September new intake

[playgroup1]

It should be time to start offering places to the new starters for September. However, a couple of existing parents of children who should be moving onto school then are talking about delaying school entry because they want them to get the preschool experience they will have missed during closure. Has anybody else heard this from their parents or had any thoughts on this to share?

[sunnyday]

Hi

No, nothing like that from my parents....

I am still hoping that we might be able to 'go back' in June which would help 'the leavers' so much - but who knows....

Also thinking about new starters for September, ordinarily I would be offering taster sessions for July and preparing registration packs now, I do need to at least email parents of potential new starters I think, but can't do much more.... 

[lynned55]

Yes, I keep hoping we can 'go back' even if just for two weeks- just to help the leavers. e too would have had offers sent, dates set for visits for  the September intake-

I am supposed to be emailing an offer to some- but as yet cannot seem to summon the 'enthusiasm' (thats the wrong word but I cant think of a better one) to do so.

I think the primary school places come out tomorrow- my g/son is in Reception and is an August baby- my daughter was saying that a couple of his friends parents have been saying they may consider holding back to re do Reception if they dont go back until Reception- although not sure if legally you could do this. We have (or did have) 2 who are deferring in September- also had another who was considering it then decided against. However I wonder if people may change their minds either way now. I suppose it depends how long we're off for. 

 

[Elimpreschool]

Good morning all,

One of my parents shared her concern with me only yesterday.  She is worried that her child (whose has SEN) will not have gained the learning and stability he needs to start Primary school in September due to lack of social interaction with other children and routines that he had at Pre-school.  Delaying starting reception until January or April 2021 for those who need it is a really good idea.  However, for me and most others including childminders this would be hard to implement having already confirmed September places with new children.  The link below makes an interesting read:

https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/cornavirus-group-of-major-providers-calls-for-delayed-school-start-for-young-children.

 

 

[sunnyday]

FWIW - I don't really believe that delaying children's start is the right way to go with this - all children will be 'in the same boat' and I know that Primary schools will be making all necessary adjustments to cope with this

I am seriously beginning to wonder now if we will be 'safe' to return in September 

[Cait]

18 minutes ago, sunnyday said:

FWIW - I don't really believe that delaying children's start is the right way to go with this - all children will be 'in the same boat' and I know that Primary schools will be making all necessary adjustments to cope with this

I am seriously beginning to wonder now if we will be 'safe' to return in September 

Yes I'm in agreement with you here.  I think when settings finally do open, then I imagine that there'll be a staggered start anyway and this will help with adjusting.  

The main concern I have is the potential for staggered/shorter sessional days and the impact that this will have on working families.   Traditionally this has been an emotive subject where I used to work, as so many of the children were attending Koalas full time, 9-3 and parents were used to the routine of this.   Suddenly they started infants one or two mornings a week, then four morning for another week, five mornings, then just M,W,F full days ....     it was impossible for parents to cope with. I fully anticipate that this phased entry will need to be much more prolonged, with the obvious difficulty for parents.  I'm not sure how long the furlough scheme is intended to last, but I can see parents who are still furloughed not wanting to take their children to EY or schools as they're at home anyway, as well as to ease worry.   

FSM children will need to be back as soon as possible, and maybe this is the way it will go forward.  Thus creating a dual tier of children, and dropping some through the net altogether.  😟

[playgroup1]

Usually, new starters are the ones paying the full fees from September so if they can't start we will lose that income. Relying only on the funded older children will impact on our finances. 

[sunnyday]

1 hour ago, playgroup1 said:

Usually, new starters are the ones paying the full fees from September so if they can't start we will lose that income. Relying only on the funded older children will impact on our finances. 

Absolutely

[Cait]

3 hours ago, playgroup1 said:

Usually, new starters are the ones paying the full fees from September so if they can't start we will lose that income. Relying only on the funded older children will impact on our finances. 

Totally agree!  Those fees are a mainstay right at the beginning of the year when numbers on roll haven't picked up yet! 

[StrawberyTwirl]

I envisage they will adjust the space requirement and we will have to rethink staffing, opening hours etc. There will have to be some kind of adjustment as only having funded children, at the current rates, will decimate so many nurseries!

