I totally agree with Lusi - starting reception ASAP seems like a brilliant idea and then you realise quite how restrictive it is in terms of when you can go on holiday (not to mention how much it costs) and so on. A good nursery will be providing much the same as a reception class - they work to the same curriculum - so your ds won't be missing out. I actually think my ds's reception class was less formal than his nursery.
Another point to bear in mind is the length of the school day. Even if your ds goes to nursery full time there'll be provision for naps and so on. Even though my ds was nearly 5 when he started school he was absolutely shattered at the end of the day and reverted to having an afternoon sleep when we got home - something he'd not done since he was a baby!
I you're concerned tha he's not being stretched academically (assuming you want him to be)have a word with the nursery teachers. You can also do a lot yourself at home, helping with reading and so on.

In Scandinavian countries kids don't start formal education until around age seven compared to the UK's four+. All pre-school learning is focussed on play, investigation, nature and developing a love of learning for its own sake. By age 11 most Scandinavian kids are outperforming their UK counterparts in academic studies, despite starting two years later, esp boys who in the UK we stick in school and at a desk WAY to early, when they really would have been much happier still charging around running their energy off, and invetsigating the world around them.

Statistically in education terms autumn born girls achieve best, and summer born boys achieve least well (yes, I know there are exceptions to the rule, genetics and environment plays a part too; we're talking in general statistical terms)

8/9 years ago I had to fight tooth and nail right up to David Blunket to get my 26/8 born DS3 DECELERATED a year because I didn't want him in school at barely 4. I managed it and he is just finishing primary this month. He will be lucky tyo achieve 4b's in his SAT's; he is an immature child, and only averagely bright, had he gone into the year he should have chronologically, I think the education system would have set him up to fail before he'd even got started; he wouldn't have managed to hold his own and wouldn't have fitted socially with his peers by junior stage.

Your autumn born DD will probably find school a breeze and love it. DONT rush her please, play is pre-schoolers work, learning to love learning for its own sake is a life long skill worth having.

my dd starts reception on her 5th birthday as she was born 7th September, have to say after her taster days there this week she is mroe than ready and told me the second day that she didnt need me to come into the classroom with her.

This time last year I was desperate for her to start reception in January (most of her friends from preschool went last sept/january) however I do think her being an older child in her year will be very advantagous for her (last year she would have been unsettled, nervous, worried etc and I cannot believe the difference in her especially the last few months)

Let her start when her peers do, as everyone says reception is an extension of preschool/nursery learning through play (although dd1 is desperate to learn to read but thats just her!!)

Whoa their Nelly!

It's just one persons opinion remember.

If she did go now, she may get totally lost and behind the other children in her class, be the baby of the group etc etc.

Plus there is no way on earth you could get her in, the law is the law.

Let her grow up and be ready for goodness sake and take that PUSHY MOTHER STICKER off, she will thank you for it!

My kids are very bright and I wished them into school early. Now I wish I'd had them one more year at home - childhood is too short, enjoy it while it's here.

I would suggest you enjoy all the time at home with your children before you lose them for 7 hours a day to compulsory schooling. (which is quite time consuming for parents!)

I didn't start school til after I was 5 and got a first class degree from Cambridge.

Starting school early doesn't advantage children at all.

Where we currently live, children start the Sept after they are 4. My oldest started just after her 4th birthday and has enjoyed it and has learned a lot. (They do quite a lot in reception including joined up writing and bar charts!) However, I still think that if she had gone later, she would just have learned it all quicker. Children learn despite school, nursery, poor teaching; they are programmed to learn!

The other thing to consider when starting them so young is their maturity as they go into secondary etc. My DS is an August birthday and started at 4. He coped fine. However he is now just finished Year 3 and the gap between him and his friends who are almost a year older than him is apparent academically. Emotionally and maturity wise he is fine but we are still planning on holding him back a year - we will move back to UK at the end of Year 5 and he will repeat Year 5 in his UK school.

DS has a friend in his class who is extremely bright and his parents pushed for him to start early - he is a September birthday so started Reception at still 3. Academically he is fine and he coped well in Reception and Year 2. However he is aware he is the youngest in the year and is a lot more immature than some of the ones who are a year older. I wouldn't want that for my child in secondary where there is so much pressure to fit in and follow the herd etc. I think it will be easier to be one of the oldest instead of the youngest.

OP, my child will start primary school at 6, as is the case in many countries. I don´t think it´s too late, she will continue to learn age-appropriate things at nursery. I know that when she does start school learning to read is normally a very fast process instead of the rather slower one for younger children.

There is NO advantage whatsoever is starting school at 3 or 4, why is it so important to you that she start school so young?!

Yes, bruffin, but so is nursery (play based and about learning social skills). As Katymac points out, the curriculum for Reception and nursery is identical by law.

And I think few people hold up the German system specifically as a model to follow. Home ed is illegal in Germany, for example. IIRC from talking to Scandinavian friends most Scandinavian countries manage to start "school" later and have a gradual transition via preschool provision.

I know where your coming from
both my Dcs are September babies. My DD in particular was really desperate to start school for a good 9 months before hand and could have coped well both socially and academically.She is 11 now and thoroughly enjoys school and more than ready for secondary.
I get a bit annoyed at mnetters always going on that we start our children too early but we have a much gentler and gradual approach to starting school. Whereas friends in Germany have a child who was a few days younger than DD started nearly 2 years later and it was a very bad shock for him because he had gone from playing all day to a very formal setting.
Reception here is play based and about learning social skills