School starting age, please advise

shirlgirl2004

I think the OP has made a wise decision. The average reception class will involve teaching phonics and as the OPs child can already read she probably would be board stiff anyway. My DD was 4 and 1 week when she started school. She spent the first year moaning she was bored, waiting for all the others to catch up (they never did). Now we home educate and she gets to do everything at her pace.

OP you are making the right decision. She can go to nursery to socialise and with supportive parenting will learn (if she doesn't already know) all about money, times tables, subtraction etc. In fact everything my DD who was due to start school September 2011 already knows. At least by September 2012 the OPs DD will have had an extra year of fun and the other children in reception will have learnt the social skills they may not have picked up at home.;)

Nara

My DD is in her last week at school, in Reception. She was 5 in March so I guess a middle of the year child. She was totally ready to go to school the september after she turned 4 and would have been very upset to have been left behind at Playschool with the younger children while all her friends went to school.

We live in a small village and most of the children go to the local school, which only has 1 class in each year and approx 26ish children in that class.
She has learnt alot in her year there and I am very proud of her, she is currently an only child and needed the social interaction with her peers as she struggled with that although her interaction with adults is very good.
She has learnt to read and write much better, can count to 100 and then backwards again and seems to have an interest in numbers.
Quite frankly I'm amazed at how well she has flourished and theres no way I could of taught her all this at home. I wouldn't have the patience :rotfl: and i admit that.
It's up to you what you do for your own child, but I was not aware you could defer them until Year 1, I know of no other parent that has done this so you may be forced to send her to that 'awful' school if you don't move before then.

The school may be full of council 'scum' as you so nicely put it, but it doesn't mean that all the children are awful or that the school is awful. We have a fair number of travelers that live in the area and I know 2 of their children are in my DD class, thats not to say they are 'scummy' children or anything, I think its good to have a mix of kids as they learn about differences in each other. I wouldn't think of pulling her out of the school because of this and it didn't stop me sending her to the school even tho the fact was noted in the ofstead report due to a slightly higher then normal absence report put down to the travelers.

And even though i recieved a letter telling to choose a school i was well aware of it before time, with kids you always have to think ahead so don't forget they go to secondary school after primary school, bet i will have to start thinking about that in a few years too!

Soniclord

iamana1ias wrote: »

Did you go to a "good school" OP?

Only they seem to have forgotten to teach you the correct use of 'there', 'their' and 'they're', 'your' and 'you're'.

Then do enlighten me. Seriously.

blue_monkey wrote: »

Obviously not as high up to social ladder as he likes to think he is. Pity that poor child of his. Good at reading and writing she might be but told who she can and cannot be friends with for her entire life - she is going to be screwed psychologically!!

Actually I didn't say I was 'high up' the social ladder. And it's a known fact that the school and the families/children who live/go to the school near where I currently live are the type NOBODY would want to be near! YOU have no idea... And the school itself HAS got a very poor reputation, you only have to mention it's name or location and people make negative comments about it. Hence why my child will NOT be going there, despite what you say!

And as for my child being told who she can and cannot be friends with is a major exaggeration on your part, as I already explained above the school wrapped around that housing estate is a known BAD school in a BAD area...

balletshoes wrote: »

Just because they are housing estate kids, doesn't automatically make them scumbags.

Oh I agree with you! It's just that I KNOW the kids and families on/around that housing estate are the scum of the earth and that's the reason I won't be sending my child to that school. I want to make it clear I know not all housing estate kids are scumbags, but as everyone well knows, some housing estates are much much worse than others! Which in turn means that unfortunately their kids also suffer by acting just like their parents! And it's those kids I don't want around my child.

plumpmouse wrote: »

I always thought and I may be incorrect that children had to start school at some point in the reception year. So from what I thought (and again it could be wrong) your child would need to start school following the Easter holidays 2012 at the latest.

Again and judging by some comments on this thread this could be incorrect.

I would ring the LEA to get clear advice on when she would have to start rather than asking on here as more often than not you receive an overwhelming amount of differing opinions many of which (like mine possibly) will be incorrect/outdated.

I rang them today and they said I can defer for a year and that I would just need to ring them in June of next year to make sure the school of my choice does still have a Year 1 place to start in September 2012. So it really is a year out, not starting the following Easter holidays, this was verified today by my local authority.

blue_monkey wrote: »

Ah, but the question is. Are there any council house chav types there. It'll not do you know!! Mixing ith the 'poor' that live on housing estates.

Stop being over dramatic!

blue_monkey wrote: »

They have been excellent at helping with my sons disabilities - something else that would probably horrify the OP, disabled kids in with the 'normal ones.

