Nursery Into Reception

[SultansOfSwing]

My DS is due to start nursery after the Easter holidays and will go to a lovely nursery in an independant school 3 days a week using the 30hrs funding. DH and I can't afford to send DS to the school afterwards so he will be going to a local state primary. There are some really good ones near us but there are some terrible ones nearby too. I initially had DS name on the waiting list for the nursery in the grounds of the primary school I want to send him to but they have been so poor in responding to emails and answering the phone I gave up on them and sent him elsewhere. My neighbour told me if DS' name is on the nursery register then he is likely to get a place in reception over those who are not. So I considered sending him there 1 day a week in addition to his current nursery to try secure him a place in that school. Is there any truth to that or not? Would I be wasting my time and better off keeping him where he is?

You get no priority being at the nursery for the school. You have as much chance as everyone else if he doesn't go.

I very much doubt being in the nursery next to the school will influence the admissions process, although it's worth checking. Each school will likely have their own and schools that are academies or perhaps Church of England may have things slightly different. The standard used to be top priority for children who are looked after/ in care or have special educational needs, followed by children with older siblings and then those who live closest to the school. They will probably be admissions criteria on their website, or I'm sure the school would gladly e mail you them if necessary.

Unless the school names nursery attendance in its admissions policy (which I very much doubt as not sure it’s permitted any longer) then it makes no difference and your friend is wrong.

I know many people who’ve thought this and then been shocked when they’ve not got in.

Read the primary schools admission policy to find out how likely you would be to get in. It’s normally distance in the end that matters unless you fall in a higher admission category eg sibling in the school or other reasons.

Thank you. My neighbour's DS' both go to the local C of E school and she helps out there and had been told unofficially that they look at the nursery register when they take on the applications for reception in addition to the looked after etc criteria. The school I want DS in is not a C of E. I did think it was a bit odd but I have only just managed to get my head around the nursery funding let alone reception admissions!

Having taught reception, I'd recommend your child going to the school nursery where he will go to reception if possible! They will then have some familiarity with the setting and the routines should be fairly similar!

Attending a school nursery won't guarantee you a place in reception, they also won't allow you a one day a week placement.

In almost all schools in England, Reception admission is completely separate to nursery attendance. In fact, in most state schools, the Local Authority controls admissions into Reception and schools have no say-so or influence.

You need to speak to the Local Authority, or check the admissions criteria to be sure, but don't phone the LA for the next few days. They will be absolutely inundated with queries about Reception places as the allocations have just been made.

I would be very surprised if it was taken into consideration.
I have four dc and two went to the nursery attached to the school and two didn't.
The transition was definitely smoother with the one who was at the school nursery (other one starts in September) however that's not to say the others didn't settle it just took a bit longer.
You know your child though some are quite tough and hardy. I know my youngest would be devastated to not go to school with all his preschool friends the eldest wouldn't (and didn't) care and soon made new friends.

It has no bearing at my ds's school. Here you apply to the local authority for a school place so I doubt the school even know who has applied let alone influence who gets in. At ds's there is a clear admissions priority list, looked after dc, siblings in priority 1, siblings in priority 2, dc in priority 1, dc in priority 2, out of catchment. Your local authority will have the information, but as pp says don't ring today as primary offers were released this morning!

The C of E school your friend works must place attendance at their linked nursery as part of their admissions criteria otherwise unofficially "taking a look at the nursery register" would be a serious breech of the schools admission code. If they are their own admission authority and handle all admission requests themselves and are deviating from the statutory code and their published admissions policy then this is serious maladministration and illegal.

If the LA handle admissions for this school then your friend is misinformed as the LA will use the published admissions criteria when ranking students in the allocation process who have stated a preference for this school.

As others said, you need to check the actual schools admission criteria. Nursery attendance certainly isn't a criteria in my area. My dd is at a school nursery and we've been given two letters and a text message to remind parents that a) we have to actually apply for a school place via the LA because we won't just automatically get a place at the school and b) that nursery attendance has no bearing on getting a place.

In addition, in my town, school nurseries only offer places as 15 hours 2.5 days a week (first half of week or end half of week) school hours or Mon-Fri school hours (if using 30 hour funding). It's not possible to just do one day.

You don't get a place because you were at the nursery.

My DS was at a school nursery 5 mornings a week for a year, the nursery and YR classes we're connected by a bathroom and a shared area so his class was very much part of the school, he didn't get a place in the reception class and he started YR last year in a different one.

I was gutted but his new school is wonderful so every cloud i suppose.

There were a couple of others from the nursery at the new school that he knew but he's made a lovely group of friends and is very happy and hardly remembers the year at nursery!

Thank you everyone for your replies, you have all been so helpful. It is such a minefield and I have been given so much conflicting information in the past! The nursery in the grounds of the primary school I want to send him to has no website at the moment as it has been down for maintenance for over 6 months but I rang them last year and they said they have no minimum policy so even one day a week would be possible but I would have to pay for it as I will use the 30hrs funding at a different facility.

As there is no guarantee a transition into reception, I think it is wise to probably stick to the nursery I have enrolled him in and then just hope for the best when it comes to school places.

You know you can look at the admissions criteria for the school? So if people are giving you unreliable info, stick to what it says on admissions criteria

@SultansOfSwing

If the school do check the nursery register without it being part of their admissions policy they are breaking the code and put themselves at large risk of many parents winning appeals if that info got out.