fed up.............

[narnia]

So, our Romanian child...............you might recall all the problems I had getting info about FE for the family..............well, I had a message from the manager of another setting on Friday, telling me the family had visited and want their child to go to her setting, BUT could I please tell them ifI managed to get any funding for her and where from, as'she is beyond statutory school age'

 

Now, I must admit, I was very disappointed to hear this, as we have bent over backwards, forwards and back again to help the family in various ways. Mum had expressed concerns ( as best she could with the language barrier) about her child being made 'school ready'.................by which she meant that she expects her child to be reading writing and doing 'sums' before she goes to school. I explained that we do all that is necessary( phonics, number recognition letter recognition etc) and the school will not expect her to be doing anything more than we already do She mentioned the other setting and said they 'teach reading' and I said they don't.

 

So, I emailed dad to say the other setting had been in touch and could he please clarify the position as I hadn't heard from him directly. He replied to say she is going to the other setting for their 'school session'.....and he lives near their chair and committee members ( he does indeed!) and they have been telling him they will teach his child to read, write and do all her number work in a formalised way ( bear in mind his English isn't great,but that's the gist of it all). He says his child will still come to us, 'so not worry, have nice day. see soon'

 

Now, I don't know what to do. My inner beast is saying that the other setting can damned well find out the info for themselves......................and if they can't work out that the child is NOT beyond statutory school age, then they have problems.

Needed to get this off my chest. I am so fed up with this setting telling lies,but parents flock to them in the belief that their children will get a much better start to school if they go there. They now have two of their committee members running the toddler group....so guess where they recommend parents send their children??

[finleysmaid]

bloomin annoying! she'll only get 15 hours how many is she doing with you?

[sunnyday]

I completely understand your frustration, sorry that's not much help.....

[narnia]

she is/was doing 15, plus a little extra here and there (which I haven't charged for as I know they don't have two pennies to rub together..............).The other setting is currently charging £4 per hour

[Cait]

So are we to assume her funding will stay with you then? Or are they wanting to take lock stock and barrel to the other setting and leave you to pick up the 'dregs'. If the other setting want to charge £4 an hour, then I can't see them paying for that.

 

How incredibly frustrating. Why is it always the ones we bend over backwards for that kick us in the teeth whilst we are down there!

[Panders]

As you say Cait, so common for the ones you work the hardest for to get their child "sorted" manage to not appreciate it.

 

Are you absolutely sure Narnia that the other setting are not going beyond good practice with this age group and are pushing "teaching" these things??

 

Not very helpful, but I think I might just ignore that setting and their questions Narnia - you only have to read some of the messages on here about co-operation from other settings to realise it is a rarity,

[catma]

Confused - if the child is past statutory school age what are they doing going o a setting? could you just ontact school,admissions and update them? or is the point that they are not??

cx

[narnia]

Statutory means 5 years and one term...................this child will be five in August...........the very end of August, so she isn't past statutory at all. It bothers me that the message from the other group was apparently more bothered about funding than the child's needs. She came to the country in January, so had missed the September intake, and there are no places in any local schools. The problem now is that she has applied for intake THIS September, but she technically is Yr 1. This, where she has almost no English and we are working hard to help, even though WE are getting no help at all from any source.Today the family will get their offer for school............it will almost certainly be a Yr 1 place and our school has no Yr 1 places available..........................it's a nightmare all round

[finleysmaid]

Statutory means 5 years and one term...................this child will be five in August...........the very end of August, so she isn't past statutory at all. It bothers me that the message from the other group was apparently more bothered about funding than the child's needs. She came to the country in January, so had missed the September intake, and there are no places in any local schools. The problem now is that she has applied for intake THIS September, but she technically is Yr 1. This, where she has almost no English and we are working hard to help, even though WE are getting no help at all from any source.Today the family will get their offer for school............it will almost certainly be a Yr 1 place and our school has no Yr 1 places available..........................it's a nightmare all round

she will be that stage be of statutory school age though so the borough is legally obliged to find her a space even if that means going over the 30 in a class.....i'm afraid this is VERY common in our area!!!!

[narnia]

She starts school in September. The local authority didn't want to know..........our school currently has 32 children in the class and the head teacher turned them away. Legally of course, she wouldn't have to start school until January. Dad has just visited me to say he is very happy with my setting, but he was advised that the 'primary school' ( the other setting will do a better job at getting her redy for the 'big school'............I showed him all the things we are doing and he simply said that there is no problem with us and he is doing his best for his child. I give up.

[lynned55]

I thought statutory school age was the term after they were five? So if 5 in August- she would legally need to start in September?

 

However I would not be helping another setting to claim funding that i had worked hard to find myself- especially one that is inclined to be so underhand itself. I'd be inclined to agree with panders and ignore their email.

[finleysmaid]

I thought statutory school age was the term after they were five? So if 5 in August- she would legally need to start in September?

 

However I would not be helping another setting to claim funding that i had worked hard to find myself- especially one that is inclined to be so underhand itself. I'd be inclined to agree with panders and ignore their email.

yes in theory BUT that would mean she would start straight in to year one...therefore the recommendation is that summer born children start at Easter for late entries in order that they get a term in reception. We have sent children straight in to year one but this is much more tricky than sending in to reception late

[mundia]

Hi Narnia, aren't you getting any support to complete the EYFSP, as in our LA you would get this and also be expected to attend moderation?

It can be hard for children entering year one having not done their whole reception year in school and accessed all the curriculum that a typical reception class would be doing. Unless of course, they are going into reception, and this has been agreed by the school?

[narnia]

County Hall told me, quite sniffily, that they didn't want to know until she had been offered a school place.for September 16. ONLY then will they talk to us, or her parents and only by a three way telephone conversation, with a Romanian interpreter.They will not talk to them at the offices. It's bewildering. I asked dad today and he said they don't have a school place offer yet, so I suggested he call to find out what's going on as they won't tell me anything

 

so no.....no offer of a reception place, though this would be best for her at this stage

Edited April 21, 2016 by narnia

[Conker]

Wasn't she offered a place when the primary allocations came out on Monday?

[narnia]

No, they have heard nothing, that's why I have urged them to phone the education department to find out what's going on. Some families were only informed on Tuesday, but this is ridiculous

[mundia]

Hmm, as they only came here in January, they probably missed the deadline date n Jan for application of a school place. In this case she would be a late applicant and would therefore not hear about a place until after all others have been allocated, maybe not even until May or June.. There may be varying rules for differing LAs so worth a read of their rules which usually are on the council websites. If they want her to start in reception which would be out of year group, then it's another application specifically to request this. I'm just wondering if they haven't filled in the right forms at the right time, and perhaps if the family English is not so good, they aren't really sure what they have done so far?

just a thought.

do you have access to translation services or do the family have a friend or colleague that can translate for them? The admissions office won't speak to you as it's not your child, and they would need the parents permission for you to act on their behalf, (hence tge 3 way conversation)but do you have an early years team who you can have a chat to?

[finleysmaid]

i'm always ringing our admissions.....I think they've given up saying no! :lol:

[lsp]

Do you still have sure start centres in your area? Could you involve them to provide support for the family?

[narnia]

Mundia....................NO translation service.....and the three way phone call was for the parent, some bod at county hall and the translator, I wasn't to be involved in that. Frankly, our Council is rubbish. I have spent, literally hours on phone calls to various people who all back off and say it's not their problem. Well, it DAMNED well IS someone's problem and I suspect it's going to be the child's. They have no friends and no colleagues who speak Romanian