need some advice please: son turns 5 in feb 2012 should he be in school now?

Curlywurli

I always teach left and right by getting people to put their hands up, palms facing away from them. The hand that makes a capital L is your left hand. (Slightly off topic I know :cool: )

Buttonmoons

Curlywurli wrote: »

I always teach left and right by getting people to put their hands up, palms facing away from them. The hand that makes a capital L is your left hand. (Slightly off topic I know :cool: )

Thats a handy tip, I'd feel a bit mad standing doing that in the street when someone asked me directions, I'd rather do as another poster said and mentally write on some paper :rotfl:

Torry_Quine

I was always taught you write with your right and the one that's left is your left. Doesn't work with my OH though as he's left-handed.

Sammy85_2

Curlywurli wrote: »

I always teach left and right by getting people to put their hands up, palms facing away from them. The hand that makes a capital L is your left hand. (Slightly off topic I know :cool: )

How about for opening and closing things with a screw thread...

Lefty loosey, righty tighty...

I guess you would have to know your left and right first though.

tarajayne

bigmomma051204 wrote: »

(oh and for the record, most teachers will agree with me that they would rather a 4 year old starting school could get themselves dressed and go to the toilet unaided rather that count to 20 and write an essay! )

Fact, every year you get one or two that start that are amazingly ahead of the others. Little 'G' in my sons class was reading age 7 books when he started at 4 but he had no friends, couldn't relate to any of the children in his class. Didn't 'play' and still to this day sits in the playground at break time. Extremely sad. They've missed out on learning to play mums and dads, oh and blow raspberries on their arms, a very important academic skill. :rotfl:

balancelife

Im baffled too that people dont just know. honestly hadnt realised that people didnt know how to work it out. Once I found out I was pregnant with my daughter who was due in August 06 I wondered what year group that put her in. It was weird being pregnant and our next door neighbour having an almost 1 year old that would be in her year!
as for finding out the information I took that to be my responsibility of choosing a school, checking admission criteria and timescales and getting the relevant forms in advance. same with nursery. I dont remember anyone specifically hand holding and helping me step by step, rather a case of initative and being keen to send her to my first choice.
she went full time last sept at 4years2weeks. I was suprised she wasnt too tired and she coped well and had fun which was good. shes just started in year 1 now

I was interested in the deffering issue talked about in the last thread, I never really looked at it as an option, I just thought she would have to miss early year (reception) if I waited til she was 5, then I read here she may have been able to drop back a year. she would be more confident going into early years now, but then shes done fine - sometimes its a case of bite the bullet.
Home schooling is obviously an option for them too, not something I looked into either. I lved hjaving her home over the summer and was sad when she went back in a way but Im not the most ahem, patient, teacher so she's def best off with her peers and teachers! but hats off to those that do it and do it well. I dont like homeschooling being used by people who just cant be bothered to send them to school and see it as an easy option. bit of a bug bearer of mine!

the system of having all children turning 5 in that academic year starting in the Sept does make sense to start the year smoothly and have kids make friends, integrate into the school and learn at the same pace I think.

I really think the OP should have known since she has older children, and dont really see an excuse for it. a case of convienient burying the head in the sand rather than genuine unawareness perhaps? was it that you would rather not be sending him to a school until you move, which I understand and hope it works out to get in a school of your choice when you do. Id contact the schools in that area and see if they will take him or not nad go from there.

thatgirlsam

tarajayne wrote: »

Fact, every year you get one or two that start that are amazingly ahead of the others. Little 'G' in my sons class was reading age 7 books when he started at 4 but he had no friends, couldn't relate to any of the children in his class. Didn't 'play' and still to this day sits in the playground at break time. Extremely sad. They've missed out on learning to play mums and dads, oh and blow raspberries on their arms, a very important academic skill. :rotfl:

Sorry thats another generalisation to the other extent

My dd could probably have read books aimed at 7 year olds when she was 4 but she was and still is a very sociable child with lots of mates

She just had the ability from a young age, it doesn't mean she was wierd or that I didn't play with her or blow raspberries etc!

Janepig

Oh flog me now!! My two started full time at 3 - DD was 3 and 5 months, DS 3 and 9 months. Their school only has one intake to the nursery class, that's in September and it's full time. There was talk, just before DS was due to start, that the LEA wanted to start fannying about with a full-time/part-time mix but the parents were up in arms. Bog all to do with working parents (not many parents I know are fortunate enough to work school hours) but I don't agree with the older children getting a full-time education from day one, with the younger ones being part-time for nearly the whole year. They're all going to be in the same school year right the way through, so they should get the same education.

I also think the whole thing about us starting school much earlier than Europe is a bit of a red-herring as it makes you think that they don't darken a school doorstep until at least the age of 7, which is nonsense. They all go to pre-schools and kindergartens from a very young age, and are learning from a very young age.

Jx

tarajayne

thatgirlsam wrote: »

Sorry thats another generalisation to the other extent

My dd could probably have read books aimed at 7 year olds when she was 4 but she was and still is a very sociable child with lots of mates

She just had the ability from a young age, it doesn't mean she was wierd or that I didn't play with her or blow raspberries etc!

Sorry, was really referring to the little boy I had seen in my sons class as I was working in the school at the time, should have made that clearer. From his point of view his Mum spent so much time with him teaching him stuff he'd sort of missed the kid stuff. Was weird having a conversation with him, like talking to another adult.

shirlgirl2004

balletshoes wrote: »

you won't get into trouble, don't worry - you don't have to send him to school until the term in which he becomes 5 years old .

I think you mean education isn't compulsory until the term after a child has turned 5. I'd hate to think people might be led to believe they have to send their children to school.