Starting School at 5 Years

Christie_L

Hi everyone,

If I delay sending my son to school until he's 5 years old (he's 2.5 at the moment), will he be placed in a class with younger, 4 year old children who are just starting, or will he be placed in year 2 (if that's how it works... )??

Also I am less likely to be offered a place at my preferred school (which is a 5 min walk) because he's missed the normal intake at 4 years old?

Thanks for any insight!

Nicky x

mrcow

No - he'll be placed in the correct age group in year 1

The only difference is the other children in his class will have already spent time within the school and made friends etc. in Year R

You still apply at the same time as everyone else - you just delay the start (individual schools will have their own policies on how you delay and for how long they'll keep the place open for)

winnie81

Your son will be put straight into year 1 with the older children and he will miss out on reception year bonding with his class. I have had children start school only just turn 4 and a day off being 5 and there is little difference in them socially and academically they both did just as well as each other. The reception class is really a lot of playing and gentle learning to help them get used to the school setting and not strict learning or anything. When my children have entered into year 1 from reception they have strong bonds with school friends already and I feel they would be adversely affected by joining late. Your chosen primary school will help you with the delay process so I would call and have a chat with the head to sort everything out.

Good Luck with your decision,

Claire x

Christie_L

Thanks to you both.

I'm a little confused as to how the school intakes work, as the primary schools near to us don't take children until they are 4 yrs. Yet I have a friend in a different county who's son started at 3 yrs (reception?).

My son attends a private day nursery at the moment where he's quite happy and settled, and I was wondering whether to leave him there until he reaches the compulsary school age at 5.

Do you think he would be at a disadvantage, joining at 5? As you say all the other children will already know each other and I don't want him to be the odd one out :think:

Nicky x

Curious_George_2

you might find that your son gets very bored at nursery and "needs" school
my daughter did, by the time she left pre school she was desperate for a new challenge,
hes only 2 1/2 now, a lot will change before school time rolls around, personally i think a lot of people will be surprised to find a 5 year old still at pre school, and i think they make some unfair assumptions about why hes been held back
As the other posters said, reception is just like pre school anyway, very gentle, mostly finger painting and talking about different words etc but the most important reason for being in reception is to get used to how school works, they get used to a structured routine, like assembly, lesson, break, lesson, lunch etc
they learn how to settle down and listen to the teacher and most of all they get used to the other children, working together, sharing and making friends,
I assume some of his friends from the pre school will be going to the same school? maybe you should think about wether its better for him to go with them so they can all go into this new adventure together? ... "its a little bit scary but its ok, ive got my friends"

whatever you decide, it wont be wrong, you wont be the first or last,
but id be thinking about what will make life easier for him, if it takes the first year to settle down and get on with school life, wont all the other kids be used to it when yours turns up all new to it?

alwaysonthego_2

I had this dilemma whether to send my dd to school when she turned 5, but I decided to send her in reception and I am so glad that I did. She really excelled and made some really good friends that she is still friendly with into year 1. Although children make friends easy enough, I would really reconsider not sending him until he is 5.

peachyprice

Christie_L wrote: »

Do you think he would be at a disadvantage, joining at 5? As you say all the other children will already know each other and I don't want him to be the odd one out :think:

Nicky x

Yes I do. My daughter started reception at Easter before she was 5, she then moved school when she started year 1 to a school where they only had one intake in September. All the other children had had a full school year in reception, she'd only had 1 term, although pretty advanced in the previous school compared to all the other children who started at Easter she was miles behind the children who had a full year, it took her to the end of year 2 to catch up.

Jo_R_2

But if the OP's child starts at 5 he can still start in reception yes?

At least, that's the way it (still) works here, for example my DD2 will be 4 next July and I can start her in Reception that September, or hold her off until later in that school year, eg in the New Year or later if I thought it best., and in the meantime her nursery keep her place open for her to continue attending.

I don't know if all areas still do this though - OP when is your DS 5 - is it later in the school year and this is why you are thinking of waiting until he is 5? Here it is not uncommon for parents to do this.

peachyprice

Jo_R wrote: »

But if the OP's child starts at 5 he can still start in reception yes?

At least, that's the way it (still) works here, for example my DD2 will be 4 next July and I can start her in Reception that September, or hold her off until later in that school year, eg in the New Year or later if I thought it best., and in the meantime her nursery keep her place open for her to continue attending.

I don't know if all areas still do this though - OP when is your DS 5 - is it later in the school year and this is why you are thinking of waiting until he is 5? Here it is not uncommon for parents to do this.

No, not necessarily, it depends when the child is 5, if it's after Easter they would not then start until the following September, by which time the child would be in the year 1 class group, not held back with reception.

Cissi

Jo_R wrote: »

But if the OP's child starts at 5 he can still start in reception yes?

If he starts during the school year, yes, but if she holds him back until the following September he'll go straight into Year 1.

My DS1 is a July baby and started Reception aged just over 4. We've never regretted it for one moment, he settled right in and is doing at least as well as the rest of his class mates, emotionally, socially and academically. The only thing I found was that he was very tired in the first term or so (he went full days from the start) so we had to make sure he was in bed by 7 every night. Now he's in Year 1 and he was so happy to go back with his mates in September! It would have been so much harder if he hadn't got to bond with them all in Reception. There are a couple of new children in the class and they seem to have found it pretty hard at first, even though they'd been to school elsewhere last year. I personally wouldn't do it if I had the choice.

DS2 is an October baby so will be one of the oldest children in his year, and he can't wait to start "big school" - I kind of wish he could start a year earlier (even though he's in a lovely preschool, so I'm sure he'll be fine for another year).

mummy_Jay

My DS is one of the youngest in the year, he started in reception when he'd only just turned 4, another boy a couple of days older then him was held back by just a term by his mum, the poor boy when he started found it very hard to get into the routine and groups as the rest of the class had been give a term gradually being introduced into the routine and strengthing there friendships.
The hardship he found trying to catch up with the other children lead to him being percieved by the other children as a naughty boy and not someone they want to play with.

From what I've seen if you chose to hold your child back you will single them out from the other children and they may suffer in the long run.

I also admit when I first heard my son would be starting school when he's only just turned 4, I thought it was too soon but I was wrong, he loved it and it was just what he needed, he excelled and you could see each day how much he loved going.