Starting school earlier?

Air_Cooled_75

I'm in England, my boy was born at the end of June 2010 so started foundation stage 2 at primary school this September. He was more than ready. He is already reading but his writing is a little dodgy. He loves school but it does wear him out. Horses for courses as some of the already 5 year olds don't seem to be enjoying it so much. Every child is different. His cousin who was born in September the same year is no where near ready for school.

georgie262

My son will start school next September (he will be 4 on the 28th August) to be honest I can't even imagine it - he is still very much a baby in so many ways. I'm really working on his concentration skills ATM as they are quite poor. My friends Daughter was born in the March of the same year so is 5 months older and is strides ahead in writing letters and concentration and just seems so much 'older' than he is. Dreading him starting school!

Evil_Olive

Only anecdotal evidence I know, but in support of the 'later is better' theory, I was born in early October, my two younger sisters in June and July. I was therefore one of the oldest in my class when I started school, and they the youngest. My mum said my sisters experienced more difficulties in their first two years at school than I did and took to the academic work less readily. She wished they could have started later like I did. I also left school with around twice as many 'O' levels as either of my sisters - so it seems that later was better in our case

jaylee3

That is most tricky, having a 3rd of September birth!

It doesn't always follow though that a child born at the back end of the academic year will be more academically behind. I know many people who were born in May to August who were in top class, and are now at uni, or are in very successful careers. And some born Sept-December who are not academic or talented and gifted at all, and have never done anything more than unskilled labour as a job.

I think if a child is not academic, then they are not academic. And if they are academic, then they are academic. It has little to do with the time of year they were born.

alb1

I seem to feel quite differently to most about it (although I admit I'm not a parent). I do however have a September birthday.

My very first day at school was my 5th birthday and I absolutely hated it. I was very advanced as a young child and have previously been at a pre-school a few afternoons a week which allowed me to learn things at my own pace. I then ended up in a class of 30ish with a teacher who was trying to balance working out what we were all capable of with keeping us under control as we were getting used to the school environment. She used set ways of assessing us and didn't know what to do with a child who aced all of her assessments straight off. We were expected to spend weeks learning our first 50 words, with a view to recognising them by the end of the first term, then progressing through books of different levels. I however, knew them all before starting and had in fact read my first (small) novel by the end of my first term. I am quite ashamed to admit that my behaviour probably wasn't great for the first year at school, but the teacher just wouldn't listen to me, nor my parents.

In some ways I feel like I'd have been better off starting at least a year earlier, when I was actually working at that level. In other ways I feel like I'd have been better off starting late and skipping the initial stage because my experience really put me off school and it became a battle of wills just for my mum to get me out the door every morning. Of course I went, but my memories of my early school years are nothing but traumatic.

I now have a degree, postgrad qualifications and a professional job, but I don't think the age at which I started school has any bearing on that whatsoever. It's all about when the child is ready to start schooling at that particular age.

bylromarha

georgie262 wrote: »

My son will start school next September (he will be 4 on the 28th August) to be honest I can't even imagine it - he is still very much a baby in so many ways. I'm really working on his concentration skills ATM as they are quite poor. My friends Daughter was born in the March of the same year so is 5 months older and is strides ahead in writing letters and concentration and just seems so much 'older' than he is. Dreading him starting school!

Every child is unique, so don't get into the comparison game as it doesn't do anyone any good.

FWIW, my son was 4 on 10th August, and he's always been top of the class by a mile for his reading and maths. Less so for writing

The home environment is the underpinning thing here - a supportive nurturing home where you read with your child daily and play and speak with them and engage them is more of a player in their life chances than the month of the year they were born in.