North Devon primary school could admit children from age two under new plans
The school's governing body is consulting on extending its age range from four to 11 to two to 11, from December 1 if the proposal is approved, with parents and residents having until the end of today to have their say.
Parents and residents have until the end of today to have their say on a proposal to bring nursery provision formally into Instow Community Primary and Pre-School.
The school’s governing body is consulting on extending its age range from four to 11 to two to 11, from December 1 if the proposal is approved. The consultation opened on October 2 and closes today, Friday, November 6.
The school currently takes children from age four, with a separate pre-school that is managed as an extended service. The pre-school admits children aged three and four, and also takes “rising three year olds”, who are two. Under the proposal, that early years provision would become part of the school and not a separate service.
The consultation document says this would be the simplest and most effective way for the school to manage its early years provision. It says the financial and administrative arrangements for the two to four age group would also be easier to manage.
The school says families should notice very little difference. The document states there would be no change to day-to-day arrangements, staffing, or the number of early years places on offer. Children in the nursery would be on the school’s admissions register.
Children whose parents meet the free school meal eligibility criteria and who attend for the whole day would be entitled to a free school meal, with no lower age limit. Parents would also be able to buy a school meal for nursery children.
The proposal would not affect the school’s published admission number or its capacity for school-aged children. Parents would still need to make a separate application to Devon County Council for a place in the reception class.
Admission to the nursery would be managed by the governing body, which must follow Devon County Council’s nursery admissions policy.
The consultation document says the government has recently simplified the process for a maintained school to extend its age range to create school-based nursery provision, to support its commitment to create or expand school-based nurseries following the increase in early years entitlements.
The process involves a consultation followed by a decision by the full governing body. Members are due to meet on November 23 to consider the responses and decide whether to approve the change. If they do, it would be put into effect on December 1.
Anyone who wants to respond should email [email protected], marking the message “Nursery Consultation”, by the end of today. People who need the consultation document in a different format or language can contact Devon County Council’s school consultation team on 01392 382057 or at [email protected].