 

[blondie]

https://famly.co/blog/covid-19/denmark-reopening-child-care-corona/ - hope that works - makes a very interesting read. also some information below. xx

eyfs forum.pdf

[finleysmaid]

12 hours ago, blondie said:

https://famly.co/blog/covid-19/denmark-reopening-child-care-corona/ - hope that works - makes a very interesting read. also some information below. xx

eyfs forum.pdf

Thanks for this Blondie...did the second document come from an official source?

[blondie]

UK Nursery Covid-19 Response Group Recommendations

is where I found this - was at the end of the other piece I sent so clicked on ti. 

[finleysmaid]

Thanks much appreciated. Slightly panicking as i can't see how this would work in my setting .....!!!

[finleysmaid]

Ah just found it .Recommendations made by a group of nurseries.....maybe they should think a bit more before making these recommendations 

This is the issue with being lots of individual settings we are ALL different and what works for one does not work for others. Some of us only have one room for instance and one set of loos and one garden and...........etc etc etc

recommendations recently published by a coalition of UK nursery groups that they’d like the government to make.

 

 

[louby loo]

9 minutes ago, finleysmaid said:

Ah just found it .Recommendations made by a group of nurseries.....maybe they should think a bit more before making these recommendations 

This is the issue with being lots of individual settings we are ALL different and what works for one does not work for others. Some of us only have one room for instance and one set of loos and one garden and...........etc etc etc

recommendations recently published by a coalition of UK nursery groups that they’d like the government to make.

 

 

Yes, it's all a bit of a worry isn't it.      

[finleysmaid]

7 minutes ago, louby loo said:

Yes, it's all a bit of a worry isn't it.      

indeed ... i have made a basic list of how we can do some things but it all seems a bit fruitless until we have some official guidelines. In the past my LA have been light touch and let us get on with things but they have recently been taken over by a company ...i don't know how they will handle things

[ladybirds1991]

I have already emailed my newbie parents for September and got sessions and days sorted out for them all ready for when we return and I think we will be up and running by then as the country cannot sustain economically at least, people staying off work for much longer and their kids will need to be in school for them to go to work. The reason for the 'lockdown' was to slow the spread of the virus so the NHS did not get overwhelmed, which seems to have worked, I believe this virus will be around for years and, like the flu and other diseases is something we are going to have to live with, which means kids going back to school. 

[blondie]

As others have said each setting is individual so the way they deal with this is going to be individual to them. 

the country does have to get back to work but it needs to ensure that this lock down isn't wasted by doing it too quickly - the likelihood of another spike is still there. It will be around for years to come but we need to know how to deal with it and have vaccines etc.,  to help. 

[sunnyday]

1 hour ago, blondie said:

 

the country does have to get back to work but it needs to ensure that this lock down isn't wasted by doing it too quickly - the likelihood of another spike is still there. It will be around for years to come but we need to know how to deal with it and have vaccines etc.,  to help. 

I agree with this - it's all too soon - children are at school for fourteen years - if the powers that be took the decision to stay closed until September we would be talking about children missing fourteen weeks

(the fourteen years does not include their pre-school education)

[blondie]

agree, and coming back would be a parents decision - I think some would want to leave it till September and others may want to come back before (if the decision is made for that) but it wouldn't be as before Covid - 

less children each time so would mean less sessions than previously

less choice and more restrictions etc., 

to start with

[bletchleypreschool]

Is there any thought on delaying the September move for preschool and nursery children into main stream school until April of next year and have an intake in April and September like it use to be. This would give some sort of consistency in as much as it will take at least a few weeks to settle these 4yr olds. They would only have a maximum of 5 weeks before they are off again for another 6 weeks to then return to a different school. At least by delaying, pre schools and nurseries would be able to catch up on EYFS and prepare the children for 'big' school with visits etc.

[Mouseketeer]

Hi and welcome, I’ve seen a number of the big chain nurseries are calling for this, personally my school leavers are more than ready on the whole, most have siblings in school already and we are on the school site so they are familiar with the school, the couple who will find it harder would have still found it hard under normal circumstances,  but this will be very different for others I know, If we had to hold them back it would also cause problems with room for new intake and increasing sessions for the remainders come September, maybe a half a term would be ok 🤔 

[sunnyday]

I agree, my leavers are 'ready for school' there would be no benefit to them to attempt to 'hold them back'

[finleysmaid]

I will be offering this as usual (children do not have to be in school until the term after their fifth birthday) as we have lots who are summer born boys with EAL it would do them the world of good ...i don't have many this year who will be ready and resilient for school unfortunately ...

[finleysmaid]

PS the school hates me!