Waiting list September start question

[howlongisitnow]

Hi everyone. Question about reception start this September.

I know that in a normal year there are children that simply don’t turn up on the first day of term. Presumably, at a certain point, this place is then given to a child on the waiting list.

But this year there may be many children who don’t turn up - for various reasons. Will each school simply decide when the place is released to the waiting list?

Thanks

I think this year could be complicated. In normal circumstances, a school would try to contact the parents/guardians, and ascertain what has happened. If there was no response and no child, a place could be removed after 2 weeks, I believe.

This year, we may still possibly be in a stage where attendance is not compulsory, so parents may choose not to send a child immediately BUT retain their place without formally deferring/delaying.

Parents have the right to delay until the term after the child turns 5, so potentially a summer born could delay until the start of year 1 and keep their place in that year. They don't have an automatic right to defer though - keep their child back a year and start reception a year later - but they do have the right to ask, and different authorities take different approaches to that.

This year, if attendance isn't compulsory, I can see some parents taking a wait and see approach - not sending to start with, waiting for a few weeks to see how things go.

I agree that this year could be much more difficult for schools to know when a place is vacant. I suspect schools will be sending letters out asking for confirmation on what the situation is. Normally this would require two separate letters, so realistically it could easily be the end of September when schools are confirming there are available places.