Mumsnet Talk

Hello, my daughter has a September birthday is 3 and started pre-school last week. I know she is bright, she has an extensive vocabulary.
My eldest son, Year 4 who has a May birthday is also very bright and is academically 2 years ahead.
My second son, Year 1 is also doing exceptionally well, he looks promising.
Now to daughter, she'll be eligable for nursery this September and not Reception till next year, she would absolutely embrace a school environment and learning, she is so confident, she had no issues walking into pre school the first time last week.
Is there anyway I could get her into reception this year?

I meant any way, didn't check my post.

If she is bright then she will enjoy pre school and learn through play.

My daughter is 2 years and 8 months, she is very advanced, but I would not want her to start school early. She gets tired quickly. Being at nursery has not held her back. Her pen control is excellent and she has lots of vocab.

Our local state primary has a nursery class in a foundation stage unit. It is a fairly big primary school with 60 in reception age children and 60 nursery children. All the children learn through play and do activites appriopiate to their development. Ie. nursery children who are ready learn to read, but childern in reception can do play dough or ride on the trikes if they choose.
Does your local primary have a foundation stage.

Nursery and reception are about developing social skills. Even if your lo did go to reception she would be doing much the same things as she is doing now.

There is no way she will get a place in a state reception class - she wont get any funding so the only way to do it would be to go into the independent sector and pay. But as others have said there is so much more she needs to learn before she starts formal schooling, don't wish away those early years and enjoy having her with you for a bit longer.

Thank you, you have all made very valid points.

I think it is very difficult in the state system (there are also more problems when they go on to secondary-they may have to repeat a year). In the state system they like to differentiate or move a child between year groups for different subjects (from what I have read on these threads). It is easier in the private system to enter the system early (I know people advanced 2 years...but I do not agree with that as what about socialising/puberty/sports/emotional issues).

The cut off is very arbitary especially for a September birthday.

Not in a state school and you have to query whether, however academically able she is, is it really the right place for her to be? Learning her tables at 4 and GCSE at 6 or what ever (OK I jest!) - will that really turn out a happy capable adult?

After all putting a 3yr old in with children who are 4 plus- they are 1/3 of a lifetime older!

It's a shame the schools can't give the option to defer or advance for children with July-Sep birthdays. Many parents would prefer to defer their August children rather than being youngest in the class, and some September-borns could certainly cope with being the youngest rather than the oldest.

Then we might get lots of threads about the poor unlucky June borns who would be (almost) the youngest in the class, except for some younger children whose parents chose for them to be there.

But you can defer your place for a late summer birthday. Children don't legally have to start school until the term after their 5th birthday so for a June / July / August born child this would be the September after their 5th birthday, i.e. a year after they could have started school. HOWEVER, they will then go straight into yr1 at school and miss out on the settling / socialising / foundation stages of the reception year. A friend deferred her (August born) son's start of school until January and really wishes she hadn't as he's struggling being the the only new starter this term - all children automatically start in September here, we don't do rising 5's.

My April born dd started reception last week and is thriving there. But then she was very happy at nursery too because they met her needs. Op - there is no reason for your dd to start early.

My son is also 3 and bright, but I don't think that he is anywhere close to ready for school. I think it's a shame they start at 5, let alone 4.

What do you think she would get out of reception, that she won't get at pre-school?

In some private schools the foundation programme is just that and children move within it fluidly so the more able children will progress at their own level i.e. into the reception lessons rather than basic pre-school remit. This is a brilliant way of working imo.

I have to say that my questions with dd1 were similar to the op, but now dd is in yr1 I realise that it isn't necessary even though she has already achieved her nc level 2b at the beginning of the year, the school provise enough stimulation for her in other areas so she does not need to advance a year.

oops 'provision!'

A there may well be a lot of September children in her class.
Dd born on the 18th and was the 8th oldest in the class, my Ds born 13th was 2nd oldest but there were at least at three more September borns.
Both dcs are very bright and mature but found actually year 6 more of a problem as they were more than ready for the challenges of secondary, not necessarily academically.

It can be done. My 3 year old daughter is in Reception class in state school. The school fought very hard with the LEA for them to agree, they were reluctant at first because the law states than nursery age children need 1 adult to every 3 children. She is working at the level of the average year 2, so the council agreed with a 1-1 teaching assistant she could move up. Its worth asking cos they can only say no if they disagree xx

Hi, I'm a newbie here.
I'm a teacher with a G&T background, as well as the parent of a highly gifted child.
I live in Australia OP, so am unable to comment on your educational question, however I wanted to applaud you on seeking information on early entry to school. Many many gifted children (including my own) need to be accelerated through the school system, and this can sometimes be socially unsettling for them once they are settled within a cohort, so moving your DC to an appropriate cohort from day 1 is a wonderful idea. You're obvously experienced enough with gifted kids (via your other children) to know what your DC needs

To the PPs who suggested that her learning will 'level out" or that she will not cope with the skip - I assume you are posting on this board because you have the best interests of gifted kids at heart. Surely if that is the case you are well enough read in gifted education that you know that grade skipping is the best option for many kids (despite society's blinkered approach). If you haven't yet read it, may I suggest you peruse "A nation decieved"? which clearly indicates grade skipping is the single most effective strategy schools can use for gifted children. And I'm sure that you're aware that gifted kids' learning does not stop, or level out in the first years of schooling? In fact, gifted kids' continue to learn quickly, so the gap between them and "average" children grows with every year. Sadly, those children who "level out" are the product of a school environment which is teaching them nothing, and are spending years waiting for their peers to catch up ;(
Granted, skipping is not the answer for all gifted kids, however if the OP feels it might work for her DD, then it is surely worth exploring?

Apologies for hijacking this thread but can I ask Gab1969 what they have in place in Australia for G&T children as we are planning on relocating back at the end of the year.

Hi all. I'm so glad I found this thread!

After finding out that my son who is 4 this (late) Sep will not actually start reception class at school until Sep 2013 I've become increasingly worried.

He is already reading 'Oxford Stage 6' books and has also started to get interested in mathematical areas such as basic addiation and telling the time etc. He wants to learn, none stop!! He's also computer literate and enjoys spelling tests for fun using the computer. He can read the whole 'high frequency word list' for reception and class 1.

How can I possibly be happy with him staying at nursery school (which he doesn't like he finds it "boring") for another 20 months before even staring reception class??!

I really don't know what to do or even where to start. I've heard if a child can be classed as "gifted" you can apply for early school places but my local council doean't seem to have anything on the website about that so I'm not sure. Anyway I'm not sure I'd class him as gifted, just intelligent and academicably able.

God it's such a worry. Any advice anyone?? Pleeeeeease?!

Jules.

I didn't mean academicably!! :D

My advice is to chill out and let your child be normal. He's probably "bored" with nursery because you have convinced him he is. Children in the UK start school far too early already, why on earth would you want to send a 3 year old to school?

What do the scandinavians do with all their gifted children, I wonder, seeing as they don't start formal schooling until 6?

My advice to anyone wanting to better tailor education to their child would be to Home Educate.

Because he WANTS to learn - to the point where I can't help him any more! I have 2 older children from whom I never experienced this, and a 2 year old also who I wouldn't consider for a second starting school because he's quite simply not ready. But DS3 will not stop nagging at me to do spellings and reading and find out things about absolutley bloody everything!! I don't ever say "right reading time now" or anything of the sort, to be honest I'd rather he be out in the garden digging up woms.