Son Going To Nursery School

Janepig

StressedOutMummy wrote: »

.Thank you Tigs and Pigpen,
I think the problem is with me - don't want to let go.But he is so little - was 11 weeks early and in hospital 3 months so very protective. Everyone who knows me say I should relax around him! I just don't want him to get hurt

Well you're definitely not unusual there - what parent does want their child to get hurt????

Make-it-3 wrote: »

Of course you could defer taking the nursery place, but if it is because of your feelings they are unlikely to change about letting him go when he's 4, 5 or 16!

So true! DD is coming to the end of year 5 now and so this time next year will be moving up to comp. I'm seeing the current year 6's having their leavers service and all their other "lasts" at the school and I'm filling up at the thought of DD moving on from primary. Gawd knows what sort of a state I'm going to be in this time next year. But there's not alot I can do about my baby girl growing up! I'm sure I feel worse about it than I ever did about her starting school.

notanewuser wrote: »

Some local authorities here (Wales) give children the entitlement to a full time place at a school nursery from the term after they turn 3. So January in DD's case (3 in October).

But the schools are massively oversubscribed, and unless you have an older sibling at the school you can go whistle. If they can't provide a place, they get 2 terms' funding at 10 hours a week. A very unfair system, I think.

I think DD will be ready for it in January, but I'm not prepared to take her almost 8 miles each way every day (if there is any space in that school) when we have to apply again for a nursery place for next september and again for reception the following year. She could end up with 3 different schools before she's 5 with the current (stupid) system. So she'll probably stay in her meithrin setting for another year, and I'll get a small discount on her fees for 20 weeks or something.

Where we are, DD/DS's school is the only oversubscribed school in the LEA (the largest in Wales I believe), and because it's welsh medium they are allowed to go over the 30 per class rule which they've done at least since DD started there. It's also the only school I know of that starts them full time the September after they're 3 and that's the only entry each year, which the LEA tried to change afew years back but didn't after some uproar from the parents. Siblings is no guarantee of a place if you're out of catchment - I know afew people who've had to appeal despite having older children there already.

Both my two were on the small side when they started school - luckily the local uniform shop does age 2 school trousers. Lol. They are both pretty much average now though amongst their peers. They've both got some quite small classmates, one who I think had issues following her birth, and another who is having tests at the moment to see why she's not growing so quickly. DD also has twins in her class who were quite prem (full term they would have been in the year below). One of them is deaf and has eyesight problems not that you'd really notice and the other kids certainly don't make mention of it, and they both always seem to have "girlfriends" lol. It seems very different to when I was in school, where the slightest physical difference marked you out for at best, some teasing, at worst, full on bullying. When one of DD's best friends got a hearing aid afew years ago, all the girls in the class were really upset because they wanted one too!!!

Jx

notanewuser

Janepig wrote: »

.



Where we are, DD/DS's school is the only oversubscribed school in the LEA (the largest in Wales I believe), and because it's welsh medium they are allowed to go over the 30 per class rule which they've done at least since DD started there. It's also the only school I know of that starts them full time the September after they're 3 and that's the only entry each year, which the LEA tried to change afew years back but didn't after some uproar from the parents. Siblings is no guarantee of a place if you're out of catchment - I know afew people who've had to appeal despite having older children there already.



Jx

Here (RCT) we are in the catchment but children with older siblings at the school get priority over only children. Most local welsh schools fill their quota in September, and the only school still with pre-nursery spaces is 8 miles away.

I'm sure there's no allowance for welsh medium schools to breach the class sizes. RCT and Cardiff schools certainly don't.

Janepig

notanewuser wrote: »

Here (RCT) we are in the catchment but children with older siblings at the school get priority over only children. Most local welsh schools fill their quota in September, and the only school still with pre-nursery spaces is 8 miles away.

I'm sure there's no allowance for welsh medium schools to breach the class sizes. RCT and Cardiff schools certainly don't.

I'll google it if I get a chance, to find a link, but it is one of the exceptions to the 30+ rule. I found this out when we had a meeting afew years back about the LEA wanting to change our school to a three form part time entry. Basically if you express a preference for a welsh medium education, they can't knock you back and give your child a place at an english medium school. They legally have to provide a welsh medium place. Which is why DS has 67 in his year and the years below are even fuller to my knowledge.

They have got the rule about children with siblings coming before only children, but only children within catchment come before out of catchment children with siblings, and they are the ones I've known that have appealed.

There's a new WM school being built locally to replace a smaller welsh medium school and that's going to increase to a two form entry with about 450 pupils so that'll ease the pressure on DD/DS's school which has an equivalent number now. They're having to rush some building work on the local WM comp though because the pressure's starting to show there now!!

Jx

Janepig

Here you go link - faith schools have the same sort of rules if the next nearest suitable school is deemed to be too far away.

Jx

JemmaM91

My DS who's nearly 18 months is also starting nursery in September.

I was a little bit nervous before but we've recently been to view it and had a look round, DS played with the 'new' toys and it completely put me at ease. In fact DS cried when we had to leave as he wanted to stay!

At least trial it for a week and you can at least say you tried

notanewuser

JemmaM91 wrote: »

My DS who's nearly 18 months is also starting nursery in September.

I was a little bit nervous before but we've recently been to view it and had a look round, DS played with the 'new' toys and it completely put me at ease. In fact DS cried when we had to leave as he wanted to stay!

At least trial it for a week and you can at least say you tried

Private nursery? I think the rest of the thread is about school nurseries.

peachyprice

jackyann wrote: »

Every parent of a child who has been very ill or premature goes through agonies at each stage of development;

No, they don't, some of us just got on with it.

jellyhead

Have you looked around the nursery? A mum in my street has recently changed nurseries because her son was overwhelmed in a large one, so they are switching to a smaller one. He was prem and might have special needs and while most children are fine in the massive surestart nursery some children need something a bit smaller.

Also, will he be going all day? Mine both went for 2 and a half hours per day but I think they get 3 hours per day now. My youngest is 7. I wouldn't have been happy with all day, but that's more about me than them I suppose.

hayhay2010

I would suggest taking him and trail the nursery, you are entitled to 15 hours but does not mean you have you use all of them.
I have for september put my son in for 2x 915 - 330 days and one morning session. It does seem like a long day but not living near the nursery and fitting in with the school run I will try and see if he gets on, if its too much, I can always drop a day and up his hours after the Christmas term if needed.
I was very worried about my youngest starting due to him not quite being where he should be with the verbal skills & not being potty trained. But the nursery are fab & putting him in early was a way I thought would benefit him. It has done him so much good I put him in at 2 1/2 for 2 afternoons he loves it and gains so much from this time.
As mine youngest is a July baby I wanted to get him into the system and start preparing him for next year when he will be starting school only just turned 4. He will already have strong friendships and be used to being away from me.

FBaby

So if it was up to you, he wouldn't go? What about what HE would really want? How about giving HIM the chance to decide for himself if he likes it or not?

Remember that starting nursery doesn't mean starting a prison sentence. If after a couple of months or so it becomes obvious that he isn't ready, you give notice and take him out.

Don't fall in trap of coming up with reasons why it would be detrimental for him to justify your feelings and convince yourself you are doing it for good reasons. For every reason you might come up with, there will be excellent reasons why it would be good for him that you are avoiding to consider.

Over-protectiveness can be (I do say CAN) a form of abuse. Your boy is still very young so it is understanding, but over-protective parents starts somewhere and when they struggle to let go, they might find it as hard to do so at 3yo as they do when they are 15 and it can then do more damage to the child.