Should I send daughter to school in Sept or Jan?

nikflo

i would say start in sept, my dd was five in jan just gone and she started full time school last sept.

i would just mention the toilet issue to the teacher when they do the home visit and go from there.

i can remember when my dd started school that a few of the mums at first were given a blue plastic bag after school. (this was full of the childs wet clothes if they had had an accident that day) so i would say it is quite normal for kids of that age to have accidents so don't let that put you off.

also by the following term the kids had all made good friends and i would think it would be much harder joining a class after every one else.

it is your choice but your dd could very well surprise you?

Hopeful1

Hi1 I just wondered if there's a medical reason for the wetting? If there is that adds a different slant.

My friend's little one used to have accidents in reception because she doesn't like strange toilets. As already suggested, my friend taught her to be independent with regards to changing her pants. It didn't last long as she soon fell into the routine of going to the toilet with her friends at breaktimes.

I hope you can work things out. It's hard work being a caring mom isn't it? Best wishes

HelenKA_2

At home we ask her if she needs to go, she says no and then 2 minutes later wets herself :rolleyes: We spoke to a continence nurse and she suggested setting an alarm clock to go off every hour to remind her to go, but it isn't practical to do that in a nursery class!

I'm no gp and this is MSE but I'd say this means she doesn't 'get' full bladder=need toilet. Maybe a visit to your health visitor or gp would help clear up any possible medical issues and get you to a paediatric clinic for some good advice.

hayleyc_2

Minerva69 wrote: »

I guess we'll have to send her in September, I'm just worried that if she's still wetting herself she's going to get picked on. We already use a reward chart but it isn't working. She is really happy at nursery but she never tells the staff there she has wet herself, she would stay in her wet clothes all day if they didn't notice she'd had an accident. I can't see her telling staff in a new school either. We're going to visit the school next week with my daughter, it's only for an hour so I don't suppose we'll get chance to ask many questions but I'll give it a go.

You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Do what you feel is best for your DD not what the school say just because it's convenient. The only reason schools try and make it seem as though you MUST start in September is so they can get the full year's funding for as many children as possible!

If you feel it's best for her to start in September then that's fine, but don't do it just because the school are pressuring you in to it. There's so much pressure on children to start school so early, I'm sure it can only be a good thing to give her that extra bit of time. It may not seem like much but 3 or 4 months in the life and development of a 4 yr old is a lot!

Hayley

mrcow

If the school only has one intake, then there's no point considering a Jan start because they won't let you. If you register your child there, but she doesn't start in Sept, then she'll simply lose her place.

tbh. If she's got social issues with wetting problems, then perhaps her being around 30 other children who are all sharing/communicating/going to the toilet etc may encourage her to do the same.

The other thing is can she currently read/write? If not, then again I'd be concerned about holding her back, as school start teaching reading/writing etc to the children that can't already do this in the first few months of reception and as a parent I'd personally be reluctant for her to miss out on this.

mrcow

Minerva69 wrote: »

I guess we'll have to send her in September, I'm just worried that if she's still wetting herself she's going to get picked on.

She won't get picked on. A lot of children wet themselves at school in the early years. The other children are generally far too busy to even notice.

Spendless

mrcow wrote: »

If the school only has one intake, then there's no point considering a Jan start because they won't let you. If you register your child there, but she doesn't start in Sept, then she'll simply lose her place.

Not ness, I've just copied this from my own council's website.
Starting School - Infant, Infant and Junior or Primary Schools

Children are required by law to start school if their fifth birthday:

• Falls between 1 April and 31 August - at the start of the Autumn term (normally in September)
• Falls between 1 September and 31 December - at the start of the Spring term (normally in January)
• Falls between 1 January and 31 March - at the start of the Summer term (normally in April)
• However, children in Doncaster are admitted to reception classes in schools at the start of the school year (September) provided they have had their fourth birthday on or before 31 August.

What You Should Do

Parents will normally arrange to visit the catchment area school, which is the school in whose area you live. If you wish your child to attend his/her catchment area school you must ask the school for an application form to apply for a place at the beginning of the Autumn Term. You must complete and return the form by the date indicated.
Any delay may mean the school places are filled and a place may not be available for your child even if you live in the catchment area. Late applications will be considered but will obviously have less chance of success.
You must also apply for a Reception place by the above date even if you do not intend your child to start school until they are five and legally required to do so. If your application for a school place is successful, this place will then be reserved until your child is legally required to attend school, which in some instances could be at the start of the next academic year.


OP_ I'd talk to the school re wetting first, before making a decision.

Lunar_Eclipse

Spendless wrote: »

Starting School - Infant, Infant and Junior or Primary Schools

Children are required by law to start school if their fifth birthday:

Agree this is the legal requirement. However schools do not have to keep a space open for a child not starting school at the beginning of the academic year, if they only have the one traditional annual intake of September. It is down to the school.

Our local infant school has one intake a year, in the September. You cannot defer a place and start your child the next term for instance, the school simply offers the place to another child. This is for financial reasons; they only get funding for the number of children actually attending the school and since it's always over subscribed, they know they can fill the spaces, so they do.

For poorly performing schools which are not so popular, it may be different due to less pressure on places. So the OP needs to be sure whether this is actually a viable option before making a decision which may not be possible.

shirlgirl2004

Schools have an annual census which takes place in January. A head count of children on the school's register is taken on a specified day and that governs the funding for the new financial year. Starting in January would not therefore affect funding.

Minerva69

mrcow wrote: »

If the school only has one intake, then there's no point considering a Jan start because they won't let you. If you register your child there, but she doesn't start in Sept, then she'll simply lose her place.

This is not the case where I live, the head teacher at my nursery said that schools have a legal requirement to keep the place available, and children don't have to start school until the term after their 5th birthday. Technically we don't have to start her until after the Easter holidays. 2 people from nursery did that this year and the school had to hold their place open. The school have said we can send her in January if we decide to, we just need to put our decision in writing before the end of next week. Will decide what to do after hopefully speaking to other staff at the school visit on Monday.