School starting ages....can you clear up confusion?

[MrsHarry]

The compulsory age for starting school is the term after a child turns 5.

Am I right in thinking that a child wouldn't start Year 1 until the September after they turn 5, so if they turned 5 earlier in the year (say, February for example) they would then have to start Reception at the beginning of the Summer term(April). Or if their birhtday was October, start Reception in the following January?

I realise that many children start Reception earlier than this, before it is compulsory.

Also, what are the new entry times (I believe it's gone down to only two term entries, instead of three....is that right?)

V. confused....can anyone help??

[KEAWYED]

At DS1s school they have one intake in reception class.

DS1 was 4 in the August and he started school 3 weeks later whereas his friend was very nearly 5.

The nursery at the school does as you are describing as DS2 will be 3 in Feb and will start nursery at Easter be the for a year and a term then start school the following SEpt.

Legally you can keep them back until they are 5 but at DS school they have to start in Sept.

[pooka]

OUr LEA has 2 entries - September for children born between September 1st and last day of Feb and January start for children born between 1st March and 31st August.

These children go into Reception Class. If you defer to the term after the child is 5 and the child was born in say July, then they would start in the September, but not in Reception - would have to go straight into Yr 1 aged 5 and 2 months, with their peer group. If the child was born in September, then they would have to start the following January in Reception, aged 5 and 4 months ish.

Deferring by a year would not, here at least (though is diff in Scotland) enable you to send the child to school into reception, but would mean in many cases your child starting school in year one, missing the reception year.

Is a shame because I would love to have deferred dd starting (July birthday). Thankfully ds1 and ds2 both born in early September.

[meemar]

You are right, a child would not be in year 1 until after they are 5.

Reception entry depends on how many intakes the school has and their cut off points for ages for each intake. I don't think many have a summer intake just September and January.

In our school children born Sept-Feburary start reception in the Autumn term before they turn 5.

Those born March to August start in January.

[Clary]

Mrs Harry you are right in that only a summer born child can delay school entry (assuming not HE-ing) until Sept ie yr 1.

Most authorities tho just have one entry now ie in Sept. Some have 2, Sept and Jan, I don't know of any with 3.

With us, the vaaaaast majority of children start in reception the Sept after they turn 4, so some are well, 5 already (if born v early Sept) and others are just 4 (if born late Aug). Hardly any join the year later. They are virtually all fine (if not it is usually due to some developmental delay or other SN which IMO would not be helped by starting a term or two later in any case).

HTH

[KEAWYED]

I always panicked because my DS1 is Aug 13th but I'm glad I didnt keep him back as I think he would be bored if he was in a lower year.

He is always playing catchup but he's doing really well.

[MattSmithIsNotMyLoveSlave]

There's legal requirements and there's LEA/school policies, which are very different things.

A child with a February birthday wouldn't legally have to start school until the start of the term after his/her fifth birthday, which would be the summer term. Then they'd do one term in Reception and start Year 1 in September.

However, very few LEAs/schools offer this as an actual option any more. Some do September intakes and January intakes but most have moved to a single intake in September model. So if you want a Reception place for your child at all he/she needs to start in September, even though legally he/she doesn't have to start until April.

This means that in most areas the school starting date is the September of the academic year in which the child turns five, even if he/she is only four years and one week.

[Builde]

MattSmith...is quite right.

Just to add, that - if you don't take up the reception place you might a) struggle to be accepted into the school when you do turn 5.

Plus, going into year 1 having not done the reception year could be a bit of a shock.

With our summer born we considered not doing the reception year but actually it was a great success.

[MrsHarry]

Thanks for the feedback.

Find it really frustrating that, as MattSmith puts it, 'There's legal requirements and there's LEA/school policies, which are very different things'.

They'd be quick enough to act if we didn't send our children to school, but don't really allow for us to choose whether or not we want to send them to school before the compulsory age. What's the point of a compulsory age if they almost force kids into school before that time??

Seems to me that going into Reception at 4 seems to have become such the norm that many parents don't even question it....I have many friends that assume because their child has been offered a place it means they are meant to go.

Perhaps if enough parents resisted the age 4 start LEAs would have to be more flexible about letting kids go later.

I mean no offence to anyone who has happily chosen for their children to start reception early.....just wish there could be more options for those who don't want it.

[KEAWYED]

I really wouldn't have wanted my DS1 to go straight onto year 1 without going to reception.

He is already a year behind in age as some of the children in his class so if I left him out of reception that would effectively put him 2 years behind.

[NoahAndTheWhale]

At DS and DD's school there is a school policy different from the lea one.

Children can start the term after they are 4 in a mixed nursery/reception class. They then do two terms just mornings before doing either one, two or three terms full time depending on when their birthday is.

There are also children who don't start at the school until the term they would start full time, so in the term they turn 5.

DS and DD are both Autumn born so DS had (and DD will have) 5 terms in this class. It does stop just 4 year olds having to be there all day but if you did havd a summer born child who was able/happy/ready to be full time earlier, there isn't the scope for that.

[ShoshanaBlue]

In our area you start Nursery the September after 3rd birthday and then go up into Reception the September after 4th birthday.

Technically, my child isn't in compulsory education until year 1, but I've never heard of anyone starting then and you don't have to reapply for a school place in year 1, just need to reapply for reception.

[Clary]

Mrs Harry I hear ya, but it might help you (and anyone else concerned about this) to think of it as Foudnation Stage 1 and 2, ie nursery and reception. The one really is (should be) a continuation of the other, so if your child does nursery then reception or FS2 won't be such a big change really.

It's about preparing them for Yr 1 and "real" school imo. I am working in an FS2 class atm and honestly (honestly) it's pretty low key if the children want.

A typical day might be carpet time and chat about phonics (10-15mins), maybe a chance to read to TA, free play with colouring/play dough/dress-up/Leog/train track, maybe 10 mins working with TA or teacher on a little bit of writing or sorting shapes or counting money. The rest of the time is changing for PE, getting coats (etc) on to go out, palying outside, negotiating loo, lunch, etc, socialising (ahem) with friends ("Mrs Clary, Amelia said something mean!"), and the occasional assembly.

It really really is very like nursery and very much not any more reading and writing than the children like. Of course some like it more than others - in which case we try to make them catch a ball or play in th erole-play now and then!

[MumNWLondon]

my DS has a birthday in may and he started nursery (at the school he will go to) in the sept after his 3rd birthday (full school day with option to pick up early) he will start reception in sept, so he'll be 4 years and 4 months. can't see why i would possibly want to take him out of the school until he was 5 and have never heard of anyone doing this. although they learn letters etc in reception there is lots of playing more like nursery than school, DD got a big shock in year 1.