Help! When do I need to worry about primary school selection?

[flibertyplus2]

My DD was born Oct 2004 and I want to keep her at Day Nursery until she starts full days at school. I'm new to this school stuff and I'm wondering when I should start worrying about it.

I've been told that the county council will send out forms with details when the time comes and there's nothing for us to do. However, I'm worrying in case we don't receive anything or in case this info is wrong. I'm hoping the collective wisdom of Mumsnetters can reassure me.

When should I expect her to start school?

At what point do I need to have applied?

Thanks in advance

Your DD should start full time school in Sept 09 (assuming you are in England).

Different councils have different times for applications to be in - in Bedfordshire where we are they had to be in by the end of September (my DS starts school full time this Sept) but other ones are often before December in the year before you start.

If you look at your council's website, it will explain. Look in the Education section and there will be information .

My dd was born in April 2004, and the way it worked for me, was that we had to make our selections on Primary School by (at the latest) last October, and we hear on first Feb. If your dd was in Warwickshire (our LEA) then she would have to go through this process this year (as I am doing with ds).

From memory I cannot remember exactly when I applied (poss June time?) but I know that I pestered the Admissions Service, who were very helpful, did the admission online, and then followed up to check that they had received all in order. In fact, I think I have called them so much I know their names. My advice is start there (go to your County Council website) and find the admissions service and speak directly to them.

HTH

My dd was born in April 2004, and the way it worked for me, was that we had to make our selections on Primary School by (at the latest) last October, and we hear on first Feb. If your dd was in Warwickshire (our LEA) then she would have to go through this process this year (as I am doing with ds).

From memory I cannot remember exactly when I applied (poss June time?) but I know that I pestered the Admissions Service, who were very helpful, did the admission online, and then followed up to check that they had received all in order. In fact, I think I have called them so much I know their names. My advice is start there (go to your County Council website) and find the admissions service and speak directly to them.

HTH

I'd say she'd have a September 2009 start, full time almost immediately, so you'll get forms some time before this Christmas. LEA website should show the local application deadlines as they can vary from October onwards

Thanks for the quick responses!

Oh I thought it would be before then, maybe next Jan or something. Is Reception part time then, I thought that was just Nursery?

Can you tell I'm confused?

Reception can be pt, usually only offered to the younger children. Others ahve a staggered start date, so post Easter born chidlren may not start until Jan/Feb. Some schools would have a Nursery class attached but that won't be full time, but sessional like a playgroup/preschool.

So if DD was to start Reception in Jan, are we too late to apply?

They only go into Repetion at rising 5 ie during the academic year beginning September 1st before they turn 5 whether that happens to be in October or August. Before that is nursery/preschool

sorry ... into Reception ...

Oh, I see! So nursery is for 2 years then, I thought it was just one year, then reception one year then school.

Reception is first year of infant school.

If you are in England, she will be in the same year as my daughter, who was born in August 2005. But yours will be one of the oldest, mine will be the youngest.

They start Reception in the academic year beginning September 2009. Being one of the oldest, I would expect yours will start full time straight away. In some areas, the younger ones start part time and/or wait until January 2010.

In this County, applications for places in a 2009/10 Reception class have to be made in October 2008. But that will vary - check your Council's website. Do NOT assume that you will be sent a form - there are a lot of people in this County who assumed that for this year and came unstuck when it didn't happen.

I should add - one reason why it may seem confusing to you is that your daughter is one of the oldest and will therefore have longer at Nursery than other children whose birthdays fall later in the academic year. If she was a few weeks older, she'd be starting Reception this year. Also, some schools have a Nursery class which is for the year preceding Reception, but as you are intending to carry on using the Day Nursery, you won't use it.

We do not get sent the form by the LEA (I'm in Suffolk), we have to ask for it or fill it out online, and applications for your dd (who would start in sep 09) wouldn't have to be in until february 09

you really need to ask at the nursery or check with your county council to make sure you get the right answer for where you are

Because your DD will be one of the older ones in her year, it is very likely that she will be expected to do full days from the start of the academic year in September.

There is sometimes an 'easing in' to this ie. she does half days for a week or so at the beginning of September and then full days thereafter. Alternatively, some schools ask the children to come in in July and do a few sessions, before starting full days from day 1 in September.

You are not however legally obliged to send your DD to school until the term AFTER her 5th birthday ie. the following January. However, you need to weigh up the pros and cons of this approach. Your DD will be one of the older ones in the class and will have missed a term of school that her peers will have undertaken.

I'm also not sure whether nurseries are legally allowed to have children over the age of 5 (you would need to check this). You would also need to weigh up whether or not it would benefit your DD being around much younger chlldren at nursery, when her peers will have been forming relationships within her future school class.

As for the application deadlines, each area of the country is different. You would need to check with your LEA admissions team.

I hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. It's been really helpful and I think I'm finally understanding this.

I think what I want is to have DD start at the school nursery from Jan 2009. The trouble is I need it to be full time

she will start the sept after she is 4 ie sept 2009. She will be almost 5 which is good IMO (tho I know people who bemoan the fact that they can't "get their DC off their hands" earlier because they are autumn born ).

You will need to apply for school autumn 2008 so I would look round schools errr now really.

You should get forms etc thru pre-school and can apply on-line for most LEAs now. It's very easy.

WRt school nursery, you will have to ask them. But a lot of schools with a nursery element will only take children for 5 x mornings or afternoons.

My 3 went to a nursery school not attached to a primary which coul dbe more flexible, ie offering parents full days, but even then they could only offer the free place of 5 sessions/week, so 2.5 days.

You could get free nursery place from this term (I assume you get money off day nursery now?) as the vouchers start from the term after the child is 3, so autumn born children can have 5 terms in some cases, yes.

Just so you know, if you are applying for a Nursery place you apply directly to the school, not through the LEA (they aren't interested until Reception) I would definitely check the application dates for the LEA your chosen school is in. We live on the border of 3 - the LEA I live in has to have applications in by February sometime, so the local papers etc reflect that. The school my DSs go to, that DD will start reception at in September, had a cut off date of 19 December last year........

I don't know of any school nurseries that are full time. They generally use the nursery voucher scheme, which is based on 2.5 hour sessions, from the age of 3.

If you want full time, you will probably need to stick with the day nursery - or switch to a childminder who can take your child to the school nursery class.