Full-time Education For Four Year-olds

PARENTS in Oxfordshire are to be offered full-time education for their four year olds earlier, thanks to a decision taken today by Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet.
Schools in the county are currently funded to offer half-time places for children from the September after their fourth birthday until the term after their fifth birthday. However many schools take children full-time earlier.
The current position of deferring admission arrangements generates an increasing number of complaints from parents.
Oxfordshire County Council has today allowed parents extended choice by approving the availability of full-time admission for all reception class aged children. At the same officers have been instructed to work with the private and voluntary sectors to make sure that they are not disadvantaged by the changes.

Councillor Michael Waine, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement, said: “I am delighted that we are now going to be able to offer consistency of provision across the county in our primary schools. This decision represents a significant move to assuring quality of provision by remvoing the need for short-term and part-time appointments.

“Parents will now have the same choice that exists in other parts of the country as well as still being able to use private, voluntary and independent nurseries and pre-schools. The decision was taken after a full consultation process with parents, schools and private, voluntary and independent sector nurseries.”

Councillor John Howell, Cabinet Member with responsibility for South Oxfordshire, has many private and voluntary sector early years education providers in the part of the county that he represents. He said: “I wanted to make sure that there would be safeguards so that this change did not disadvantage private and voluntary sector organisations. There are now mechanisms in place so that the money for a child’s earliest period of education follows the child and gives the parents the choice as to where that education should take place.
“There are many private and voluntary providers in my part of the county but the countywide number is higher than the national average.”