I know nothing about how kids end up at school. Should I?

[snowleopard]

I overheard parents I know talking about schools recently and realised that I haven't got a clue what happens. DS is 2, but do I need to register him or apply for school in some way, at some stage? Will he automatically be able to go to the nice primary school round the corner, or do I have to do something to ensure it? How do they decide when a child goes to school? As he already goes to nursery, can he stay there until school? Sorry I am so totally ignorant but would appreciate a quick rundown.

The year before he is eligilble to strat school you should get a letter from the LEA with a form to fill in stating your first three choices of school.

A child has to start school on or before the September following thier 5th birthday.

Ring your preffered school now and ask them when you need to fill in an application form.

There are no guarentees of a placement, but if you are within the catchment area you stand a much better chance.

Totaleclipse - it's the September before their 5th birthday, unless there is a 2 entry system in the area you live. Children start when they are 4.

Legal requirement is by their 2th birthday, which most LEA's interpret as the start of the term following.
In reality most start the term (or sep depending on the number of intakes) before their 5th birthday.
Not all LEA's will send you an application form, check their website the Sep before he is due to start and check the closing date (ours was 9 Dec to start the following Sep) and make sure you apply in time.
You can usually get an application form from the school.

DS will be 5 in November 2008 and we received a form from the LEA a couple of weeks ago, telling us we could apply online and needed to do so before the end of September.

The school in the village actually has its own policy of a termly entry, so the children start part-time the term after they are 4, and do that for two terms before starting full-term the term they have their 5th birthday. Around when he was 2, I phoned up the school and put his name down to start in January 2008. They needed to know where we live, and as we live in the catchment, there was no problem.

Friends in the next door county have a formal nursery system (attached to schools) starting the September after they are 3. They had a fomral application process for that a few months ago and then have to do it again for entry into reception.

If he is in a private nursery, then he can stay there until he goes to school.

I'd suggest looking at your county's website, as this will tell you more about your county's procedures.

'A child has to start school on or before the September following thier 5th birthday.'

NO

A child has to start education- at school or otherwise! Which of course is where the Home Ed system kicks in.

Yes, but before age age is only reception, its not compulsary, thats why I said or before

You can apply for state schools usually in the autumn term before they are due to start (and here in England they typicaly start in the September of the academic year in which they will become 5). Independent schools will have different timings. In terms of which school you can get, you will need to look at the entrance requirements for each school. Some may be faith schools and you will need a reference to back up regular church attendance. Once all the applications are in by the due date then usually priority will be given to children with siblings at the school and then the rest of the places are based on distance formt he school. So if you are literally around the corner from, then provided it isn't a faith school all other children would either have to have older siblings at the school or live closer in order to get in. In London however it can get quite fraught and you may need to find out how exactly they measure the distances (eg certain footpaths may be excluded say).

Personally I wouldn't wait for a letter - certainly I've never had one for wither of my children but each LEA will be different.

In terms of when they start school - complex question: legally they don't have to be in school until the term after they turn 5, but in practice most schools now seem to want them in by the September after they turn 4. You may have the right to defer entry for a term or two.

I think the legal requirement is for children to start education the term after they are 5 (NB this does not have to be in a school ).

This can mean though that for a child with a birthday in the last term of the year ie for April to August, if they started the term after their 5th birthday, they would go straight into Year 1 rather than being older in reception.

no legally it is the term after their 5th birthday , although in practice Reception Year starts the September before, perhaps with later starts dates for younger (post Christams b'day) children. You can leave him as is for time being and apply formally up to just under a year ahead (LEA's differ on timescales but deadline often between October and March). The application pack will detail any priorities for allocating places by each shcool , be they religion , walking distance, sibling link , SEN etc, and open days for visits. hth

Yes, but she was asking about school, not HE.

I knpw she was

I ws simply calrifying wat the l;asw actually is though

oh duh - 2?? LOL
The education act, says from the day they are 5, not the term after.

If you are in Scotland, the system is different (the way of applying, placing requests and the cut off dates for admission). You don't get written to autmaticially either.

Oh ok, thought you were nit picking

It is the term after- in practise if not legislation 9and I thou8ght it was law), I know thsi as we are delaying ds3 due to SN and had to go via LEA and Eduation otherwise so quite up on the legals

Blimey!

I'm really sorry but I am in Scotland - forgot that that might have made a difference, so apologies for timewasting to those of you who've been telling me about the English system.

Thanks for raising Home Ed Peachy, I do think about it on and off. But the main reason is that I loathed school and I shouldn't assume that DS will...

I agree in practice it is the term after, as I said in my first post (though rather cocked up with the 2yo). But I looked at the act a couple of months ago and it definately said 5th birthday.
How did you get approval to delay, couldn't you just HE (even if only for a while) and thereby comply with the regulations - by giving an suitable education?

lol at being in scotland - well not at being there as such. Hope someone comes along and gives more relevant info.

I decided to home-ed primarily because I didn't have a positive time at school but looking into it it brings up all kind of things that confirm my decision. Even if your little one does go to school the Home ed organisations can be quite helpful on the legal side of things just cos they have to deal with it so much they have fished out the useful bits of the law that you need to know. Education otherwise has a website.

Is this any help?
Primary school admissions
Select Scotland and follow the links.

Thanks juuule.

It's actually simpler in Scotland.

If you put him into nursery for his free 12.5 hour/week for the term following his 3rd birthday, there will be signs up in the u=nursery when the local school will be doing admissions. it's usually about January/Fenruary time. You go long with yuor birth certiciate and some sort of the residency proof, and you fill in an application form. If you want to make a lacing request, you need to apply (I think) at your "catchment school" and they will also be the ones who will give you the placing request form, which you then fill in for the school that you want.

If you are not sure which school is your catchment school (and you effectively have two: the "non-deminational tone, and the catholic one), thne ring up the one you think it is and give them your address and they will be able to tell you. Or alteernatively, contact the education department of your council.

In Scotland, the age year is from March to Februrary. There is only one entry. If your child is not 5 by the time the August term starts, who do have the choice of keeping him back until the following year. Unilkje England, he would then start P1 along with all the others (rather than skip the English "reception" - doesn't exist in Scoltand) - he would just then be amongst the oldest in his year, instead of the youngest.

If your child's birthday is between August and December, and you choose to defer, I beleive that the council has the right not to continue to pay for the 12.5 hours/week nursery time.

Whereabouts are you (roughly)?

Thanks prettybird, that helps a lot (had always been a bit confused by "reception" anyway!). I'm in Edinburgh.

Glad to be of help - and sorry for all the typos, but I am sure you got the gist!

Reception used to confuse me too (and I still think it is daft). In Scotland, you have to do 7 full years of primary, full stop. If you defer, you still start in the first year of primary school.

Check out www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/learning/schools/CEC_school_catchment_arrangements. It looks slightly different in Edinburgh, in that the enrollemnt/placing process starts earlier, in November.

But as your ds is 2, you have plenty of time.

The problem in Edinburgh may be becasue the state system is not as good as elsewhere, due to the predominance of private schools (chicken or egg?). So, if you are thinking of going private, you may need to be thinking of putting your ds down somewhere. But if you say you have a good primary round the corner (and chekc you are in its catchment), then you should be OK. Scondary School might be more of an issue!

BTW - there is a third option - the gaelic medium school, which I beleive is highly thought of.