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

foreversomeday

Broken_hearted wrote: »

I don't understand the problem my son started school at 4 and will be 15 when he leaves, he is now in year 7 and never had any problems. He is with his peer group has friends and is settled. Yes he is small but perfectly happy.

Nobody is saying there is anything wrong with starting school at 4, but the OP seemed concerned that her daughter wasn't perhaps ready for school yet and so myself and a few others have been outlining other options.

HTH

serena

I have to admit I haven't read every single post here, just skimmed.

Legally, children have to be in education in the term following the term in which they are five.

You can apply for a place, and when it is offered, accept and defer. The school, as far as I know will now be obliged to keep that place. The law on this changed about eight or so years ago. I 'm in Kent, so it is possible that this doesn't apply in other authorities, but I think it is national.

I deferred for both my younger children. They stayed at the Montessori Nursery school until just after they were five and went straight into Year One. There was no particular benefit to doing the reception class. I think they were better off in nursery classes of just 12 children with two adults than in school classes of 30 with two adults.

My children's school told me that although other parents had talked about deferring, I was the only one who actually did it!

I won't tell you that this is right for your child, only you can decide. It was right for my children.

MsChazzer

Katyag wrote: »

I so agree with you!!!

My DS1 started school nursery at 3 years 1 month, we defered school entry for him by a year and he didnt start school til August last year when he was 5 years and 8 months. Best thing we did and he takes more in and is much more capable being that year older.

My mum did that with me, I was nearly 6 (November birthday) when I started school, there was no way I was socially and emotionally ready for it the year before. I learned to read and write before I started school so sometimes got a bit bored but I ended up skipping a year a couple of years later. Of course this was in the mid 80s and in Scotland so probably not much use to OP, just wanted to say I turned out ok having been kept back a year!

cobbingstones

As far as I am aware a child does not legally have to start school until they are five. My daughter however is starting at four because the parents had the choice to start before their children were five.

HTH

MM

Spendless

So if you do defer, how does that work if a child has been in a state nursery, can they continue to go as that would mean 1 less space for a younger child? The attached school nursery mine went to is big, 39 kids to 3 staff,reception for ds had 26 kids to 2 staff and for dd 22 kids to 2 staff, so the same or smaller ratiosin reception, so if this is a concern I'd look into the ratios for the different years.

mrcow

Also, if you do defer, how does it work?

Do you still apply as normal and then tell the school you are going to defer once you've been awarded the place? Or do you have to apply with the deferred start date in the first place?

I don't think I'd necessarily do this with my daughter next year (she's a July baby) but it's good to know just in case. The school are going to insist that she only does 9am-11.45am for the first two terms which is a right pain for me, just wondering how it works if I said I was going to defer her start date?

Spendless

2 terms:eek: till Easter? Or 2 half terms till Jan (which is still a long time). DS should have done 2 weeks of half days first, 1 week afternoons, 2nd mornings plus stopping for dinner. Apart from at beg of 2nd week he went off with chicken pox:rolleyes: so was off a couple of weeks and went straight in to full days.

Last year for dd they'd changed it, to 1 week of half days, but the 2nd week they finished at 3pm, when the rest of school finished at 3.30, which meant anyone like me with an older child to pick up had a half hour hang about!

I am sooooo glad I'm not going thru it again.:D

silvercar

Although you have the right not to send your child to school at all, if you are home educating and the right not to send your child to school until they are 5 if you are school educating, there is no automatic right to defer places.

Individual schools and even individual education authorities may allow places to be deferred as a policy or by application in indivdual cases but there is no government rule that allows you to defer by choice. If you wish to defer the place the head of the school (for voluntary aided and partnership schools) or the LEA ( for centrally administered schools) has the right to say that the place is offered for September and will be given to someone else if you don't want it.

You may actually be choosing between going to school A now or going to school B in January, if school A won't allow you to defer.

sassysare

My youngest was 3 not even a week ago and in 2 weeks time we have a school open day to attend, and then we have to apply for the school by December. It is shocking as she won't even be 3 1/2 and we will be choosing her school!

When my daughter goes to school in Sept 09, she will be 4 years old by 10 days and will be one of the very youngest in her class. She will go to school (reception) part-time until jan when she will then be a full-time pupil.

If the school we want had a nursery she would be starting that in (this) sept onwards but it doesn't, so we have to find our own arrangements if we want her to attend a nursery.

Katyag

Spendless wrote: »

I didn't know they did 2 nursery years in Scotland though.

Yes, they have their anti pre school year and a pre school year, they are taken in the term after they turn 3.

My son was 3 in Dec and started in Jan. So Jan 05 - July 05 that was his anti preschool year. Then Aug 05 - July 06 was his pre school year. We defered him a year so had an extra pre school year Aug 06 - July 07 then started Primary 1 in August 07.