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4 yr olds and part time school attendance?

10 replies

steggystegasaurus · 30/08/2014 15:45

My youngest child is starting reception next week. He was only 4 last weekend and is still quite young for his age (still co sleeps most nights, only stopped BFing earlier this summer, not dry at night yet etc) but also very articulate and ready to learn so we decided against trying to defer his place. It was a hard decision though and tbh we are still not 100% happy with it - like right now when he's having an afternoon nap (still not unusual for him)!

I've just seen on FB a post by a friend who says that until age 5 children do not have to attend full time and it is legally allowed to have a school place but only send them part time, she claims this is for the parents to decide and the head/LEA cannot force full time attendance?

I want DS to be in school full time by the end of this year and I do take attendance seriously (just ask my older kids Grin ) BUT would really like to know if this is true? If so I would like to keep him home 1 day a week to just poddle round with me like he's used to, and give him a bit more of a break as he's so small still. The head never mentioned this as an option btw so assume she wouldn't be keen.

OP posts:
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catkind · 30/08/2014 17:32

Yes I'm sure this is right you can request part time until the term after they're 5. Depending on how your school is set up you may find it better to take him out at lunchtime some days for example. At our school most of the new learning happened in mornings. Though DS wouldn't want to miss afternoons either as that was when they did things like music, PE and forest school! I guess the question is what would you be prepared for him to miss and when do they do that?

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Littlefish · 30/08/2014 18:10

I agree with catkins that it would probably be better for him to miss a couple of afternoons a week, rather than one whole day.

Speak to the class teacher on his first day and explain that he will be attending part time initially. Also, I would suggest phoning the pupil admissions office at the local authority so that you are armed with the correct information, and can quote it to the classteacher and Headteacher if necessary.

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Barbarasmum · 30/08/2014 18:13

Don't do it. Let the school decide if he is too tired (it will be obvious!) and they will call and ask you to collect him. Do you really want him to miss 20% of what's happening on a regular basis?

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jwpetal · 30/08/2014 18:23

You have the legal right to defer the start of primary school to the term following your child's 5th birthday or in cases where they turn 5 after the Easter term i.e. August birthday, they would start no later than Easter. The place must be held for the child. The schools cannot take your place away...see admissions code. However, it is up the school to agree to a part-time place so if they do not agree to a part time place you can simply state that your little one will not start until, for example, January. We did this and never looked back.

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catkind · 30/08/2014 20:49

No, you do have the right to request part time too jw.
Admissions Code:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/275598/school_admissions_code_1_february_2012.pdf
Para 2.16 - part a) says you can request deferrment, part b) says you can request part time.

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prh47bridge · 30/08/2014 23:55

But it is, at the moment, only the right to request. The DfE's intention is that schools have to agree but that isn't what the Admissions Code actually says. There is a draft update of the Code out for consultation at the moment. This includes a rewording of the relevant provisions to make it clear that the school must comply with parental wishes over deferral and part time attendance.

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erin99 · 31/08/2014 00:13

My DC1's teacher reminded us that part time could be extended if the child wasn't ready for FT, and even after they were FT, we could give them the odd early finish if they were knackered. I took her up on it, occasionally, in the first term. So her school were v supportive. But if it had been every week for a whole year it could have meant her missing group learning time, so I'm less convinced that would have been a good idea.

Worth exploring with his teacher, rather than going in with a formal proposition, I think. And perhaps consider building up slowly to get him FT by Christmas rather than missing some learning for a whole year.

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Saracen · 31/08/2014 07:07

prh: "The DfE's intention is that schools have to agree but that isn't what the Admissions Code actually says. There is a draft update of the Code out for consultation at the moment. This includes a rewording of the relevant provisions to make it clear that the school must comply with parental wishes over deferral and part time attendance."

I can't remember whether it was you, prh, or another knowledgeable person who pointed out that one could use that draft update to argue that the current SAC actually means that parents have the right to part-time attendance on demand for children who are below compulsory school age, regardless of its unclear wording.

The Department for Education refers to this change of wording (in the current draft) as one of the "minor technical drafting changes to certain provisions of the current Code, which will improve the clarity of the relevant provisions." In other words, it isn't a change of policy; it was what they intended all along.

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moojie · 31/08/2014 07:14

We did exactly this last year with my summer born Ds. The school started all children full time from the off in September which I knew wasn't right for Ds who was still napping a couple of times a week and had didn't know his letters etc.

School wrote very understanding and he only went mornings until October half term. Tbh we had planned to continue this much longer but he actually started getting upset coming home at lunchtime once he realised he was missing something they were doing later.

He ended up winning the most progress achievement award for his class so clearly it didn't hold him back at all and now totally loves school. Best thing we ever did!

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prh47bridge · 31/08/2014 16:40

Saracen - It was me and yes people should be using the draft code to point out to schools that this is what the government intend in the current code. But if the school digs its heels in and insists on taking the code as written there probably isn't much parents can do about it. But, looking at the OP, it seems the school hasn't really said anything yet.

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