unless they are planning to homeschool long term. Though some people do now defer the start of reception if their LEA permits it, if their child is very young for the year, for example

If you mean to wait a full year , it would be unusual and you may find she is too old to attend preschool activity groups and miss out socially. You don't have to start full time in September though, and for reception the first half term is often a phased introduction or settling period. Because class sizes are limited to 30 you would only get a place at an oversubscribed school if another pupil left, even at year 1, and your dc was first on the waiting list (check the criteria for different schools to see how places are allocated for each one, not always just on distance) .

Gloucester area - Cotswolds, Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Stroud etc - where exactly(ish) as this impacts the advice you can get here.

I work for GCC and know people in admissions.

@LIZS So she could start later in the year? I think I'd rather we get settled for awhile and start her around January but wasn't sure that was an option.

@linkinperk I am not certain yet where we will live, but likely Cheltenham

@Solasum yeah I wouldn't want to delay Reception I don't think, because then she would be much older than her peers.

If you are offered a place immediately you may be able to wait until the term after she turns 5, although not all heads like this and it is unusual. The difficulty in starting later is that if the year group is full, you still need someone to leave before you can be offered the place. You would normally be expected to take it up fairly quickly rather than say if it were early October you'd prefer to start in January, otherwise it may get offered to another child on the waiting list.

She can join a school that offers her a place at any point in the year - it’s called an in-year transfer.

In your position I would research the nearest schools to where you’ll be living and choose three (or however many your council alllows). Contact the schools and arrange visits.

Then apply near to when you want her to start. The council will offer you a place as soon as it becomes available so make sure you’re ready for her to start before you submit the application.

Reception year is play-based and year 1 comes as a bit of a shock to some children. You may want to put the application in in time for her to start in the summer term of reception so she gets to know the other children before she starts year 1.

Be aware if she’s not in school she’ll miss some assessments but not everyone is bothered by that. You can ask lots of questions when you visit the schools - our prospective parents always do.

when will she turn 5?

the system in the UK is fairly rigid that those born on 1st September wait a year longer to start school than those born on 31st August. the plus side of this is that Preschool settings are entirely used to having kids who would be old enough to start school had they just been born a day or two earlier. I think maybe you might be best off getting her a place at a preschool for just a term or two - which will be happy to give you a place before you have an addressing the UK. you can then take some time to find your feet, visit a few schools and make your applications for in-year transfer.

Preschools follow the same national curriculum with play-based learning as reception classes, so she won't be disadvantaged.