Gove scraps right for 4 year olds to be in full time education

[Simona]

Has Gove realised that 4 is far too young to be in full time education?

Will this mean we will return to caring for them if they only get offered a part-time place?

Whatever the decision education is a mess...what is the rush to put children in school so young when there is an acute shortage of places in classrooms when education is compulsory?

Michael Gove rewrites school rules to scrap right for four-year-olds to have full-time primary places | Politics | The Observer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jul/14/primary-school-admissions-code-change-confusion?CMP=twt_fd)

[Mouse]

I don't think it's got anything to do with the government thinking 4 is too young to be in school? When has the child ever been at the forefront of any of their plans?

As usual it's to do with money. There isn't enough space in school to take all 4 year olds full time, so rather than spend money creating places, they'll take away the need to offer full time places.

It makes you wonder though, why on earth are they trying to get schools to take 2 years olds when they can't even accommodate the 4 year olds?

[The Juggler]

so let me get this straight then, if this right is removed, the child then can't enter school until the following September or does the child get an automatic place during the academic year when s/he turns 5? I think going back to the staggered entry is wrong. Children have got to catch up with all the other children in the class and where/how are the spaces going to be kept open or created within that class.

i think it would be brilliant for children to start school later - much better but then their automatic right to 15 hours of nursery funding would continue for another year - creating another problem, not enough nursery places as places will be needed for the cohort of children turning 3 as well as those staying in nursery education for a further year

........ah but hang on the Government are removing those unecessary requirements on childminders so they can all offer 3 year places so maybe this is all part of the same grand plan!

Now they just need LA's to stop placing those unecessary requirements on CM's to access the funding and need to persaude CM's that they actually want to offer funding at £3.50/hour when their normal rate is probably considerably higher than that :panic:

[Simona]

Offering 4 yo part-time education...3 hours in the morning.... will not release classrooms for those children who lack a compulsory place at age 5 and 1/4 and need it full time?

so in fact those classrooms will be empty at a time the govt wants schools to run full steam?

When 4 yo started attending full time in Reception cms lost many children to care for...then the 3 yo went to school so we lost more children

Having said that we still had them in the school holidays...not anymore as schools are busy setting up pre and after school care at lower fees than cms.

If the 2 yo follow the same example cms will be left caring for children from 0-2 only or join the school and be part of the childcare hubs...in other words provide care while the school provides the education? not on my watch!!

In the meantime childcare costs have risen...there is a clear connection there which no govt wants to see and early schooling is a saving to parents in terms of childcare

Easy to see...I hope this is a crisis Gove and Truss are left to sort out.

The solution is clear...start reception at 5 and Year 1 at 6 and follow the rest of the world the govt so much wants to emulate...that will save millions in Early Intervention and address the crisis in childcare

[jackie 7]

If they started reception at 5 the children would be ready to start to learn. Has it not occurred to give that the reason children are leaving primary school unable to read I'd because they start too early. I include nursery schools in this.

[hectors house]

I'm confused Truss wanted them to start school at 2 and now Gove wants them to start full time at 5!:panic:

They come up with these ideas with no idea on how it will be implemented.

[Bumble Beez]

Am I the only one who is a little bit confused by this? Why are the goalposts always changing?
So the child has to be five before starting reception...if that's what is being considered then I'm all up for it.
My own ds is starting reception in September but going on the old system he wouldn't have started until January as his birthday is November.
So is the staggered intakes coming back or is it just one intake for all over 5's...
Oh my poor head :(

Sarah x

[Mrsh3103]

I think starting at 5 is so much better. My ds was only 5 in may & in my opinion still isn't really ready for 'big school'.

[Simona]

If I understand it correctly Gove wants children to take up just the 3 hours as they did before and the comment below from a parent suggests this:

"Does Michael Gove not want more women in work, rather than having to give up their job, or go part-time, because they cannot get a full-time place for their child?" she said. "If I were to take the part-time offer, I'd have to either pay a childminder to collect and look after her, which many parents would not be able to afford, send a taxi to pick up a four-year-old, or leave work."

This parent wants her child in school full time which means she saves on cms fees or taxi fare?...some parents want it all don't they? how it will address the shortage of primary places is unclear and how will those empty classrooms be used in the afternoon?

Gove et al seem to make the rules up as they go...