Wait List

[Guest]

Hi I expect this has been asked before. But how do you arrange your waiting lists. Do you ask exsisting parents first if they want extra places, or the parents that have paid their deposit and are on the waiting list. I have been having a right problem with this.Also if a parent looks around and they say that they want a place in september even if they had not been on the waiting list do you say yes to them.

Dorinda

[Rea]

I give out places on a first come basis. Places are given to those on the waiting list over existing children unless they have said they want additional places first. At the moment I have 2 children who want additional morning places, they asked for those before some applications came in, they will get the morning sessions they asked for before I allocate places to the new children.

[Panders]

I'm sure we are all very different - I ask current parents first, then my waiting list which is kept in date order of when they applied for a place, but I have a mind to the oldest children first because in my area we were told to give children who are old enough to receive funding preference - not sure if all areas said that or indeed if it is still true today, after all there has been a lot of changes to the rules for funding.

 

It can be financially difficult to keep places open for children to start after the spring term - very occasionally I might do this for an old customer, we are lucky that we fill our places by the start of the spring term generally.

[blondie]

we ask the parents of children staying on with us what sessions they would like in september - we then go to the waiting list - this is in date of birth order - we have been advised this is what we should do .

[Bigsue]

Same as Panders, we need to consider the needs of the child but also the needs of the group

We are running a business and staff etc needs to be paid, with a fair system for all families and its not always easy!!!

[thumperrabbit]

We are much the same as the others, we always offer existing children the option of 'upping' their sessions first and then approach waiting list.

 

What we find difficult is people will only commit to 2 days when they 1st start (at 2) but once funded they want all 5 sessions.

I want to say tough luck, however we need the funding which currently is more than our fees (something we really need to look at - however our funding is going down and fees will actually end up more)

 

Another problem for us is if we say sorry if you don't take your places when 1st offered we can't keep a place, and so we let in other children, then keyworkers end up with teams with 10 or more children which is very hard when doing all the Learning Journeys.

 

Its a very tricky one - not one of my favourite jobs which ever decision I make I end up the baddie with the parent or a staff member