Dear Parent/Carer
As you have previously contacted this department requesting a swap of your current Early Learning and Childcare arrangements you are being sent the following information. For session 2021-22, all requests to swap must now be made through the new early learning and childcare application form as detailed below. Please note that if you do not submit your requested change through a new application, we will not be able to consider your request.
East Renfrewshire Council must ensure that all Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) places are allocated equitably. On 21 January 2021 the Education Committee of East Renfrewshire Council agreed a new admissions policy with some slight changes to the priorities. These are noted below for your information:
Order of Priorities for Allocation of Eligible 3 and 4 Year Old Places within East Renfrewshire Council Early Learning and Childcare Establishments
Effective for Session Commencing August 2021 and Beyond
For use when applications exceed available places
In the event that the number of applications received for a particular establishment and operating model combination is greater than the number of places available, the criteria below are used to allocate places and are listed in order of priority:
- East Renfrewshire resident where one of the following conditions been met: child protection, prevention, or additional support needs. Automatic entry will be given to any child considered by the Social Work Department to be in need of protection, who is looked after by the authority, or whose admission will prevent reception in to care.
- East Renfrewshire resident where a funded ELC place has been granted to support deferred entry to primary school.*
- East Renfrewshire resident in pre-school year with no existing Early Learning and Childcare provision in place (Note – this does not include families who have intentionally left an existing allocation).
- East Renfrewshire resident residing within the Early Learning and Childcare Community of the establishment.
- East Renfrewshire resident where a sibling attends the establishment and will continue to do so in the next session.
- East Renfrewshire resident where the child is part of a single parent/carer family and where it would be advantageous to the care and welfare of the child and/or family to attend the requested establishment.
- East Renfrewshire resident with no other listed priority.
- Non East Renfrewshire resident.
Please note:
The criteria will be applied in the order shown above. If for any category the number of requests exceeds the number of places available, the next succeeding criteria will be used to prioritise these requests and so on until all priority criteria have been exhausted. If, after this process, two or more requests cannot be distinguished as having priority, then a ballot will be held to allocate the places available. This ballot will be organised by the Community Admissions Panel which is comprised of officers of the Education Department and the Head Teacher of each ELC setting within the community.
You will see that pre-school children with an existing allocation do not have priority over ante-preschool children, who largely come under Priority 4. Although places are allocated for two years, for pre-school children, requesting a change of setting or model, a new application can be made which will be considered alongside other Priority 4 applications. This is a change to the previous policy where applications to swap would be considered after all new applications had been considered. The application form is available on the council website https://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/nursery-places-3-4-application-form
It should be noted that by re-applying there is no guarantee that you will receive both your first choice of setting and or model. It should also be noted that eg where your request is to swap to a core placement, these places are limited and as such we will not be able to accommodate all requests. Where we are unable to offer you a change to setting and or model, your child will remain in their current placement for session 2021-22. The cut-off date for submission of applications for Session 2021-22 is 28th February 2021. Applications received after this date will be treated as late and will not be looked at until after all allocations are made.
