when do children start nursery?

cobbingstones

Hi all,

I maybe getting confused here, but when do children actually start at state nursery and how much does it cost?

My daughter is 2 and 5months. Also where do I find the nearest state one? The only ones i'm aware of are private.

Sorry if I'm bing abit of a thickie here

T

Mrs_pbradley936

I think the government pay for them from when they are 3 but I am not sure if they take the start date from the September following their birthday rather than their actual age. Lots of private nurseries will let you top up if you want longer hours or holidays included. if you ring one of the private nursuries near you I am sure they will have all the latest info - it seems to change so often and only those with kids that age or who work in them know the current rules.

Mrs_pbradley936

Just found this:

Government approaches - levels of nursery provision and standards

Free nursery for three-year-olds

All three-year-olds are entitled to six terms of free nursery education from the term following their third birthday. This was introduced for the neediest three year olds in 1999, but since April 2004 has become universal.

Funding for the provision of the free places is allocated to local authorities, who decide how it is spent to suit local needs. In many instances this provision is attached to existing primary schools. The local authority has a legal duty to provide for all three and four year olds whose parents want it, but that right does not extend to parents necessarily being able to choose which facility they might specially want. Any time spent at the nursery beyond the five 2.5 hour sessions for 33 weeks a year may be charged for.

lisa_75

Nursery places are free for 12.5 hours a week from the term after the child turns 3.

http://www.surestart.gov.uk/improvingquality/guidance/freenurseryeducation/

Many schools now have nurserys attached and make it compulsory that your child attend if you want a place in the primary school. My children attended the nursery attached to their primary school from the September after they turned 3. Does the primary school your child will be attending have a nursery? If not the free places can be used in private nurserys or playgroups.

Spendless

AFAIK depends what area you are in. Children start state (school) nursery here the September following their 3rd birthday. If there are any spaces left then they are offered to the eldest of the following school intake year. eg There are 9 spaces at my daughters nursery, so these have been offered to the next 9 eldest kids of the year below(born Sept-Dec) starting Jan. If someone refuses the early entry place, they offer it to the next and so on. If there are still places left open at easter, they offer them to the Jan-March born babies, again in date order.

You can also take the funding to a private nursery. You get funding the term following the childs third birthday.

inkie

Which school have you registered your child with? Does it have a nursery? The usual start time is the term following the third birthday around here, as we have 3 intakes per year. The cost of a school nursery which is normally 2.5 hrs either morning or afternoon is free.

Rachie_B

Here they start the september following their 3rd birthday.
Some have intakes in January and after easter too

abijanzo

madsmum wrote:

Hi all,
My daughter is 2 and 5months. Also where do I find the nearest state one? The only ones i'm aware of are private.

inkie wrote:

Which school have you registered your child with? Does it have a nursery? .

Do you need to register as young as that with a school? I have a 2yr 2mnth daughter and am wondering now if I should be looking for a primary school?? We move around a fair bit as OH is in RAF how does that work with regards to having to go to the nursery before they let you go to the Primary? Getting worried now

Spendless

abijanzo wrote:

Do you need to register as young as that with a school? I have a 2yr 2mnth daughter and am wondering now if I should be looking for a primary school?? We move around a fair bit as OH is in RAF how does that work with regards to having to go to the nursery before they let you go to the Primary? Getting worried now

I can only answer what we do here, but my childrens name has gone down at the school either when we moived to the area (son was 19 months), or with daughter at a few weeks old. From this list the school send out an application form for me to apply for a school nursery place. I have to apply one year in advance (ie the year before they start nursery) and send it back. Having your childs name at the school doesn't mean you will get a place, purely that they will send you an application form to apply. You can also get the application form from the local council, but there are cut off dates (this year form had to be back by mid Oct), so if you don't get sent one, or remember or see a notice telling you what to do, you're at the back of the list for places).

We then are let know of the decision by end of November, if child has got a school nursery place, and we have to return form saying yes or no to council.The same then applies to reception year and in Yr 2 if in a seperate infant/junior school (rather than a primary). Eg this year I have applied for daughter currently in school nursery, for a reception place at infants and son currently in Yr 2 infants for a place in Yr 3 at junior school. Both to start Sept next year. I will be let know of the decision in March. Here attending nursery does not mean you will get a place in the infant school, nor does atttending another nursery mean you won't get a place at infant school. Our criteria is worked on special needs, catchment, siblings but not which nursery is attended

Private nursery place, I have just rung the place concerned and asked to view and if they have a space.

My suggestion is that you ring round a couple of schools in your area or the admissions dept for your LEA and ask how it works in your area

HTH

clairec79

The school my children go to (the youngest starts after Christmas) has a nursery attached which takes them from either January or September after they turn three - are fully booked up for next year, only have a few places for the year after and already have 19 names down for 2009 start - bear in mind all those children are under 1 now. Admittedly it may be extreme as its a popular school but get there names down fast (When I went to put down the middle ones name - she was not quite 2 I was advised to put down the baby's name at the same time for that reason - he was 5 weeks old)

rio

In Somerset you are not allowed to put your child's name down for a school. Every parent in the county receives a form to complete a year before their child is due to start and places are then allocated according to certain criteria. I would give individual schools in your area a ring and find out what the modus operandi is for the county in which you live.