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

go_cat

similar thread here from earlier in the year - this parent wasn't aware of intake dates

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3363794

onlyroz

RAS wrote: »

And none of my contempories started before age 5.

You still don't have to start until you're 5. You can apply for a place with the regular intake and then defer it for a term or two.

I was given this option, because my son's school has a crazy policy of doing half-days for the first term of reception class - so I was expected to pick him up at 1:30 PM. I was told, if I was unhappy about this, that I could keep him in nursery and defer his place until January.

FBaby

M_A_R_I_E wrote: »

Totally agree with Rachbc - So why will there be places in Jan then?? Extra places are not made for an extra intake. The maximum amount of ks1 children in a class is 30. (Other than exceptional circumstances).

Most schools do not offer a Jan intake - you will only get your child in to a school (good or not) if there are any spaces.

I know the whole of our (big) town is FULL for Rec places this year - we've had a massive cohort.

That would also be my greatest concern. In my town and the one next to it, not putting your child in reception in September would automatically mean a place in the least performing school which for me would have been the opposite side of town.

pigpen

It baffles me how parents cannot know this.. not only are there posters everywhere.. including shop windows here! The HV tells you and you get a leaflet through with the info and protocol. It is in ALL the health centres, childrens centres, a lot of churches and playgroups have the info.. unless you do not go out for 5 years from hatching a baby there is no excuse not to know. I know people who cant read and they knew! If it was normal to not know even if it is your first there would be heck of a lot of school age children not in school..

I have the babys name down for nursery and school already and she is 13 months old! It isnt that I want rid it is that I know if I dont she wont get a place. I had DS3s name down for nursery when he was 6 weeks old.. not bad when he was 9 weeks prem lol... they needed names on a list so they didnt close the nursery.

My sisters birthday is 21st Auust an my mother kept her out of school and at nursery until the Easter before her birthday.. by this time ALL the other children had formed close friendship bonds so there was noone for my sister to be friends with.. this continued right throughout primary school and affected her ability to make friends once she got to high school. They were all streaks ahead of her in terms of reading and writing and maturity.. which was partly down to my mother babying her (she is 24 and still does!) but also due to her not developing those skills with the rest of the peer group. To make matters worse it then made sis the new girl so she was talked about, she was aso very unsettled and disrupted the class which will have had some impact on their learning too.

so while LEGALLY they dont have to be in school sometimes it is just not in their best interests to keep them home and it is the parents coddling their children because they dont want them to grow up.. but there are long term effects.

I was so difficult at nursery (I had issues and refused to join in their babyish activities lol) I was sent to school a week after my 4th birthday.... I loved it and fared so much better there.

shellsuit

pigpen wrote: »

It baffles me how parents cannot know this.. not only are there posters everywhere.. including shop windows here! The HV tells you and you get a leaflet through with the info and protocol. It is in ALL the health centres, childrens centres, a lot of churches and playgroups have the info.. unless you do not go out for 5 years from hatching a baby there is no excuse not to know. I know people who cant read and they knew! If it was normal to not know even if it is your first there would be heck of a lot of school age children not in school..

.

When my eldest 2 (15 and 13) were younger, I only knew as they went to nursery which was attatched to the infant and junior school, so we got the paperwork from the nursery.

If they didn't go to nursery, then I might not have known as no health visitor told me and I didn't see notices in any playgroup about school.

The little one is 2 and a half and is due to start the same nursery next September. I've had his name down since he was 1 as I really wanted him to get a place there.

QueenieB

Where I live there is no advertising of dates or procedures for starting school. I would never let a health visitor darken my door and there are no posters etc at the local surgery. So I can understand how in some areas parents might not know, and some things do have a way of creeping up on you while you're busy just getting on with the every day stuff.
My first child was five and a half when he started school, because he just wasn't ready before then. It was the right thing for him, and he is happy and doing well. My second son was four and a half, and he needed to start school then. That worked out fine for him too. It's just a case of trusting your own judgement and making the decision which seems to work best for your child.

sunshinetours

onlyroz wrote: »

You still don't have to start until you're 5. You can apply for a place with the regular intake and then defer it for a term or two.

I was given this option, because my son's school has a crazy policy of doing half-days for the first term of reception class - so I was expected to pick him up at 1:30 PM. I was told, if I was unhappy about this, that I could keep him in nursery and defer his place until January.

A policy I think benefits the children but especially younger age ones in reception year, but inconveniences working parents I guess

Not sure something in the best interest of children can ever be "crazy" though

flutterby_lil

Pigpen, it baffles me too how parents cannot know.

My son is 4 next July, and only today have I rung schools to look around in order to get the form filled in and get the application off. The closing date is 15th July.

I don't have any older children but am aware that I had to look around for information on what to do to get my child in school. We don't get info through our door, nor do we have a HV telling us, I have not visited my doctors so have not seen a poster. I have found the info out myself. Some parents want spoon feeding and if something isn't done for them they blame somebody for not sending the form/telling them/doing it for them.

sassyblue

puppypants wrote: »

I was born at 11pm on the 31st of August. I was definitely the youngest when I started school:o!!

Same as my son. He's just started his second year at school (though l believe it's called Year 1 these days).

OP l wouldn't put it off much after Jan 2012, l knew l could have kept my son back but to be honest l wouldn't want him joining in later and being the 'new boy' - some kids cope better with things like that but my son is quite shy and l wanted him to go in at the same time as everyone else, but l can see why you're doing it this way with the potential move.

But it's down to the individual child, mine is bright so l knew he was ready but getting his report l was a tad annoyed. It said he'd acheived everything asked of him but could do better with his writing and at 'his age' he should be able to write numbers from 1-20. I ignored that, but for a few hours he'd have been starting reception this week and if he was able to do that starting reception they'd think he was a genius!

onlyroz

sunshinetours wrote: »

A policy I think benefits the children but especially younger age ones in reception year, but inconveniences working parents I guess

How does it benefit the children? I never understood this thing about "ooh my little darling just isn't ready for school". Kids are capable of forming friendships from around age 3 I think, and they're certainly capable of interacting with children in a positive way from much younger than that.

When a parent bleats on about their little darling not being ready, I think they really mean they THEY'RE not ready to stop being the centre of their child's life.