Again with the stupidity.. I wouldn't have any problem at all with disabled kids being in with the normal ones!

snugglepet20 wrote: »

It also should be noted that keeping a child back does not necessarily mean she will go into year one

Actually from what my LA said today that's exactly what happens, they do go straight into Year 1

shirlgirl2004 wrote: »

I think the OP has made a wise decision. The average reception class will involve teaching phonics and as the OPs child can already read she probably would be board stiff anyway. My DD was 4 and 1 week when she started school. She spent the first year moaning she was bored, waiting for all the others to catch up (they never did). Now we home educate and she gets to do everything at her pace.

OP you are making the right decision. She can go to nursery to socialise and with supportive parenting will learn (if she doesn't already know) all about money, times tables, subtraction etc. In fact everything my DD who was due to start school September 2011 already knows. At least by September 2012 the OPs DD will have had an extra year of fun and the other children in reception will have learnt the social skills they may not have picked up at home.;)

Thank you for your post, I'm glad someone else agrees with me. After all at the end of the day I'm doing nothing wrong and am legally entitled to defer my child going to school until she's 5. Something most people fail to realise is that I'm not breaking any laws!

And the reasons she is being deferred are simple, we would have to get up at 6.30am where we live now and get her to school for 8.30am now combine that with getting our 2 year old up and ready at that time as well and having to take her with us on the bus at that time just makes no sense at all! Not to mention 1 or the other will be at work at that time anyway so would have no option but to take them both to drop the elder one at school. It's frankly not feasible right now! And chances are she could quite possibly risk missing days at school and we all know they can't miss days without good reason!

And we are moving yes within the next 2-3 months hopefully, but we are still deferring the place so my eldest daughter can stay at her nursery where she does learn a lot as well as playing! Then when we do move we can all get settled again in the village we are moving to, and everything goes as smoothly as possible for all involved.

Sorry if some people don't like it but it's tough, this is our lives and our child, NOT yours.

Nara wrote: »

It's up to you what you do for your own child, but I was not aware you could defer them until Year 1, I know of no other parent that has done this so you may be forced to send her to that 'awful' school if you don't move before then.

You can defer till Year 1 (verified by my LA) and we will move before then so she will NOT be going to that 'awful' school.

Nara wrote: »

The school may be full of council 'scum' as you so nicely put it, but it doesn't mean that all the children are awful or that the school is awful.

I realise that but as I've already said the housing estate/school BOTH have a bad reputation and my child will not be going there. PERIOD..

Spendless

blue_monkey wrote: »

Ah, but the question is. Are there any council house chav types there. It'll not do you know!! Mixing ith the 'poor' that live on housing estates.

I think I'd still choose a small school over a big school. We go to a church school and it is a very nurturing school, they have been excellent at helping with my sons disabilities - something else that would probably horrify the OP, disabled kids in with the 'normal ones.

My friend works in a school on the posh side of town and it has more than it's fair share of 'council estate' kids, the types that the OP is adamant his child will not mix with.

I had a place at my nearest church school, but turned it down in favour of my nearer non-faith school, for many reasons (1 being the school hadn't stuck to it's own criteria re admissions, and a school that can't comply with it's own rules didn't appeal in the slightest) which included that it was a 1 class, 1 year school against the bigger one. My son's is a large year (millennium babies!) and I felt it was more beneficial to him to have got used to chopping and changing kids each year, rather than have the same 29ish children from Reception to yr 6 (I had no intention of ever moving from the area). He goes to secondary in Sept and there will be around 230 in his year. Out of 7 kids going from his school into his form (and all but 1 from his school are going to the local secondary - the sole 1 didn't get in due to distance lived from school) 5 are girls, only him and another boy are going in that class. I'm concerned but at least I know, being seperated from friends in a new school year isn't something he hasn't gone thru before.

There's also other things that come in, the smaller school has barely any childcare providers picking up, dropping off from it, as there isn't as much business, as there is with a bigger school. Whereas, my kids school has wrap around care and plenty of childminders. The school is seperated into Infants and Juniors though (as in 2 schools) so the overall number of each school is around 260. As I knew I would want to return to work whilst my kids were still in Primary school, this was something I took into account.

Re; the OP - It doesn't make much sense for him to start his DD in reception of an area he is moving out, as he'd move her from nursery to reception where he currently lives, followed by reception where he wants to move back to. It makes more sense to leave her, as he is doing. On a practical sense it would be difficult for him to start his dd at his preferred school straight away. Buses here do not run the way that they do in some areas I've worked in, where they start at the north of the town say, go into the town/city centre and back out to the south. Here, buses start at the north go into the centre and stop! If you then want to go south you have to help on another bus. As he doesn't drive, logistically he would have a problem.

msb5262

Soniclord wrote: »

It's just that I KNOW the kids and families on/around that housing estate are the scum of the earth and that's the reason I won't be sending my child to that school. I want to make it clear I know not all housing estate kids are scumbags, but as everyone well knows, some housing estates are much much worse than others! Which in turn means that unfortunately their kids also suffer by acting just like their parents! And it's those kids I don't want around my child.

