Youngest child in year woes

zoesmummy_2006

my son was 4 on the 27th august this year and started school fulltime on the 4th sept

hes always been a dinky boy and his school trousers are next age 3 lol, but seeing him in there with all his friends I have no doubt that him starting was the right thing. Hes settled in perfectly and is happy for me to leave him in a morning (hes my baby and im not happy leaving him lol).

The only thing hes had issues with is the being quiet in assembly-apparently hes been told off for chattering quite a few times and him and his friend seperated in the end lol

Janepig

zoesmummy_2006 wrote: »

The only thing hes had issues with is the being quiet in assembly-apparently hes been told off for chattering quite a few times and him and his friend seperated in the end lol

DS is in year 2 and has always had issues with assembly - he has been in trouble this week for misbehaving despite being told off three times.

Anyway, DD/DS's school has one entry per year, full time in the September after the child's 3rd birthday - so for instance my cousin's youngest will be 3 on the 24th of August next year and he will be in school full time the following month! However, it's a two form entry and children are separated September-March in the older class, April-August in the younger class, so August borns are never with children any more than five months older than them. DD's got an April birthday and so she's always been one of the older ones in her class. She's in year 5 now and there's still a noticeable difference between her classmates and the ones in the other class.

Jx

mustbemad

Janepig wrote: »

DS is in year 2 and has always had issues with assembly - he has been in trouble this week for misbehaving despite being told off three times.

Anyway, DD/DS's school has one entry per year, full time in the September after the child's 3rd birthday - so for instance my cousin's youngest will be 3 on the 24th of August next year and he will be in school full time the following month! However, it's a two form entry and children are separated September-March in the older class, April-August in the younger class, so August borns are never with children any more than five months older than them. DD's got an April birthday and so she's always been one of the older ones in her class. She's in year 5 now and there's still a noticeable difference between her classmates and the ones in the other class.

Jx

My kids school did this the year my other son started in reception, it was fine in reception but it was a nightmare in year 1 when they mixed the classes and the kids from the younger class were miles behind. I think they realised they had made a mistake as they only did it once!

Janepig

mustbemad wrote: »

My kids school did this the year my other son started in reception, it was fine in reception but it was a nightmare in year 1 when they mixed the classes and the kids from the younger class were miles behind. I think they realised they had made a mistake as they only did it once!

I know other schools locally that have done this and I don't see the point of starting with one system and then mixing them up again. Luckily DD/DS's school stick with the oldest/youngest way of doing things and it seems to work well. There was talk afew years ago of doing away with the full time for all system in nursery and you had to be Steven Hawking to understand how they were going to mix the full-time/part-time entries, but there was alot of opposition from parents and also the school weren't keen (it was driven by the LEA). I personally don't think it's fair on the younger kids to get less time in school than the older ones which might lead to the younger kids falling behind.

Jx

lindseylocket

Here in Scotland outr system is very different.Firstly the cut off is 4 by the end of February so all children starting school in August are at least 4 and a half.
There is also a very popular deferral system. Lots of ( though not all ) children born after Christmas wait until the next year. Generally the parents decide, though occasionally the school would suggest it.
My son and about 8 others in his class were deferred and it has turned out very well.

jellyhead

mustbemad wrote: »

Thanks for the responses everyone, it's interesting to see how other kids have got on in the same circumstances.

I think the thing that is upsetting me most is that he is being compared unfavourably to older children in his class and as he falls short, he is getting less and less inclined to try and keep up :sad:

I'm looking forward to the difference in ages becoming less apparent as he grows up, it seems ridiculous to me that they are singling him out as possibly having learning difficulties when he is at the same level as the autumn children in year 1 (he is in year 2) I wonder if moving to Scotland would be a bit extreme, I think the cut off is February lol!

MBM x

Is he being compared to other children during the lesson, or is it teacher comments to you in private?

Both of mine are summer birthdays and both boys appeared to have learning difficulties. The extra help given once they are 'on the list' or whatever they call it does wonders for them.

marisco_2

What adjustments would you like the school to make? Many late summer born children benefit from being in a class where children are almost a year older. Children learn so much from their peers.

balletshoes

this age and maturity thing doesn't necessarily only happen in reception year. My DD is an April birthday, and a couple of years ago her school mixed the year 5 and year 6s. She was a year 5, and certainly not an immature year 5, but she struggled at the start of the school year, because there was such a wide range of ability and maturity through the 2 years. She did settle in though, and I'm sure your Summer-born children will too .

I don't remember any of the just-4 year olds in my daughters class in reception being obviously more immature than the older ones, and with the exception of one girl now (who is still treated like a baby by her parents) they are all at the same stages as their school-year peers.

GobbledyGook

I wish the English system was the same as the Scottish one - if a child is classed by the parents as too immature and the school/nursery/bods agree then they defer and they start the following year with the new intake. It's the same if your child just misses the cut, if they can show the level of maturity needed then you can get them in with the year that 'should' be above them.

The delaying system of holding them until they are 5 and then sticking them into the class with the children who have been there for 3/4/6 months already just makes the gap even worse imo. If they are not old enough or mature enough to start with their class group they should start when the next lot start.

dingdongavoncalling

mustbemad wrote: »

I think the thing that is upsetting me most is that he is being compared unfavourably to older children in his class and as he falls short, he is getting less and less inclined to try and keep up :sad:

How is he aware that he is being compared unfavourably to peers? It is very strange that he is aware that he is 'falling short' at such a young age! The teacher should be praising all children for their efforts and achievements at their own individual level.

At the begining of the year the children are probably not yet working in ability groups, when this starts to happen the ''work'' will be differentiated to suit the differing ability needs. It's also worth noting that the lower ability group will not just have the younger children in, there will be older children that are in lower ability groups too. This is because children all develop at such different rates. The teacher should plan their learning so all children can achieve success. Being in a group with older children will bring your child on (similarly to those spending time with older siblings at home are often brought on by them). At the moment the gap will seem more apparent, as a whole year is 1/4 of your childs life, and development can happen at a fast rate at this young age. As they grow older the gap will become less, and as others have said they will catch up to their peers.

I would not worry about your child being at a different level to some of their peers, they will make their own development accross the year. I would be concerned, however, that your child is feeling as though he is 'falling short' from others.

Good luck!!