When are schools officially meant to inform you of how many hours they will do for the first term based on birthday?

[Rollergirl1]

My DD is a "summer born" baby, having a birthday of 2nd April. This means that she will attend school mornings only for her entire first term. I was aware that this might be the case. But since I had not heard anything from the school, I emailed on Monday asking for clarification. It was indeed confirmed that she would be mornings only till after christmas (i did ask the headmaster at the school visit and he said part-time till half-term).I have now spent all week panicking/trying to investigate alternative childcare for the 3 days that I work and my DD will need to be picked up at lunchtime. I have spoken to various childminders who have already informed me that I am "sailing quite close to the wind" trying to find a place because "these part-time school hour places are hard to come by".

So, my question is, if I hadn't taken the matter into my own hands, precisely when would the school inform me how many hours she would be attending for for the first term? And how would I have found the appropriate childcare...

I urge you mothers of summer born babies starting this sept to investigate childcare options now if you need alternatives!

[Smithagain]

I have no idea when they are "officially" meant to tell you. But in my experience, I didn't get anything in writing about part time hours, or start dates, until the parents' induction evening in the June before my kids started school.

I knew how long they would be part time for, because I'd asked at the open day before applying to the school.

What I didn't know - and came as a complete shock - is that they stagger the start dates. So my youngest child, who was born in August, didn't actually start school until the fourth week of term. She had a 13 week summer holiday!

So may I also urge parents of summer born children to check start dates, as well as part time arrangements, NOW if you are likely to need to organise childcare!

[MrsDinky]

Yes, it's a nightmare, start saving your annual leave now. I was tipped off to this by friends a year or so before DS started school, we were officially informed sometime around May I think, luckily for us it was only 3 weeks of half days.

We managed with family, but the nursery that my DCs went to would take children for the the afternoons in that term, provided that they did not reach their 5th birthday, you would have had to arrange lunchtime transport for them though. Another nursery in our town will also do this, it might be worth looking into.

[ruddynorah]

i only know what our school does from asking mums who have children there now. she's told me we do 2 mornings, then 2 afternoons, then a full day in the first week, then full time in the 2nd week. otherwise i guess all will be revealed at the induction meeting.

what's your current childcare arrangement? can that be extended to cover the half days? or can you ask the school to start her full time straight away?

[ShoshanaBlue]

Blimey, ours started full days full time from Reception - just a staggered intake in Nursery where they gave you a date for starting that was in the middle of September or something! Even then it was full or half time depending on your choice.... It all sounds very odd as my child is an April birthday.

Is this for Nursery or Reception?

[Rollergirl1]

She is in Nursery 3 days a week currently (8.00 to 6.00). They are happy to take her for the afternoons but I have no means of getting her there from the school (I work in London). There are no other children from the Nursery going to the same school so not able to work out some arrangement with another parent. And the school are not flexible on when she can start full-time. I have no immediate family close by so my only option is finding a childminder. I am sure I will sort something out, but only cos I am acting now.

[MrsDinky]

There's also Parental leave or whatever it is called, that thing where you can have 13 weeks (unpaid) before your child is 6, I know, unpaid is a nightmare, but if all else fails.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Ours go full time from day one.

End of story. No messing

[Olihan]

What on earth is the rationale for having a term of mornings only? . That's madness.

Our school does a week where the Sep - March born children are in mornings and the April - Aug born are in afternoons then the following week they swap over before they all go full time in the 3rd week.

Dd is an august birthday and she coped fine with that. I don;t understand what possible reason they could have for such a long period of part time schooling.

[blowninonabreeze]

Our school has the same set up. I knew in advance from the open day. We were told by the LEA that we'd had a place accepted and within a week had a letter from the school informing us of the fact that she'd be doing half days. (Irrelevent for us as I'm a SAM)

They have given us the option of deferring her start of school until Jan when she'll start full time which is apparently what people with tricky child care arrangements sometimes do. Would that be an option for you?

[blowninonabreeze]

olihan - its because the funding for schooling doesn't actually start until the child turns 5 so I believe the school doesn't get funding for summer borns over and above the standard pre-school funding of 15 hours. As such some schools won't even take them until Jan. urs offers half days, but its at the discretion of the individual school

[ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave]

Ours go full time from Day Two, which helps.

It's all your own fault for being a feckless working mother, basically. IME schools' arrangements don't normally factor in that both parents may be working.

[Rollergirl1]

We had our acceptance letter from the LEA at the end of Feb. I have had nothing from the school, even to acknowledge our acceptance of the school place. I knew that the school did staggered intakes and have read on the website what the cut-off dates are in regards to birthdays. But I have had nothing in writing from the school so far and I just think it's pretty slack of them.

The thing that annoys me is that is totally different for each school and it is completely about funding/how much it costs them. I didn't even have the choice to defer her till january. Apparently if I do that I have to go through the application process again.

[daisy243]

Get used to the fact that school tell you as little information as late as they possibly can and that as far as school is concerned Mums stay at home and have nothing better to do than fanny around for a whole term whilst dc starts school
Bee

[HeavyMetalGlamourRockStar]

Yep agree with Daisy - get used to the fact that schools expect you to drop everything and deal with whatever requirement they may have for you at a day or two's notice.
Initially it will drive you nuts and then you'll roll over, just like the rest of us do because the constant fight just isn't worth the emotional energy required.

[redskyatnight]

We won't find out until the parents induction evening. and we don't even officially know when that is, but I found it on the school website

I know anecdotally that school will do the same as last year, which is part time for 4 weeks (but different hours each week). however you can pay to "wrap around" the care to the full school day, so at least there is some provision for working parents.

DD currently does school days in the school nursery so she would actually be doing less when she started school (with mostly same children and same staff)- which is totally bonkers! I accept that the phased approach is good for teachers and "some" children but it's the "one size fits all" approach that I find most annoying!!

[mrz]

You may have received your school placement letter from the LA but that doesn't mean that the school has been informed by the LA which children have been allocated places for September. I quite often don't get the final list until after half term in the summer and even then I get a list of names / numbers /dates of birth certainly no contact details. It was much easier when schools dealt with their own admissions. Having said that all our reception children start full time from day one regardless of birthday.

[DreamTeamGirl]

Oh god yeah, isnt it all a damn nuisance?

DS is a Feb babe and at one point they sugested he would do half days for the first HALF TERM. As a single working mum, no way could I deal with that!!
Luckily he didnt and they told us in June what the plan was
He started a whole week and half later than I expected, but then did 3 days of morning till before lunch, 1 week or mornings till after lunch then full time