I find this incredibly offensive and deeply unpleasant on many levels.

I would be very unhappy if my children were in the same class or even school as your child, as I'm afraid your small-mindedness and snobbery is likely to rub off on your offspring and I don't want kids like that around my children.

Also as a teacher myself, I'm fascinated to see that your main priorities for your child's education appear to be
a) your own convenience regarding getting up in the morning
and b) getting into a "good" school i.e. not one serving a rough housing estate.

I teach in a school which serves a rough housing estate. My children attended the primary school in the village where we live and I consider them to have received an inferior education to that provided by my current school. Given the choice, I would send them here every time.

MsB

Soniclord

msb5262 wrote: »

Also as a teacher myself, I'm fascinated to see that your main priorities for your child's education appear to be
a) your own convenience regarding getting up in the morning
and b) getting into a "good" school i.e. not one serving a rough housing estate.

Whilst I appreciate your input, I feel I need to tell you straight.

You seriously think my main priorities are

A) My own convenience
Getting my daughter into a good school

Well here's the truth, the convenience isn't just aimed at myself but obviously more my family! Does it really make sense to drag my 2 daughters out of bed at 6.30am Mon-Fri and take them into town on the bus then onto another bus to the 'good' school!

Of course it doesn't! Considering either myself or my partner will be at work at that time!

So the bottom line is of course it's about convenience but also (and most importantly) the fact I'm wanting to get my daughter into a good school! And why shouldn't I?

All this combined with the fact we will be moving sometime within the next 3-4 months if all goes well and as has been pointed out, it makes no sense to start my child in 1 school (for a month or 2) just for her to be taken out when we move! It makes much more sense AND adds more structure to keep her at the nursery she's currently in until we get settled back into the village we are moving back to.

If you don't like it then that's not my problem because that's how it is and that's my decision.

plumpmouse

Soniclord wrote: »

All this combined with the fact we will be moving sometime within the next 3-4 months if all goes well and as has been pointed out, it makes no sense to start my child in 1 school (for a month or 2) just for her to be taken out when we move! It makes much more sense AND adds more structure to keep her at the nursery she's currently in until we get settled back into the village we are moving back to.

If you don't like it then that's not my problem because that's how it is and that's my decision.

Just out of interest if you are moving in the next 3-4 months why don't you start her after christmas?

Crowdpleaser

Why is the OP asking for advice if they have firmly stated that they have no interest in what others are advising and suggesting. Such posters on here baffle me

blue_monkey_2

Soniclord wrote: »

Whilst I appreciate your input, I feel I need to tell you straight.

You seriously think my main priorities are

A) My own convenience
Getting my daughter into a good school

Well here's the truth, the convenience isn't just aimed at myself but obviously more my family! Does it really make sense to drag my 2 daughters out of bed at 6.30am Mon-Fri and take them into town on the bus then onto another bus to the 'good' school!

Of course it doesn't! Considering either myself or my partner will be at work at that time!

So the bottom line is of course it's about convenience but also (and most importantly) the fact I'm wanting to get my daughter into a good school! And why shouldn't I?

All this combined with the fact we will be moving sometime within the next 3-4 months if all goes well and as has been pointed out, it makes no sense to start my child in 1 school (for a month or 2) just for her to be taken out when we move! It makes much more sense AND adds more structure to keep her at the nursery she's currently in until we get settled back into the village we are moving back to.

If you don't like it then that's not my problem because that's how it is and that's my decision.

So now we find out, the REAL reason for not sending her is you do not want the inconvenience of taking her. OMG. how incredibly selfish.

You know what, that is what having a family is all about. Sometimes things happen that are an inconvenience.

I think you should note that they have told you to call in JUNE. Places for schools are allocated between February and April. This means you child is NOT being offered a space, she will be given a space IF there is room. IF.

What are you going to do if you cannot get your child into the school you want her to go to? Have you given this any thought whatsoever? You seen intent on moving on the assumption you will be given a place, however, this might not be the case.

I actually had to go back and read again 'you are waiting to get your daughter into a good school' - you are missing the point that she might not actually get in. You could get her in now and guarantee her a place but your convenience is more important. Wow, I think I might be speechless.

And actually, I read again. You may be moving in 3-4 months, so it would be 3-4 months of 'inconvenience' And 6 weeks of that is school holiday. So it would be 6-10 weeks of inconvenience. Am I missing something? If you move in October, surely you will have to go back and forth on the bus to Nursery until next July anyway? So you would be better off in having 6 weeks of inconvenience and not 8 months - maybe longer if you cannot get her into that school. And heaven forbid if you move and find there is no room for her and then she gets allocated the scummy school instead. Which would be ironic really, wouldn't it?

I don't think you have given this much thought to be honest?

picnmix

Is 6.30am not a normal time on a school day to drag kids out of bed for many parents? In fact on many days in our house 6.30am would be a lie in!:rotfl: