Can a school insist on full-time attendance for a September starter?

[Tootiredtocare82]

My dd is due to start school in September. She is a July baby so could go the following year. But I would like her to go this year with her friends from the nursery.
The problem is she currently only does 2 days in nursery and 1 at a more relaxed childminder setting and I know she won't cope with 5 days a week in school as she barely copes now.
I also have a 9 year old at the school already and honestly the school is crap. It's in a highly deprived area and the teachers spend most of their time dealing with the challenging kids, so I am in no rush to send my little one there more than I have to as most of her Education will happen at home anyway. I can't use a different school as there aren't any close enough for travel arrangements.
If I defer for a year (I would love to) the nursery won't take her and the childminder doesn't have space, so I'm left with a childcare headache while I work.
I asked the school to consider part time hours until Christmas and then review it. They have said they will do a maximum of 6 weeks and then they would have to consider legal options if I don't send her for the full 5 days.
They have stated that although I don't legally have to send her until the following year, if I send her this year then I have to send her full time.
Just wondering if anyone knows what they can actually do if I don't send her full time after the 6 weeks?

School are wrong. You are entitled to send your child part time before compulsory school age so for you the whole of reception year. A few children on my sons class did this.Join summer born Facebook group

My daughter is an August baby and she only went to nursery two days a week. She was actually fine. I am more concerned about my autistic son starting school when he only does mornings. He isn't summer born though.

How will she settle if you only put her in part time?

Personally working in a reception class I would say that the long drawn out part time timetable for the vast majority of children is the worst option. Either defer for a year or aim to be at full time as quickly as possible. The afternoons are often a key time for children building the bonds with peers and staff as there is a lot more time in continuous provision.

It’s interesting to see how all this plays out now. The year before my DD started school, born August 1992, summer born dc went to school for a term at our primary school! They started after Easter, as I had done in 1960. Everyone complained summer borns were behind! They were of course. All the older dc had at least 1 term of learning and many 2 terms. Obviously older dc were streets ahead. My DD actually started in January when she was 4 yrs 5 months and more than ready for school. As a bright dc she relished it and was never tired! No one deferred and never saw dc who needed to. Not even the boys! Now we don’t value YR much at all as dc are too tired or not ready. Most of us years ago could not wait for summer borns to have equal time at school.

Just send her part time. Who cares if she misses some maths? She will be four for the whole academic year. If, as we are led to believe, it's fine to send children to school full time (unlike every other country in Europe and even the US) at 4 because reception is just play based, then it won't matter if she misses some.

The fact is four is too young for all children. French, German, Norwegian and American kids all do fine going to school at six or seven. Of course some kids cope with school at 4 better than others but why should they be reduced to just coping?

I sent my April born four days a week until the summer term of reception. And my August born deferred until the following year.

There is absolutely no legal action the school or anyone else can take against you.

I think you should try her full time. And try not to anticipate there will be problems. Get her used to the idea now. If she picks up that you expect there to be issues, then sure enough, there will be.

“Legal options”???

Honestly, why do schools just make stuff up? It seriously makes me wonder about the calibre of people in school leadership that they think they can get away with making stuff up. Do they not know that all these rules are published and easily accessible on the internet these days?

If you have no faith in the school and it’s rally bad then I’d do the same as those parents and not send your dd there. Primary school is important, send her to a school where it’ll actually benefit her.

Unless you live in a big town or city, or can afford to go private, or move, school choice simply isn’t a thing.

No - join the Facebook group flexible school admissions.

You have a right to send your child part time before compulsory school age (the term after they turn 5years old). Schools don’t like it. But I did it for my child and it was 100% the right decision. One of the best choices I made as a parent looking back.

This will just cause a massive headache for the teachers and your child. There will be constantly activities in the morning that build on skills they taught a previous afternoon so you child will have missed prior learning and can't do the thing. She'll feel silly and the teachers will have to spend time going over things with your child when they should be teaching new things to everyone. The school have to let you, but don't do it, it inconveniences everyone including your child, and doesn't help anyone. Either actually defer her and properly sort childcare or just send her to school normally.

Thanks to everyone who answered the question. I really appreciate the time taken to offer advice about what the school can or can't do.
I wasn't asking for opinions on my choice not to send her full time at 4 years old.

As a mum to a 21yr old who is currently in a top university and a 9 Yr old who is at the school and doing well with additional home support, I am quite capable of knowing what is the right decision for my youngest.
I was struggling to work out what the "legal options" were that the school referenced as my understanding was that they could not do anything until they reach CSA.

I think very few French children will start school at 6 without having done at least GS at maternelle. Which is far less play based than reception. Most will have been in maternelle full time since 2 or 3. In the US a lot of stuff has been pushed down into K and subsequently 3yr PK and 4yr PK.

If you are going part time ( and I can’t remember if ‘May’ in the admissions code has the full force of the law. 5 mornings is likely to be better than a few full days. Failing that they have to hold the place for her if you choose to start her in the summer term.

Is there an underlying health issue or something else because it would be quite unusual for a 4 year old not to manage more than 2 days at nursery/preschool.

Since she’s under CSA there isn’t much they can do if you just don’t send her. You are likely to get letters and meetings because she will be flagged as likely to have attendance issues once she reaches CSA but they can’t actually fine you.

A school can't leave you without a school place.
You can decide not to send her until Easter next year.
My honest advice is to plan to move towards full-time but if she needs to start part-time, do that and work up at her pace.
One caveat I woukd make is that you agree that she attends on Census day in October and January as these are crucial for funding for schools. At a time where every penny counts , you'll be helping the school with this.
You cannot have any enforcement action against you until your daughter is CSA.
Please listen to her too - if she tells you she wants to go, let her lead it - it's crucial for her social development too.

Going part time sounds so disruptive.

I always think it must be so unsettling for the poor child being taken out of school constantly. You'll never settle if you're not given the chance.

You're not deferring because you haven't booked a nursery place. Is this all in her best interest or yours?

She is a very bright little button and ready for the school environment but definitely not ready for full time

The school environment is full time. However bright she is, if you think she's not ready for full time school, for whatever reasons, then she's not ready for the school environment.

I have not read the full thread, so apologies if this has already been said but the school is wrong (assuming you are in England). The Admissions Code is clear that you can send your daughter part time until she reaches compulsory school age. Given that she was born in July, that means she can remain part time for the full year if you wish. The school has no legal options and no say in this at all. It is entirely your choice. You don't need their permission. Refer them to paragraph 2.17(c) of the Admissions Code.

@Charmatt Is the return not counting part time pupils as part time? Maybe not but if every child was part time, would this not affect funding? It used to and YR teachers only worked part of the year 30 years ago.

No, it reports on every child attending that day. It defines funding for the following year, not the school year they are in. That's why it is so crucial becasue the funding statements for the next year are calculated using them, helping them to plan for staffing.

@Charmatt Yes I knew about funding because I was a governor at a junior school but we didn’t have part time dc in Yr, hence my question.

Gently, you don't know she won't cope. You don't think she will cope which is very different.

My son started last September. He has significant delays due to SEN and had only done very part time nursery. I was sooo worried he wouldn't cope but he took us all by surprise and has absolutely thrived.

Sending a child part time when the rest of the class is fulltime isn't something I'd consider lightly. She will miss out on shared experiences that help the class bond, as well as education (the one thing my son has found difficult is missing bits and pieces due to medical appointments, but obviously this can't always be helped).