Does DD have to start school full-time in Sept?

[amandathepanda]

My DD will start school this Sept when she will be 4.10. At the school she will be attending they start them with a week of mornings followed by a week of afternoons then they are there full time.

I know that by law she doesn't have to start until the term after her 5th birthday. However, until then could I just send her mornings for a whole term or is it the Head Teacher's decision?

Or if I wanted her to have each Friday off could I do this until the term of after her 5th b'day.

Advice appreciated.

[LIZS]

It's up to the school but unusual for one of the eldest (ie one with a Pre Christmas bday) to not go full time early on. Do you have any particular reason ?

[posieflump]

I honestly would wait and see how she gets on.
She might miss out by not being there all week.
Especially on Fridays when it seems to be fun day at ds' school!

[Littlefish]

She doesn't legally have to be educated until the term after she's 5. The school will have their preferred way of children inducting into school e.g. the amount of full and part time attendance.

Do you know whether the younger children go part time for longer?

Either way, if you want her to attend part time then the school cannot actually stop you until after Christmas. However, it's always better to do these things in discussion with the school so that they understand why you feel that part time would be better for her. It just helps to support the relationship.

There is such a thing as flexible schooling which it might be worth you looking into if you're interested in doing this long term (ie. past Christmas). You should find information about it on a home-education website.

I'm really interested in why you want her to go part time, as my dd is the same age and will also only do a couple of weeks of part-time before going full time.

[posieflump]

also reception is all about play based learning
they have so much fun!

[MollieO]

My ds started full time at 4.2 and was tired for the first couple of weeks but then fine. I think it would be hard on your dd to have her do less days/hours than her school friends. If she is at nursery then I'd be guided by what her nursery teachers suggest.

[amandathepanda]

My reason?

I think it's a bit of PFB . I'm not ready for this stage of our lives to be over -though I may be come September

[pigsinmud]

Dd1 started school full time last September - she was 4.8. She coped wonderfully. Whereas my boys were 4.4 and 4.3 when they started. They struggled, but luckily did a term of mornings which helped.

Dd1's school would not be keen on your proposed plan! A friend whose dd was 4.9 in September wanted to do just mornings, but the school was most awkward about it. She started full time in the end and loved it.

[NewTeacher]

Problem is if you keep her home she will miss out on what everyone does on Fridays!

Time to let go! And if you keep her at home until after her 5th birthday she will be a newbie in a class where the kids have already made their groups and may find it hard to make friends.

She is one of the eldest so will probably settle in fine. I'm assuming this is the first one to go to school...Dont worry you will be fine too!!!

[Clary]

I would start her full time as soon as, for the reasons newteacher gives.

You will find she will be totally fine, one of the oldest in the year and I am sure very ready for school.

[lisata]

I recommend sending her full time and keeping her off whenever she seems tired! That way you can truly fit the situation to the child as she grows and becomes more used to the situation. The two reception teachers I have had to deal with so far have both found this quite acceptable.

My DD had quite a few days off but she was only 4.3 when she started. My DS had very few and he was 4.10. DS number 2 starts in September and he will only be 4.05! I will certainly give him all the breaks he needs. The school can't stand in the way of that.

[Kayteee]

Incase you didn't know "by law" she doesn't have to start at all! If you decide you want to keep her home till she's ready there's nothing in the law which states you can't. I say this as a fan of Home Education though so I'm biased

[techpep]

I wanted to hold ds back for a year. He is an 'august baby'. Felt that the feedback i got from the school meant it would not be in his best interests. I have noticed that academically he has really progressed but i still wonder if that extra year may have helped his confidence. I also worry about the 11+ stage, GCSEs etc. Does anyone know if it would be within my rights to ask for him to be held back in reception for an extra year?

[Kayteee]

Not sure if the school will do that but someone else will hopefully know about the school side. I'm pressuming the Head would have to be in agreement. DS friend, who's autistic, was allowed to drop down a year so he could take his time.
Ime, most schools will tell you that it's "not in the childs interests" to keep them away as they mostly don't agree with the idea of HomeEd (why would they)?
Imo though, it makes for a much less stressed child (and parent) if everyone is happy with their situation. If you feel that he'd benefit from holding back a while follow your instincts. I really don't believe that a school, which is comprised of a bunch people who know nothing about my dc or me, can possibly know what's in our best interests!