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Preschool education

Do you have an April 2005 Child? You are losing £600 because your child was born in this month!

9 replies

Leonorap · 02/04/2008 17:18

I am on my high horse but have recently discovered that for this year the cut off point for nursery funded free places is 31st March, however, the cut off point for school starting (for September not January) is 30th April. In reality this means that if you have a child born between 1st September 2004 and 30th April 2005 They will start school in September 2009 and if you have a child born between 1st May 2005 and 31st August 2005 they will start school in January 2010. SO September starters born Sept-March get a year and a term funded place with their extra term this summer, January starters get a year and a term funded place with their extra term in the Autumn. But only APRIL children get a year funded. The government are Aprilists - how can this be fair? It amounts to about £600 pounds in this type of benefit (i.e. Funded place) less than everyone else per child. My daughter was born in April 2002 and this did not happen then as the school starting cut off date and funded places cut off date was the same then and it doesn't take a genius to work out that the 2 government departments should get together and make it the same again. I phoned the dept for ed and they said "oh we've got to have a cut off date" but this argument holds no weight because my answer is yes the same date so everyone gets a year and a term funded. In no other situation, I hope, would you get less benefits than others because of the month you were born in. I for one have worked and paid taxes since my eldest was born and as a teacher (average wage) have been hanging out for this money to help with expensive child care but what about other April people on a lower wage than me, or people who don't work outside the home but do a sterling job bringing up their children but would fancy the same amount of restbite as everyone else gets for their April darling or a single mum who needs a break - it is unfair and ill thought out - JUST MAKE THE TWO DATES THE SAME! then we all get a year and a term. Nurseries lose out too because my community nursery has 5 April children that they will lose after sept 2009 but cannot get the £10 funding but intead have to charge the parents the under 3s rate for an extra term losing out on £4 per child per session for a term and they are suposed to be improving education for 3 year olds - how can they do this without the fair budget? The goverment say they are helping us but like child tax credits it is a disorganised, flawed and unfair system. Lastly, whether you believe in education for 3 year olds or not (personally I think the education that preschool offers through play is marvellous and school would do well to follow their lead) April children are being denied this extra term. In a climate where the government are asking teachers to 'shop' pertentual criminals in junior schools and talking about anti social behaviour surely they should be offering all children the same services, even if some parents choose not to use the. What about that child who comes from a disfunctional family and could do with the free social training that preschool would give them at 3, if they are born in April will they only get a year? YES. Will missing out on that term make them future delinquents as the government would have us believe? Probably not - but they can't spout retoric on one hand but not deliver for everyone - look forward to a future or antisocial Aprilites or maybe creative Aprilites if you belong to the anti preschool camp. I think we should all lobby the government for our funded places that we deserve. Thinking of starting an online pertition. If we get 10,000 names they have to raise it in the house of commons. Email [email protected] or write to Ed Balls,Dept. for child, schools and families, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT 08700002288 to complain - don't take it lying down!!!!!!!

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Iota · 02/04/2008 17:36

all children start in Sept in our LA, so children born Sept to Dec get more funding than the Jan to April and the May to Aug get the least.

C'est la Vie

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Leonorap · 03/04/2008 17:51

That seems ridiculous as well. I've been against Jan starting but looking at your situation the only way to make it fair would be for all preschool children to start at the same time in sept or maybe before but that would mean v young children going to preschool - maybe staggered starts are best. Anyway I know what you mean it is just life but I think it is easier to see it like that if you don't really need the money (i.e. cut in child care cost) or rest for those that do find it hard coping. I appreciate that for a lot of people preschool is just a nice added extra but others rely on it and deserve the same funding as everyone else.

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LIZS · 03/04/2008 18:03

I'm not sure your arguement holds water tbh or is generally applicable across all LEA's or even schools within particular one , which is yours. Although many LEA's now have a September or sometimes January start, having largely dropped Easter intakes, you still have the legal right to keep your child out of full time education until the term after they are 5 so could keep them in a preschool or nursery for those extra terms, part funded, or use the free school place offered. In any system there are winners and losers.

