Today I just want to cry.
My daughter Rosie is due to start school in September. She is excited and eager to go. She has been attending a Preschool within an infant school for the past year and is ready for it.
She has a school place for September at a fantastic school here in Gloucestershire. She has been to all the class visits and is excited to start. However, we are having to move next month, closer to London as my Husband is in the Army.
School ended last week for the Summer holidays and as yet she still has not been offered anything down there. She is 1st on the waiting list for one school (the one her Sister has a place at) but I have been told the Borough are not that worried about her as legally they don't have to offer her a place until the term after her 5th Birthday (Next September).
Now Rosie is a happy, sociable little girl who is eager to learn. She is ready and willing now:
The effect this lack of school place is having on my family is unbelievable. As if moving house and changing schools, ballet schools and friends isn't hard enough we now have no school place for her to deal with. I now don't want to go anywhere. I want them to stay here in an area where we eventually want to settle. Do you blame me? It's apparently not an option.
What are we supposed to do?
Please don't say “she's only young it doesn't matter” because it does very much. To her and to us. She is ready and wants to go. She's been prepared for it over the past year.
Please don't ask “have you considered home schooling”? Because of course we have, for all of 5 minutes when our demanding toddler throws things all over the floor or has a tantrum because one of the other girls is getting all the attention.
Please don't ask “have you considered Independant schools”of course we have done our research and would love to send all of our girls to a lovely little Independant school but at approx £3500 per term it's not an option we can afford.
Please don't suggest it's much more important that we are just all together. Of course all we want is to be a family and to see each other everyday but this little girl wants to be at school too. I cannot understand why we can't have both, surely it should just be a given.
What happens to all those children who have attended preschools but don't have school places? I'm really worried. She can't repeat preschool, she would be bored stupid plus I'm sure all the places have gone anyway. Preschool places are like reception places in our new Borough, over subscribed and hard to get hold of.
I'm feeling emotional: anxious one minute and angry the next. I'm trying to stay calm but why should my Husbands job disadvantage my Daughters education? It's not supposed to.
My daughters are anxious? What's happening in September? Can we keep living here so they can stay at this school or do they have to move and start a new school? Will Rosie even start school like all of her friends?
My usually well behaved girls are playing up, they are worried and scared. They don't like not knowing what's happening and we can do little to reassure them. To be honest I'm not sleeping, I'm less tolerant and not as patient as usual. Husband of course just wants everything to go smoothly and for us all to happily move together. He's trying to be positive but its hard.
It's not a great start to the Summer holidays.
Please if you have a school place you don't need then hand it back. In the meantime keep your fingers crossed for us and I hope we get some news soon. It's going to be a difficult summer otherwise.
Karen x
Clare Mansell
July 31, 2014 at 9:46 am (10 years ago)I didn’t realise that Rosie like Theo is the youngest in her year (did I get that right?) Theo should be starting school next September but we may hold him back till he is 5. Fortunately we have an excellent pre-school locally with no pressure on places and they have already said he could stay on if he wants. If you want to settle in Gloucestershire (isn’t that where you have your house) why can’t you? Or should I be asking someone else that?! 😉
Would Like To Be
August 2, 2014 at 1:23 pm (10 years ago)Her birthdays in June so wouldn’t be the youngest in her year but one of them. I think it’s ok if you decide to hold them back but for us it was never something we wanted to do. She’s tall, confident with other children & enthusiastic to learn so never felt the need to hold her back. When they go to preschool within a school they use the school facilities & are prepared to start. As far as she’s concerned she’s going.
We don’t own a house here yet & apparently they’ve got someone lined up to move in this one. It’s all very stressful. First time we’ve had to do it with school aged children 🙁 x
Loving life with little ones
July 31, 2014 at 8:12 pm (10 years ago)I can’t imagine how hard and stressful this is for you and all your family, I know I would not want Little 1 to not be starting school in September after attending preschool with Rosie, she is ready and eager too. I so hope something comes up for you and very soon, in the meantime come and have a coffee at mine and we’ll let the girls play while you unload. xx
Would Like To Be
August 2, 2014 at 1:24 pm (10 years ago)Thank you, coffee & play sounds like a great idea thanks. See you when you get back x