[chesbod]

Hi i have recently read about having a single school entry date for starting school. But what effect will that have on the summer born children, its not fair it could lead to long term effects throughout there education......... Some children in my setting are not ready for school anyway and find it difficult . :(

What do you guys think???????? :rolleyes:

Lisa :blink: :blink: :blink:

[kaz]

This was supposed to take affect with us about two years ago but only 1 of 4 local schools does it. I have to be honest and say I actually like the one intake. It means that all of the children go up together and also we empty right out in July where as before I was never sure how many I would lose in Jan and Easter. We still lose a couple but I keep most now beyond three until they go in September.

Both my children were summer born and neither had trouble going to full time school in September. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I built up their pre-school sessions and prepared them for it (and no funding in my day!!).

[Catherine]

Our schools have single intakes, and whislt I agree with Kaz about all moving up together, our biggest problem is us only being able to offer single entry for our children. We are able to leave a couple open for Jan start - but for us it's just not finacially viable, so we have a waiting list and take most of our new children in sept only. As we can't really offer flexible starts throughout the year so many start very young just to ensure they have a place, when really they'd prefer to start a two and half/three.
xxx

[jeanb]

Catherine, on 01 December 2009 - 08:44 PM, said:

Our schools have single intakes, and whislt I agree with Kaz about all moving up together, our biggest problem is us only being able to offer single entry for our children. We are able to leave a couple open for Jan start - but for us it's just not finacially viable, so we have a waiting list and take most of our new children in sept only. As we can't really offer flexible starts throughout the year so many start very young just to ensure they have a place, when really they'd prefer to start a two and half/three.
xxx

We are usually able to offer places until the summer term, depending on whether the funded children have four or five sessions. Our sessions are longer than most so they use up their funding three quarters through their fourth session. This year there is only one child coming for all sessions, so we have several places.

One parent asked if we would save a place on Fridays until the summer term and I had to say no as that could have excluded another child if they had wanted the same day. Just thought, I should have said if she was prepared to pay for it then I'd save it. This same parent had booked the day for this term and then changed her mind.

Next September looks really low in numbers at the moment. In fact the lowest for several years, so I'm hoping that a lot of parents are going to be looking as from January.

[kaz]

My numbers were looking very low for September when I laid off staff in July. Next Jan we are nearly full in the mornings and have healthy numbers for the afternoon. I can never tell how many children we have until the last minute.

I am losing just 1 child this term and gaining 5.

[JUDE]

have replied above but I just wish theyd make up their minds...around here it all seems to depend on budgets (money!!!!)....if schools numbers are low they miraculously have spaces available at very short notice...sometimes we get less than half a terms notice that theyre suddenly taking rising rising rising rising risers!!! last year we lost a child to full time school the day after their fourth birthday!!!! It is impossible to predict number or plan as every year the rules change....I live on the boundaries of four different areas and everyone of them has a different policy...at the moment the policy seems to be let see how many pre-schools we can close down in favour of school units! :huh:

[nitnat]

I know this is a delayed post but only just come on.
our schools now do single entry but the nurserys still do sept and Jan, we expected 10 children leaving us to go to nursery but the parents decided to stay with us so that was brill, in sept we have at least 10 going into school and we think up to 9 for nursery if they choose to.
Because we had no children leaving we had to have a varition order uping our numbers to 30 a session and all staff on extra hours, only open 4 days and 15hrs a week, we will have to see what happens and at least we know has staff that our hours could be cut.
another pre-school near us are attached to a school nursery and has soon has a child turns 3 the nursery offer them a place which mean pre-school is losing children all the time.
this will hopefully change for them because Kirklees want to do single entry funding.

[JUDE]

I covet your 30 childen...here at the mo we have a system whereby the schools are taking them in earlier every year and yet NOT offering full days...so they do a term or two of mornings before going fulltime....this doesnt affect the nurseries so much as many working parents opt to keep them in nursery as it is more convenient until they start full time....However sessional settings like ours are bashed really hard and our numbers this term are awful as a result of loosing 26 children in the last two terms!

We heard last week that both of our local authoprities are moving to a single intake policy...yet they are unable to confirm whether this will be full days. So we are watching this space. I annoys me so much as parents send them to school part time because they see what happens there as "education"...and what we do as "play"...even though in theory we are all now doing the same with EYFS.

[nitnat]

we thought we would have that problem so we went on to LA website and downloaded about schools intake and ages and the fact if they choose to stay with us it wouldn't effect the reception place of the child.
we then put in about EYFS and how we start it and pass on to nursery schools so that the parents understood that we are all working to the same level, showed them our books and told them to look at what the nursery does when they go for the visit and see which they like the look of best, AND also point out the ratio system.
We then said if you want any more info come and ask has it is no trouble.
We are going to do that again after the feb half term because it gives them chance to look around and ask without saying we need to know by so so date has we have a waiting list.
sorry sounds mixed up but thats what we do.

[kimo]

Our school has the one intake and has done for many years .... in most cases thats ok but i have seen many go to school just a few days after their 4th birthday and its a long hard slog for them , as the school also takes them for full days and not half days their days are long too.

There are also those children who you just know are not ready and are going to struggle and yet mums and dads want them in - we still suggest that they could stay with us for another term but parents are desperate to have them in full time school ...worrying that they lose their place.

In september we will lose 41 of our children to school - 2 of which are so not ready in anyway - and i cannot see them being ready by september, but their is nothing i can do about it <_<

[kaz]

that is tough! I have one going to school after Easter who is so not ready! I have others that I wish were going sooner rather than later!lol!

Where in Bedfordshire are you Kimo?

[kimo]

I'm in woburn sands Kaz ....the school used to have 3 intakes whch i liked as it meant the little ones had the chance to stay on a little longer ...i keep telling them that they wont lose their place but they also want them to go in with their friends which i do understand :)

[kaz]

I know it. I'm in Sandy.

School's are very sneaky with spaces! They don;t tell parents that their nursery list is held by the school bu the school list for reception is held by county!

[JUDE]

we have been told that if we know that any of our schools have said the "If you don't take the place now we can't hold it statement"...which we all know from conversations with parents they say...but the schools deny...we are to report it to the admissions board at the local authority and they will have words with the schools concerned.