{"id":59,"date":"2024-01-11T13:01:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T13:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/?page_id=59"},"modified":"2024-02-01T15:59:22","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T15:59:22","slug":"nursery-primary-deferral-information","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/nursery\/nursery-primary-deferral-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Nursery\/Primary Deferral Information"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span style=\"color: #000080\">Deferring Primary 1<\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"asset-contents\">\n<div id=\"content-area\" class=\"js-article-page article-content-wrapper featured-\" data-ret_date=\"01011970-0\" data-id=\"4247\" data-login-redirect=\"https:\/\/www.fife.gov.uk\/kb\/docs\/articles\/education2\/early-learning,-childcare-and-nurseries\/preschool-and-school-nursery\/deferrals\/_login\" data-fbs=\"https:\/\/www.fife.gov.uk\/_media\/ws\/mrl\/fbs\" data-fbc=\"https:\/\/www.fife.gov.uk\/_media\/ws\/mrl\/fbc\" data-fbd=\"https:\/\/www.fife.gov.uk\/_media\/ws\/mrl\/fbd\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-9 article-body\">\n<div class=\"article-container-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-container-public-content\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"region1\">\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000080\"><strong>Deferral Process &#8211; Accessing an additional year of funded ELC<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">In Scotland, children usually start primary school in the year preceding or during which they have their 5th birthday.\u00a0\u00a0This means that in Primary 1 classes, children are usually aged between 4\u00bd and 5\u00bd years.\u00a0\u00a0Where a child does not start school at the anticipated August start date for their year group, it is called deferred entry to primary school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">Children who are five at the start of the school session in August must start school in August. Alternatively, parents\/carers can make arrangements to home educate their child.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">If your child\u2019s 5<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0birthday falls between 22 August 2024 (the day after the school commencement date) and the end of February 2025 you have a legal right to defer their entry into Primary 1 until August 2025, when they are nearer 6 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">Previously, only children born in January and February had the automatic right to receive an additional year of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) when they deferred. From August 2022, Fife Council has been taking part in a Scottish Government pilot scheme to extend this to all children who are eligible to defer entry into Primary 1. This became a universal right from August 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">Every child is different, even those of the same chronological age. Prior to making your decision it is important to give consideration to a range of factors, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\">how your child feels about starting school.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\">your child&#8217;s strengths as a learner.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\">the particular outcome that would be achieved for your child by having an additional year at nursery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\">who can help inform your decision-making.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">While the decision to defer a child&#8217;s entry to primary school is ultimately for parents, it is widely accepted that the best decisions are reached with the involvement of those who know your child as a learner. We would recommend that you discuss options for your child with the staff in your ELC provider as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the primary school your child will attend, you can contact the Headteacher of the school directly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">We have provided answers to some FAQs at the bottom of this page to help you with your decision.\u00a0\u00a0Additional useful information on what to consider is also available at:\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080\" href=\"https:\/\/www.parentclub.scot\/articles\/can-my-child-defer-starting-school\">Can my child defer starting school? | Parent Club<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000080\"><strong>Application Process for Deferrals if your child currently attends a Fife Council Local Authority Nursery Provision<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">A Request for Deferral application should be submitted by 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0January 2024, directly to your current Fife Council ELC Provider. This is to ensure your child\u2019s placement in your current setting is continued as part of the normal Fife Council ELC admissions process for academic year 2024-25.\u00a0\u00a0Nursery staff will be able to help you with this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000080\"><strong>Application Process for Deferrals at Private\/Voluntary sector providers or childminders in partnership with Fife Council to deliver funded ELC<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">Parents\/carers should check with the nursery\/playgroup\/childminder their child attends that they would be able to continue with their current placement for academic year 2024-25. If so, a Request for Deferral application should be submitted directly to your provider by 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0January 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000080\"><strong>Request to Change Provider \/ Attendance Pattern for 2024\/25<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">If you wish to change the ELC placement your child attends for academic year 2024-25, then you should complete a new application for a nursery place for session 2024-25 for 3-4 year olds, in addition to the deferral request.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\">For placements based in a Fife Council ELC service, a completed application form should be submitted by 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0January 2024. This will be processed in line with Fife Council\u2019s Early Learning and Childcare Admissions policy.\u00a0\u00a0You can still submit a late application for deferral \/ new placement after 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0January 2024 and before the start of academic year in August 2024, but this will limit the options of funded ELC placements available to your child, as most Fife Council nursery places will have already been allocated.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080\">For placements based in a private nursery, playgroup or childminder offering funded ELC on behalf of Fife Council, you should contact your preferred ELC provider directly to request a place for 2024-25.\u00a0\u00a0Each Service has its own admissions policy and will be able to let you know if they are able to offer your child a placement for the following year.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-container-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-container-public-content\" role=\"region\">\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000080\">Related Publications<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"aaa-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080\"><a style=\"color: #000080\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fife.gov.uk\/__data\/assets\/word_doc\/0032\/159476\/Deferred-Entry-Request-Form-2024-25.docx\" data-refno=\"159476\">Deferred Entry Request Form<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deferring Primary 1 Deferral Process &#8211; Accessing an additional year of funded ELC In Scotland, children usually start primary school in the year preceding or during which they have their 5th birthday.\u00a0\u00a0This means that in Primary 1 classes, children are usually aged between 4\u00bd and 5\u00bd years.\u00a0\u00a0Where a child does not start school at the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/nursery\/nursery-primary-deferral-information\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Nursery\/Primary Deferral Information<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24259,"featured_media":0,"parent":81,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-59","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions\/316"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/balmullopns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}