Holding son back from school

lisaloo1977

Hi,

I just wanted to ask peoples advice on holding your child back from school for a year. My son will turn 4 at the end of august and is due to start school on the 7th September.

I have always been concerned that he wont be ready and therefore may suffer because of this. I want him to do well and enjoy his schooling and so have decided to look at holding him back for a year.

Does anyone have any experience of this? I have searched, however i can't seem to find the right key words to find previous topics??

pixelation

Good luck. Summer born boys often end up doing an extra year later in school as they are often not ready to keep up with their peers. (Not all but many).
It is worth talking to the reception unit for advice, or if they are closed now, try the LEA.

emsywoo123

Hi
No experience of this, however DD is a late August baby, and I found it was of no detriment to her to start early, in fact she went part time Kindergarten from just 3, then full time reception at just 4
If anything, I felt it helped her rather than hindered.
Just my views

miss_independent

lisaloo1977 wrote: »

Hi,

I just wanted to ask peoples advice on holding your child back from school for a year. My son will turn 4 at the end of august and is due to start school on the 7th September.

I have always been concerned that he wont be ready and therefore may suffer because of this. I want him to do well and enjoy his schooling and so have decided to look at holding him back for a year.

Does anyone have any experience of this? I have searched, however i can't seem to find the right key words to find previous topics??

There was a boy at my school whose birthday was two weeks before school started (ie last week of August). He started school after the christmas holidays when he was 4 years and 5 months. He struggled to cope with the separation from his mother but settled after a little while and had no problems making friends as we had all been at nursery together. I know other schools in this area that offer a January start to younger kids if that is an option you might consider if it is available to you.

Tigsteroonie

No experience, but I will subscribe to the thread to see other responses, for future information. Andrew was born mid-August but was very premature (not due until November), so letting him start school a year later is seriously being considered.

*gem*

My son started school when he'd just turned 4. His birthday is at the end of July. I found that he originally struggled to grasp some concepts of mathematics and writing but by the end of the reception year, that he'd caught up with the rest of the class. He is now 13 and is well ahead of the majority in his year. I think ultimately it depends on the child and their abilities.

miss_independent

Sorry that post has just jogged my memory. My cousin was premature and born in August, he should have been born in October :eek: and started school normally but was taken out because he was very distressed. He went back the following year and still had problems because of his first experience so he was kept back another year. For most of primary he was two years behind and he got bullied. He eventually started high school a year late (instead of two), not knowing anyone in his year and is absolutely fine now!

nzmegs

My son was also just turned 4 when he went to school and he found it hard as he hadn't been to nursery school. If your child has had a year or two at nbursery then I expect he will find it much easier. Boy do tend to take longer to get on at school but catch up eventually.
It wasn't until my son reached year 4 that i felt he was matching his peers academically and by the end of year six he was one of the brightest kids in the class.
I think only you know if he is ready. But I would be inclined to give him a year of a formal playgroup or nursery if he hasn't been already. What does his nursery teacher think if he has one?

lisaloo1977

Wow thanks for the quick responses:T

I have spoke to the school and i am waiting on a call back, i am just in a bit of a panic as the more i read about it the more depressing it sounds.

I have read that girls do cope better and it is boys that struggle most.
He is at nursery at the moment for two days a week, he does enjoy it but getting him there is a nightmare. He is also very tired afterwards and this is only going two days a week. When he starts school his hours will increase to 5 days starting at 8-30am and finishing at 4-30pm, i am not sure he is ready for this.

I know i can hold him back a year, but would he then miss reception year and go straight into year 1 or would he be able to start next year in reception?

I so wish i had managed to hold onto him for another week and didnt have this to deal with.

Some of the reasons that i believe he is not ready are the fact he will not go to the toilet alone, someone has to go with him. He would rather have an accident than go alone. He still has his snug bear that goes everywhere with him and is in general just very young in his ways.

I want him to have the best chance in life and can't help feeling that an extra year to develop outside of the classroom will help him do that.

I wish that the school would phone back already!!!

peachyprice

My daughter's birthday is 31st July, when she first started school they did 3 intakes, September, Christams and Easter, being a summer baby she didn't start school until the Easter, missing two thirds of the school year that some of the other children had. When she started she was so far behind the other children, it took alot of hard work for her to catch up, she wasn't up to speed until the end of year 2. She also had problems fitting into groups of friends that were already well established.

Given the choice again, and seeing how detrimental it was to my DD I would never choose a school that has such late intakes and would definitley never deliberately delay starting school.

if you keep him back he will go straight into year 1.

HTH

robpw2

i went to school and i had only been 5 for about two weeks birhday is in august ... never dod me any harm