Coronavirus: Option to delay school being explored by UK's largest nursery group

The move comes as disruption to nursery provision due to the Covid-19 pandemic means that many parents are concerned about their child being ready to start Reception in September.

The proposal is not exclusive to Busy Bees and has been shared with the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and the large providers group.

Busy Bees Childcare’s temporary ‘Fast Track to School’ programme would give children starting school in the new academic year the option to remain at nursery for one or two terms, depending on their age or developmental stage.

For many children, the pandemic means they have missed out on almost three months of nursery ahead of starting school.

Under current law, children in England must be in education from the term after their fifth birthday. Although most start Reception in the September after they turn four, there is a little-known option to delay this for up to two terms, with parents retaining the right to have their child’s school place kept open should they choose to defer.

Following a survey of 945 of its parents, Busy Bees nurseries revealed that 44 percent of parents don’t know whether or not they would defer their child’s place in reception, indicating that parents may need further guidance on the topic. 

Deena Billings, (right), head of quality at Busy Bees, said, ‘At the start of the new school year in September, many children will have only just returned to some form of normality and they will be confronted with further change and instability when they start school for the first time.