SLIMBRIDGE Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Hi all, We have recently set up an on-site pre-school at my primary school, we are still new to this and sorting out policies etc. We have written an admissions policy which states that priority will be given to children who are likely to attend the school according to LA admissions criteria (proximity to school, siblings etc). However, when I google pre-school admissions policies they all seem to admit children on a first come first served basis. So now I am concerned - are we actually allowed to do this? Any advice would be great!
Lyanne Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Our policy is at work (& I don't have it on the home pc) so I can't check right now, but it covers children who need the space - Looked after Children, Children In Need, Children with Special Educational Needs, etc. After that, we give priority to children in order of age who are not in any other setting - we're next to a school with a nursery & some parents want their child in the school nursery & preschool to get full time childcare, but we only start to give these children spaces if we've got room. We take 2 yr funding for some 2 yr olds too, so they often need a space sooner than a 4 yr old going to nursery too. It doesn't say anything about the school... We're completely seperate from the school - is that the case for you or are you run by the school? I do know that the school nursery I'm next to is not allowed by our LEA to say they'll go by catchment area either... It's stricly by age order. I'd suggest you add something specific covering what you will do if you have a child taking paid spaces & that you expect to go for fulltime spaces when they get funding who then goes to the school nursery & wants to carry on having the paid for spaces with you, thus stopping another child having that space. So they can't complain to LEA when you say to then that you'll try to give then some of the spaces... Personal experience!
Mouseketeer Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 You also need to be careful that parents are aware that coming to your setting doesn't automatically guarantee a place in the school, we get that a lot since moving onto the site of a popular school so now have a statement in ours to that affect and advices parents to check the school admissions policy, but ours is done on needs & age rather than time on waiting list, we also have a statement that we will try to accommodate a child moving to the area that has already been claiming funding elsewhere
Inge Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Hi all, We have recently set up an on-site pre-school at my primary school, we are still new to this and sorting out policies etc. We have written an admissions policy which states that priority will be given to children who are likely to attend the school according to LA admissions criteria (proximity to school, siblings etc). However, when I google pre-school admissions policies they all seem to admit children on a first come first served basis. So now I am concerned - are we actually allowed to do this? Any advice would be great! By giving this as a criteria you are sending a message to the parents that by attending your preschool they will automatically get a place in the school, which is not always the case.. unless it is run by the school.. even then I don't know if that would give them priority when starting school. perhaps it needs a rethink or check of the schools criteria for entry - most are by age or need, ours was by age.. and we did give priority if they were to have 2 children attending at the same time, which we often seemed to have - not practical to take 2 children to different settings at the same time.
Rea Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 Ours states a few different criteria which we work to depending on the time of year and what the waiting list looks like. We look at age, amount of time on the waiting list, siblings and catchment area, although we havent needed to use that one for years. :1b
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