Can anyone explain exceptional status (class size)??

[pastaparadise]

I don't work in education so wondering if anyone can give me advice...

I've made a complete pigs ear of dc2's school entry. Dc2 is due to start reception next week. But he's only just turned 4 so for various reasons we decided we wanted to delay his start til CSA next year, and got agreement from the Head (an academy). We declined his place with the L.A.. However, we changed our minds a few days later, but they'd already offered his place to someone else. We asked if they could put him onto the waiting list. Just before the holidays the school then said they'd made an exception and squeezed him in as an exception to make a class size of 31.

The problem is we've agonized over this over the holidays, and decided we really do want to defer him. I emailed last week to request to defer again, but school now say we cant as he's classed as an exception. I understand they're (justifiably) pissed off with our indecision, but anyone know what this means? Is there a lot of work involved for school in classifying him as this? Or is it a quick admin job? Does it have financial implications? I thought it might suit school to move him from a now oversize class of 31 to an undersubscribed pre school class, but it seems not. Any advice much appreciated

It's a lot of faff.

They'd lose his funding as he wouldn't be on the census in October.

You sound a bloody indecisive nightmare and I can understand why they are pissed off.

Yes, I've acknowledged we've been a pain and can understand him being pissed off.

But why would they need his funding if he's not there - surely they wouldn't want 31 in a class? And they'd have his funding for nursery instead which is undersubscribed. It's hard for someone not in education to understand as none of these processes are obvious.

What is the faff exactly? I can't see how we meet the criteria for being an exception looking at the rules (We didn't ask for this, just asked to be put on the waiting list).

I don't know if nursery will get the funding?

The difference between 31 and 30 is tiny from a classroom management pov. But can bring around £6k per child which is a lot of money.

That isn’t the ops problem though, and it’s her decision.

herc I would hate the school to lose money, or another family to miss out, but they would normally only get funding for 30, it's only gone to 31 as I've fucked everything up. If we decline his place it sounds like they just wouldn't get 'extra'. There's no new staff in early years (unless existing staff have increased hours or been promoted or something?). Could they have already budgetted/ spent the money over the summer hols??

I maybe naively hoped it would be an admin task to swap from reception to nursery (son gets 30 funded hours) but as I don't know the system i can't understand what the implications for school are.

I don't know how this works, but when they contacted you in the summer did you have to sign anything or email confirmation at least? Anything that sounded contractual?

I imagine they're desperate for the extra money (schools were in dire straits even before having to buy sanitiser/sinks etc, and have at least allowed for it in their new "Covid-times" budget (if not spent it), and will have big problems if they don't get the money after all.

30 hours funding is less than a school place. They may have used the budget for coronavirus measures like soap, hand gel. The money will have been budgeted for, budgets are very very tight.