Waiting Lists.............

[Guest]

This is the situation.....we are allowed 24 children in each session, at the moment I have a few spaces available for Sept start.....have on file registration forms for children to start in January & April 2008 which if it stays as it is now I will be over subscribed. Some of the children who will start this week will be funded in January and want extra sessions.

 

Also, going by past experience once we open again after the holidays we always get people wanting to register and take places now( which is money we need).......my question is How does your waiting list work (if you have one) who do you give priority to??? My brain won't work hard enough to figure this one out please point me in the right direction...

mrsb

[AnonyMouse_1027]

Hi we are the same registered for 24 per session... we usually fill our sessions from waiting list ( order: longest time on list, catchment area, siblings, sen ect)

but occasionally because i can only give afternoon sessions they put off thier children starting..so then i am left wiith spaces, in that case will take anyone on list who is og age or whoever rings up and is eligable as we need to be full to cover costs

[Guest]

Our conditions of funding, and what our LEA advisor has told us, says that we have to give funded children priority, if they ring up and you have the place, regardless of our waiting lists. In your scenario that would mean if a funded child turned up tomorrow and asked for a place, you would have to give it to them, even if it meant that you wouldn't have any exttra sessions left for your existing children in Jan. Of course in Jan they would then get first refusal of an y new sessions that became available as they would then be funded.

[AnonyMouse_3735]

Ours works by age... oldest gets the places for new children...also allows any moving into the area a chance...

 

Increasing sessions really depends on spaces if we are full then they cannot increase them, if we have space then it is usually by age or occasionally request if they want more mid term and space is available..we have had a waiting list for additional sessions if they arise, most parents understsnd this and as it is in our admissions policy know this (if they bothered to read it of course!!)

 

Inge

[Guest]

Our PLA addmissions policy states that we "can operate a waiting list but we will use the fairest sysytem which is entery by date of birth". So the funded children would be higher on the list. Is this the same policy you all have?

[AnonyMouse_534]

We work the same as Lesley by date of birth. The schools in the area only have one intake now (september) but I can't fill all the spaces this term because I will not have any extra spaces for funded children in January. Which leads on to no extra spaces for the april funded children. I hate having to juggle the budget for autumn term.

[AnonyMouse_8466]

We don't have a waiting list, other than for children who aren't old enough to come to us yet! We're registered for 24 children, but this term we'll have 16 a day at most. Although, as mrsb says, inevitably they return after the holidays and request extra days...

 

We have 24 children on our register, so if they all wanted five days I could accommodate them. However, we'd need five staff each day then so I'd have to recruit some new people...

 

Maz

[Guest]

Looks like we are all in the same boat.........swings & roundabouts.

thanks for your replies

mrsb

[Guest]

We are never full at this time of year but the budget is worked out so that there is a surplus in the summer term which subsidises the shortfall in September.

[Guest roopal]

I was thinking about the very same problem today; we are registered for 12 and have 10 on the books starting tomorrow but some are part time and I would like to keep places vacant so that the part-time families can increase their sessions to 5 a week when they become funded. But of course this does mean losing money if anyone new comes forward who wants a place this term.

 

I need to have (yet another!) close look at the budget, do some financial forecasting and see if it is possible to hold the places and still keep afloat!

 

Roopal