need some advice please: son turns 5 in feb 2012 should he be in school now?

onlyroz

Person_one wrote: »

If you do have a child, you'd think you'd vaguely remember that you started school sometime around 4ish and, I don't know, find out?

Well I was posted an application pack by the LEA, so I assume that I got into "the system" somehow, presumably either via the GP or the health-visitor. If I hadn't been given a pack then I'd have chased it up myself through the school or the council.

cambermam

Person_one wrote: »

I've got no kids, never go near nurseries, never met a health visitor and I know. Its pretty common knowledge.

If you do have a child, you'd think you'd vaguely remember that you started school sometime around 4ish and, I don't know, find out?

Yes obviously. But I expected nursery to tell you when that time comes. I knew roughly when he'd start school, i didn't know i was meant to have applied the Dec/Jan before that. Clearly it's not all that rare.

Also, after a 9 hour shift at 6pm and i go collect my son i have to get home and do tea, rather than stand around gossiping with the other parents.

money_honey

I think it's a bit of a poor excuse to say you haven't seen any information and therefore weren't aware when your child had to start school, especially if that child has older siblings. My DD is 2.5 and it took me 5 minutes to search for the school admission information on my local council website, and it has all the info about ages, dates for application etc. I don't know why you would wait until the last possible minute to think about these things, and it's really not hard to go on your local council/LEA site or even phone them if you're unsure.

OP - good luck in getting a place for your child.

tiamai_d

Person_one wrote: »

I've got no kids, never go near nurseries, never met a health visitor and I know. Its pretty common knowledge.

If you do have a child, you'd think you'd vaguely remember that you started school sometime around 4ish and, I don't know, find out?

But you know everything.

Actually it was closer to 5ish. Why did you not know that?

looby75

pigpen wrote: »

It baffles me how parents cannot know this.. not only are there posters everywhere.. including shop windows here! The HV tells you and you get a leaflet through with the info and protocol. It is in ALL the health centres, childrens centres, a lot of churches and playgroups have the info.. unless you do not go out for 5 years from hatching a baby there is no excuse not to know. I know people who cant read and they knew! If it was normal to not know even if it is your first there would be heck of a lot of school age children not in school..

My oldest is 18 and my youngest is 10, I have friends who have children and grandchildren so pretty much I've known a child who has been starting school each year for the last 18 years. Not once have I seen a poster, most people don't see their health visitors by the time children are school starting age and if you are a full time working parent you most likely won't be going to childrens centers, churches and playgrroups. Everyone I know has found out the info about their child starting school by either contacting the council, or the school directly, usually through the nursery.

In fact the one person I know that missed the date for the forms to be in was sending her child to a private nursery and they didn't give her the forms like they were supposed to, she was completely oblivious to the fact they had to be in by a certain date because I said there is no information on posters etc anywhere.

I have the babys name down for nursery and school already and she is 13 months old! It isnt that I want rid it is that I know if I dont she wont get a place. I had DS3s name down for nursery when he was 6 weeks old.. not bad when he was 9 weeks prem lol... they needed names on a list so they didnt close the nursery.

different schools and councils have different rules. Here you can't put your childs name down for a nursery until they are 2 and school until they are 3.

Plans_all_plans

I am actually really surprised that people with kids don't know when their kids are due to start school. Now fair enough, I go to every toddler group/children's centre/kids activity going, but even if I didn't, I agree with person_one that people should really be aware that at around 4/5 their kids are due to start school. It's just common knowledge.

In our borough, there is a massive campaign about it every year too. Posters, flyers, notices in the local paper, billboards etc saying "the council doesn't automatically post out stuff about school to you. Get your child's name down at a school and then we'll send you the information when the time comes." I realise every borough won't be the same, but I think that I'd have found out the info off my own back regardless.

Good luck OP. Hopefully you'll be able to get the little one into a school you want.

cambermam

Plans_all_plans wrote: »

In our borough, there is a massive campaign about it every year too. Posters, flyers, notices in the local paper, billboards etc saying "the council doesn't automatically post out stuff about school to you. Get your child's name down at a school and then we'll send you the information when the time comes."

Well doesn't that just prove the point that it's not "common knowledge" seeing as some councils spend thousands on these campaigns.

Also with our council there's no "getting your child's name down" because the schools don't keep lists it's all done through the admissions at the council

barbiedoll

My son was offered a nursery school place when he was 3 and a half, I didn't think he was ready so I deferred his place until he was almost four. It was nothing to do with his "academic" ability, he too could count, he knew his colours and shapes etc etc. But he was quite a clingy kid, we were at home together until I started part-time work, just as his nursery place came up. As he would be starting a place with a childminder too, I didn't feel that it was fair to him to send him to school and then have him picked up by (to him) a stranger afterwards.

He spent the summer having a whale of a time with his childminder and he started his nursery school after Christmas, by which time his confidence had come on in leaps and bounds. He didn't miss out, he is still friends with the kids that he met at nursery (he's actually on the PS3 with one of them now!) and I know that I did the right thing. I had absolutely no problems with him settling into school, I think that he started at just the right time.

I only knew about the school admissions procedures from other mums that I met at a local playgroup. No posters, no health visitor advice and nothing in our local library....which we visited every week!

I started infant school at the age of (almost) 5, no nursery for me.....the only kids I knew who had attended nursery school were those whose mums worked or who were considered a bit "posh", the rest of us just stayed at home with our mums!

Plans_all_plans

cambermam wrote: »

Well doesn't that just prove the point that it's not "common knowledge" seeing as some councils spend thousands on these campaigns.

Also with our council there's no "getting your child's name down" because the schools don't keep lists it's all done through the admissions at the council

It might prove that it's not common knowledge among some sectors of the population, but I have never in my life met/heard of anyone who doesn't know when their child is due to start school!
Before my daughter was even born, I knew what September she'd be starting school in.

Becles

cambermam wrote: »

Also with our council there's no "getting your child's name down" because the schools don't keep lists it's all done through the admissions at the council

It's like that with the non-faith schools round here, but you have to put your name on a list with the faith schools as they have a say in which children are admitted.

Our school is a Catholic Primary and you can put their name on the list on their 2nd birthday.