Nursery place secured but reception…

[ComebackQueen]

Hi all

I know that having a child at a nursery/feeder school is not a guarantee that a reception place would be offered however, the nursery criteria for allocating a place was stated clearly as the same as reception criteria - looked after, SEN, sibling and then distance.

Therefore, am I correct in thinking it would be likely my child gets a place next September because he already met said criterion for the nursery?

The question is how many kids are in the area who don't already go to the nursery class. There could be lots in day nurseries because of the longer hours available, or at home with family. Those kids will still be entitled to a school place and require it because school is nit really optional.

I don’t think so (sorry). Most kids don’t go to a school nursery, so you could have loads who have been at a private nursery / with a childminder / at home, who want places at 4.

If you didn’t get a place at nursery it would be a really bad sign but I don’t think you can read much into it the other way.

Thanks @LittleOwl153

yes, appreciate that and we only secured the place on distance but I suspect that many children live closer not accounting for siblings and I live in a high birth rates area!

I just thought that if he met the criteria once, he should be ok for reception but I guess not.

we are having to use two providers due to working and although both within 10 minute walk of one another, I don’t want to do the extra stress of going to and fro if he won’t be accepted into reception.

Is the current Reception year full?

Not necessarily, there will be applications from those using other childcare, preschool or staying at home to be considered alongside. Reception intake is usually larger than nursery.

We have had this ahead of Sept 2025 start date for reception, my son is in the nursery attached to the school. They’ve said he’s a good chance of getting into reception but as it’s the council that make the final decision it’s not guaranteed. There are 32 in nursery split into FT, PT first half the week and PT second half of the week but there are 30 places in nursery. We are in the catchment area so have a great chance, the issue is you never know who hasn’t applied for nursery due to not getting 30 or 15 hours; or preferring to remain in private nursery for another year

You don’t know how many children the nursery can accommodate (they won’t all be full time) vs the school or how many children aren’t using the nursery at all.

You much better looking at historic school admissions data to establish your chance of admission (work out what group you’d be in and distance from school and then find out the distance of the last child admitted and their group in previous years) although this can change with new houses, demographic changes etc so not perfect

No, you can't assume. Your child met the criteria based on who applied for a nursery place. If double the amount of people in your local area apply for a Reception place, your child could miss out on distance.

Our primary had more nursery spaces than reception so you definitely couldn’t be sure of getting place

So my son didn't go to the school nursery as he was in a nursery near my work. The PAN was 45 for a 56 place nursery - it was a high birth rate year and he was the nearest child to be admitted on distance. We live across the road from the school reception.

It’s a very low birth year for reception this September. Your chances are considerably better than usual.

It's worth going to the nursery if possible - whilst it won't guarantee a place it will put you above children who didn't go to the nursery and live further away

That is not necessarily the case. Attendance at nursery is very exceptional as a determining criteria or a category of its own. If distance is used then op will be placed higher than those further away in the same category

Yes and over subscribed.

We live right on the cusp for catchment and last year they offered the furthest distance from the school at less than 0.4

no chance for next year.

May have to reassess the options.

That’s not true for most school nurseries. That’s not even on the list as criteria for our primary. It’s Sen, siblings etc. first then distance, nothing to do with nursery.

I wouldn’t assume you’d get accepted at all because of acceptance in to nursery. Many people don’t use the school nurseries because the hours available doesn’t fit with work. Many of the kids in dds reception class didn’t go to the school nursery, including dd. Some of the nursery year didn’t get in, we got a place instead of one of the kids because we live closer.

It’ll be considered again, school nurseries often adopt the same admission criteria and manage it themselves with the LA managed the school admissions, you don’t know how many children who live nearby aren’t going to the nursery as it’s a different pool of intake

@Overthebow ah ok
Ours does have this as a criteria.

Do you know what school it is that you’d likely get into? Do they have a nursery your DC can go to?

They don’t unfortunately, ironically we are 0.5miles from this nursery/primary and 0.45 from the other school but they offered the furthest distance only 0.3 from the school so now I am fretting even more.

A friend two streets away ended up in a school almost 1.5miles away and she’s even closer to the primary I ideally want him to get into.

1.5 miles away isn’t that far though. It’s walking distance. Go and have a look at the school. You might love it!

Our closest school is 1.5 miles. The idea of having 3 in less than a mile is insane to me.

I agree with PP. Feeder nursery doesn’t guarantee entry.

No as they're likely more children applying for reception places and siblings I'll be taken into account that are already at the primary school. You may get a place but I wouldn't assume it until it's been granted

I don’t think it’s that simple. A lot of DC may stay at private nursery right until school starting. A handful may not be in any childcare at all. My eldest DC got into our local school’s nursery no problem. When it came to reception at the same school, we literally scraped in on distance criteria (max 0.38 miles, pretty sure we were the last to get in on distance). There was a big change in faces compared to pre school, with a lot of children completely new to the school.

I teach reception and we have a 36 place nursery and last year only ten children from the school nursery came to school as reception children.