Is this right please, our girl just turned 4 and they say she as to start school ?

theshadow

have no clue what section this as to go in but any advice would be great please if possible?

yeah we got a letter saying that our lil girl as to start school in a few weeks as she turned 4 last week and we didnt even know as we thought it was 5 in the uk so havent even found her one either as she as had problems with sleep over years and we aint even got her into nursery yet

so if she doesnt go will we get in trouble or if we try to get her into nursery will we not be able to now as we didnt wanna drop her right into school...

if no one can answer please if possible could you point me to an appopiate forums!!!


(sorry about spelling)


Thanks

seven-day-weekend

Your child does not have to be receiving full-time Education until she is five, if I understand correctly.

And even then you don't have to send her to school. You can Home Educate as many people do, but you must let your Local Education Authority know you are doing this and there will be checks to make sure that the Education she receives is of the correct standard.

However, if you do intend to send her to school, some schools only have their intake in September so they will take any child over four - some like your own girl, will only just be four.

I would go and speak to the Education Department at your Local Council to discuss your options.

lauren_1

My dd was 4, they have to be in some kind of education by the time they are 5, rather than having 30 odd children starting at random times throughout the year they just start them the september or january after the 4th birthday.

We were given the option to defere dd's entry to january but as she was in nursery she was more than ready.

I would find a nursery and ask them about taking her until january so she gets used to being around children and away from you and ask all the schools that appeal to you which offer defered entry.

Were you aware all 3 and 4 year olds get a part time funded nursery place?

notlongnow_2

Children start full time the term before they are five as there is only one intake per year now, so yes, this september is right for your little girl.

Kimitatsu

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kelloggs36

As she is 5 before 1 September, this is correct. If her birthday was 1 September, it would have been next year.

foreversomeday

The law as it currently stands is that children must be in education (not necessarily in school!) by their 5th birthday.

If you don't feel she is ready for school yet, you have every right to keep her out of school and educate her at home - it is likely you are "educating" her at present anyway, children are always learning whatever they do.

My advice to you would be to contact a local Home Education group and ask for their advice regarding deferring your daughter's education for a year or longer. You may be checked out by the local authority but it's not threatening - for example, there is a section of the Home Educating community who do something called unschooling or free learning, which means they have no structured lessons at all.

If you want to know more about this option, here are some UK specific links.

Legality information
http://www.home-education.org.uk/legal.htm

Compulsory School Age
http://www.home-education.org.uk/legal-csa.htm

General information
http://home-ed.info/
http://www.education-otherwise.org/

Message Boards (you can join and get support here, whatever your reasons for home educating.)
http://messageboards.ivillage.co.uk/iv-ukprhomeed

I'd also like to add that I fully intend to home educate my little boy for a few years if he doesn't show signs of being ready to attend school when the time comes. I think they start so early here, and from what my mum tells me of my own early school experiences I don't think it did me any favours - however some children love school and take to it easily right away

Your other options off the top of my head would be to find a school which just does half days for the first term, or you could possibly start her at nursery, but I think a lot of nurseries would refuse her a place because she would be older than the rest of the children there.

Buttercup.x

My daughter has been in Nursery since she was 3 we are in manchester uk

gairlochgal

Didn't you say she only recently turned 4? I thought they had to be in school by the Sept/Jan (not sure which) following their 5th birthday. Am wondering if the council are trying to get you to apply for January 09 intake? That would put her into the right cohort as an August birthday.

Spendless

Here they go into f-time school the Sept following their 4th birthday, so someone reaching 4 this Sunday - 31st August, would start reception 2 days later at my kids school on 2nd Sept (the 1st is an inset day). My LA only do 1 intake though you *might* be able to ask the school to hold the place until Jan/Easter. Reception is a mix between playing and learning, whereas formal learning starts in yr 1.

I had to apply a year in advance for my kids school places though, so am a bit confused why this has come as a shock unless you didn't apply or have only just come to live here?

I understand Scotland runs a different intake year, where the eldest of the yr are March born- thru to Feb (youngest of year), unlike England where it is Sept -Aug intake. Not sure of Wales.:cool:

specialK

My school takes in at 3 eeek!