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TheFallenMadonna · 03/04/2008 18:14

I'm not sure if I've got this right, but if you view this as a paying for childcare issue rather than an education issue, then a parent with a child with a September birthday has to fund 5 whole years of childcare, whereas one with an August birthday only has to fund 4 years, before the child enters full time education thereby cutting childcare costs. Or at least it does here where we only have one (September) intake.

It's about providing education from the term after the third birthday. I suppose you could allow older children to stay on longer at the other end of the school system. That would make it fair too .

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Leonorap · 04/04/2008 17:03

Thanks for your messages. my LEA is Derbyshire. Lizs it is not the school starting age that I have a problem with and I'm not sure if you would get the funding if you volunteerily kept them out of school - do you know if this is so? I appreciate that in other LEAs that don't stagger starting the system is flawed but where staggering is used ONLY april children get a term less funding. In all other respects the system is fair because you have 3 years (almost exactly) of paying your own child care and then you get assistance. The thing is my son and all those born before 21st April in our LEA will be 3 by the start of next term so they are entitled to the education and parents are entitled to the funding but we're the only ones not to recieve it.
The fallen madonna i am an educationalist and personally i believe in preschool education but I'm not ashamed to admit that the financial implications are important to me. I have to work to make ends meet and I could do with the same funding as everyone else, however you are right I chose to have children, they're wonderful and thems the breaks. As i said my son will be 3 so I think he is ready for his education.
The issue of Aug/sept babies is a seperate issue - in our LEA you pay full child care costs until the term after their 3rd b-day regardless and get a year and a term(exept April - broken record ) - much fairer than your system I agree. The government have floated an idea to make the cut off point for sept starting as 31st July and I think they should or at least give more parental choice - I teach reception and believe me on the whole Aug bdays have a massive effect - some are ready, most are not, even in January. Keeping your child out of reception in the present situation just disadvantages them further as you cannot choose for them to drop down a year they just enter sch in y1 as a very young y1 who has missed a year of school. Generally parents know their own children's maturity well enough to know what is best for them.

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TheFallenMadonna · 04/04/2008 18:40

Forgive me if I'm being obtuse, but I still don't get it. Everyone starts at 3 (or the term after they are three). From then on they are funded, either at a preschool/nursery via NEF or at a school, until they reach the end of year 11/12/13 (delete as appropriate). Surely you need to look at funding as a proportion of the time spent at preschool after the age of 3? My ds got 3 funded terms, dd will get 4. But they are both funded from age 3 until they leave school.

In terms of childcare, the fewer terms spent at preschool and the more spent in full time school after the age of 3, the lower the costs to the parent, no?

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Leonorap · 05/04/2008 17:19

Yes you're right there it is obviously 'cheaper' in terms of childcare to have a summer baby (If they all start in sept which they don;t here). My son will be 3 and 5 months when he gets his free place that is quite a while after his 3rd birthday. I suppose you are right to in that if the cut off point was 30th April someone born in May would be 3 and 4 months but they would get a year and a half unlike me - I think i may be confusing myself now - not sure!!!! I just think school starting cut off and funded place cut off should be the same so everyone gets the same deal!!!!!

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sagacious · 05/04/2008 17:44

DD born April 04
DD's friend born March 04

Both start school in January

DD funded nursery started last September
Friends funded nursery started last April

IE I have had to PAY for 5 months more than DD's friend.

Such is life, there has to be a cut off as some point and we were on the wrong side.

As IOTA says CLV.

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eandh · 05/04/2008 17:50

I have this with both dd's

dd1 is sept baby she started preschool before she was 3 and I paid, however because her birthday is a week after deadline I had to pay for the sept-dec term

dd2 is a january baby therefore when she goes to presschool her free place will not be until the april/easter after her 3rd birthday

Its cest la vie as far as I am concerned there has to be a deadline unforunatley for me it means I either keep them home for another term or pay for them to go (dd1 started preschool at 2.5 and dd2 starts when she is 2.8 as dd1 will have left preschool and dd2 will take her place)

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