Pre school or reception in sept?

[DesperateMumofPDAchild]

If your child was an August boy with SEN (PDA, Atypical high functioning autism, sensory) who didn't win place in local village school which meets his needs better, would you keep him at Pre School from September while you wait for waiting list place/possible statement. Or would he miss out on crucial things in reception like phonics, emotional/relationships education etc.

Pre School were initially supportive about him staying on but now after speaking to local springboard and EYFS local co-ordinator think he should start at the given school.

I will be in this situation next year probably and plan to keep child at preschool - but who knows what will really happen.

It's a tough choice to make.

I don't know which bright spark came up with the idea that children myst be together according to age so strictly, it does not happen in other countries..

Legally a child does not have to start school until the term after they turn five, so I'm guessing in your case that would mean September 2014. However, if you do delay sending him to school the LEA will insist that he begin in year one which would mean missing out on the reception year. You can apply to have him held back a year (and you will need a strong argument and preferably professional support) but if you do I would suggest you get it written into his statement that it is a permenant offset otherwise they may try and make him miss year six and go straight into secondary.

If you are waiting on getting a statement then could you not ask to have the local village school you want as the named school? Children with statements take priority so it shouldn't matter if they are over subscribed.

The other thing to bear in mind is that if you want to keep the place allocated, he must start before the end of the last term of Reception year, even if it is just the last day. If you keep him out for the entire year, he will lose the place.

Thanks everyone. We have been turned down for SA and taking it to tribunal. I am going to have a meeting at Pre School about the options but in my gut I don't think he is ready for school, Part of me hopes it will be the making of him, but I don't want to risk it as I know he is likely to find it very hard. An added worry is that a private ed psyc said he will need about 22 hours 1-2-1 but both school have said they have no extra money and will have to meet his needs within their current resources, so keeping him at Pre School while we get that sorted is a real concern.

Tbh, if your DS has PDA, the school are going to really struggle to handle him without giving him support. I'd let them get on with it and see how quickly that Statement is put in place

Also, the schools are talking rubbish. They have delegated funding for SEN. They have the money to provide him with support. Not 22 hours 1-1, granted, but they do have money.

If they give him 15 hours shared support and see that he isn't coping and his needs disrupt other children, they'll start pushing for support.

DD1 disrupted the whole preschool session and she very quickly (within 2 weeks of the September term starting) had full 1:1 support because of the effect on other children.

I think [but I could be wrong] that the rule has changed recently about delaying a childs start at school. I think schools eg. Head teachers now have more say in this and can allow children to be held back a year without missing reception.

I hope someone comes along who knows the rules better than I do and that it is not just in my LA.

Good luck

You should beable to delay him starting school for one year because he is an August baby. I wanted to delay my son for a year but couldn't cos his birthdays in march. But I was told by the ed psych that if he had had an August birthday I could have delayed him starting until the following sept.

Hi Toni27, have you any more information about this, all I've heard is that's its really hard so any ammunition I have would be helpful.

I'm torn as he is very bright (99 % percentiles) but Aug boy with ASD related traits?? Also if we win appeal, that's great we get place this year BUT if I did want to hold him back would we have to apply again or could we maybe start him at some point (summer term?) then delay him so he would be on roll before fresh applications? Otherwise we are even more unlikely to get in the normal route next year as there are even more children in the village in that year group.

It's the admissions code that states:

"2.17 Admission of children outside their normal age group - Parents of gifted and talented children, or those who have experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill health, can seek places outside their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case, informing parents of their statutory right to appeal. This right does not apply if they are offered a place in another year group at the school."

