My daughter doesn't start reception until mid October, so therefore has no funding for about 6 weeks

[sherby]

Is this usual practice?

Preschool says she can't return after septmeber as her primary will be getting her funding. But the primary won't take her until October 12, so therefore are sitting on her funding for 6 weeks without her being there.

Surely that can't be ok? Playschool v unhappy about it too

And waht is the basis for this 'admissions policy'? How can they justify only offering your daughter a place from half term - if they have a place, they have a place in september so why can't she start then if that's what you wish?

Well apparently the admissions policy is set by the council. In other years when they have had one or two children starting in Oct and have requested permission to start them in Sept the council have refused.

But the secretary did say that I could pull her out of school until January if I still wanted her to get funding for the whole term at playschool. And that there was no way they would take her in September.

What bugs the hell out of me is that when I asked the headteacher about flexi schooling she almost spit her tea at me because she was in such a rush to tell me that there was no way because of the funding and attendance records. But they are quite happy to take funding for a child that isn't there.

Will phone early years/LEA type people tomorrow I think

Phone another school and ask for their admissions policy. I don't know any LEAs who set the admissions policy. It is always down to individual schools.

Phone up your LEA Early Years Team.

Make an appointment to speak to the Headteacher. Tis bollocks that there are only 2 of them starting later.

If necessary, write to the Chair of Governors.

Thats a hell of a long time to make 2 children wait. It really doesn't make sense?!

As for the funding - state reception classes aren't funded via Free Early Education Entitlement (formerly the Nursery Education Grant). ATM (and I have no idea whether this will change) you cannot split funding across a maintained and a non-maintained (so school and private playgroup/nursery/pre-school) setting. This is because schools are paid yearly for the children whereas the Free Early Education Entitlement is paid termly to the setting, based on a Headcount of children at the setting on a certain date.

The way around this would be for your child to attend playschool for the full term and then start school in January if the school allows this (I have no idea if they have to or not?).

What have the school given you as their reasons for making the 2 children wait for so long before starting?
Our school has a staggered start, but not 6 weeks!! Doesn't make sense ...

Do let us know how you get on Sherby - lots of people are frothing at the mouth on your behalf! Even if the school won't take the extra 2 at the start of term, surely they could take them after 2 weeks rather than 6?? 12 Oct seems such a random start date in any case, they will barely be there for more than a week before its half term!

I have come across this once before. What the parents did was say the child was going to start in Jan. Claim the allowance and sent them to preschool but in Oct just told school that actually, they had changed their mind, now thought their DS was ready and he started after half term with another 6 children.

1)School didn't care as they don't actually have the funding in the way that a nursery or independent school would have.

2)Nursery didn't care as they got to keep the second half terms grant.

I would either seriously consider doing what my friends did or keeping her in preschool until Jan.

Good luck

I hate two intake schools for so many reasons. And I dislike PT and delayed starts in reception too - it is a nightmare for working parents! And really of very limited benefit to the younger ones IMO. However the older ones who get to start first in the nice small class with lots of teacher attenton - probably lovely!

Why can playschool not get funding though? I thought funding was available until the term after the child turns 5y. Or is it because school are claiming it even though your DD won't actually be attneding.

Can you discuss this with school? Seems very unfair.

That sounds like a good plan myredcardigan.

I would check it before you do it as the school might not allow it.

I don't think the school can refuse FBGIB.

OUr school has been told by the County Council that they are not allowed to treat summer born children any different to autumn born children. This is following on from info in the news i believe about the situation.
Also funding for children at school is detrmined by the number of children on roll on a single date in January, the 12th I think, before and after that it does not matter how many kids there are at school. We discuss exciting matters like this at school governor meetings!

Hmm this has got me thinking, maybe it's the younger ones who should be starting first in staggered starts not the autumn borns??
Surely they'd benefit more from the smaller adult child ratio for a few days.

This sounds very odd.

DD starts nursery on October 2. We've been told that because it is after September 30 she can return to playgroup in September and be funded.