I haven't much info, I got into this for about a week. I started by requesting my son start school a year later, as in sept 2014. I felt this would be better for him as his nursery is fab and he is settled there and making good progress. I didn't feel he had a chance of ever catching up with his peers in his official school year. I was half way through organising a statement for him to get support in school, he has asd, I was going for full time support then I got it in my head that I wanted to delay school. I then decided to try ringing a solicitors firm who dealt with SEN legal cases as I was told he definetly had to start school this year. They were very helpful and felt I may have a case based on the statement provided above by lougle. However, I started making noise about it to my senco and the LA saying I was going to appoint a solicitor if they didn't let me start him in sept 2014 and got myself really in a state about it, then I had a long 2 hour talk with my senco where I cried a lot. She convinced me that my son should start school in sept this year as he has to start in this school year as he has a march birthday, she said basically I would not win the case and I was just delaying the inevitable as in him starting school. I was still not convinced but then happened to get into a conversation with the boss of all the senco's in our district about it and she said that it is much easier to start a child in their school when they are meant to, but then repeat their reception year if need be, rather than delay the start of school for a whole year. I begrudging gave in and I must say my sons school are being mega supportive and I'm actually excited for him to go now. He's going to start part time and probably do this till he turns five, so only full time for the summer term next year. Then we are going to hold an annual review and I expect he will repeat the reception year. If he doesn't have to I will be delighted but I think it will take the whole first year for him to settle in and learn the routines. BUT I must say in your case you do have an August baby, it was said to me over and over if he was born in summer I could have delayed him by a year. Sorry to ramble but that is my story on it. I remember reading info on the "bliss" website for premature babies. My son was not premature but some of the info was relevant for delaying school. Speak to the school, they have a big say in it as far as I know, I think they have to agree to it. Write down everything you can think of supporting your case. Speak to your ed psych, they are very important, they need to agree its in your child's best interests, get them on board and you will have a fighting chance to delay starting school. Make sure if its all agreed that your child will start reception class a year late and not get put straight in yr 1. Good luck xxx

Thanks. On speaking to the Pre School head today, she told me when she spoke to the Early Years coordinator for the LA about my son that I must be told if I held him back in Pre School that he would start in year 1. Apparently she said it multiple times. We only have a private ed psyc on board at the moment, no LA ed psyc to ask.

Does anybody know who to ask, where to go to get clarification?

It's hard enough deciding to do re Sept 2013, let alone worry about the following year. Don't let all this 'year 1' talk faze you.

If reception will be a wasted year educationally, as well as emotionally damaging, just being plonked inside a school to fail during yR isn't going to help him be any more ready for y1 by sept 2014 anyway.

I delayed my summer born ASD child until Easter of Reception year whilst we kept him at Nursery and got his statement sorted.
He didn't have a place but had the school named on his statement so they were instructed to take him and go over numbers.
It wasn't planned that way,it just happened, but it was the best thing to happen.
Some advantages:
-We started him part time 3days per week, going FT in Sept Y1. This allowed for a good transition to match his needs.
-The other kids were settled into school routine, so he could follow them
-He didn't really cope too well with the unstructured sessions in Reception anyway, as he didn't cope with the crowds round the sand pit, for example. He settled much better in Y1 with more structure to the day. So he got to ease into school life, and only had to put up with the aspects he didn't like about Reception for a few weeks.
-He got his 1:1 FT so caught up v quickly everything he had missed and still had the consolidation work the others were doing
I can't think of any disadvantages.

However, we did have full support and encouragement from Nursery and the school. We only decided to start him at the school when his statement was being redrafted countless times finalised in the Feb/ March, and he started in April.

I was also told if he didn't start in Rec year and we deferred for a year he would start with his age group, but I would have contested that, I think. Anyhow, it worked out well for us. They mature A Lot between now and Spring next year.

I still have copies on my email of two previous threads from mumsnet re delaying school, if u pm me I can mail them to you, and the info from the bliss website, don't know how to send them to u thru mumsnet but I'm happy to forward u the info I collected x

Blessyou - that sounds like it worked out well. If I knew we were going to get a statement I'd be feeling much happier but he is very bright and PDA is quite invisible and is a bit jekyl and hide, PLUS our LA are crap and really block you at every stage. We are having to go to tribunal to get them to assess. Its one massive headache trying to work out the best thing to do.

Have PMd you Toni

thanks everyone for comments

I wanted to delay Mogling (end of August baby, speech delay, social development delay etc etc etc). I kept getting the 'but then she'd have to miss reception entirely and go into Yr1 from Nursery'. If she was in the year below, she wouldn't be delayed at all. In fact, she'd probably be ahead of the curve now she's potty trained (and dry at night ) and a bit more verbal.