when does school become compulsory for a child whose 5th b/day is in hols.

[madamearcati]

DD is 5 on xmas eve , so I know the rule is that fulltime ed is compulsory the term after their 5 th b/day .Is a holiday during the hols classes as falling in the term before or the term after ?

[throckenholt]

In England and Wales, most local education authorities have a policy of accepting children into school at the beginning of the term during which the child becomes five. However, the child does not have to attend school until the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday.

[MunchMummy]

I would say she has to start school in January.

[risingstar]

would be the term after their birthday, regardless of when that falls, so January in your case. really, any birthday that falls after the start of the previous term ( so 1st September) would fall on the next one (1st January).

[Clary]

actually throckeholt more and more LEAs are moving to one-point entry (ie the Sept of year the child turns 5) and a good thing too IMO.

madamarcati yr DD should be full-time educated (HE also an option) by January. Is she not at school already then?

[madamearcati]

She is at school - I was just wondering with regard to days off.She sometimes has a half day off when she gets overtired and obviously won't be able to do that xmas.
thanks for that information everyone

[HSMM]

School is not compulsory - education is. You can send her to school the term after her 5th birthday (unless they accept her in the September), or you can keep her at home and educate her there.

[FlamingoBingo]

She shouldn't be having days off like that anyway, madame. Either she's in school or she's not, regardless of her age, really, although I can understand your reasoning. But if you send her to school, you have to accept school attendance rules, don't you?

[madamearcati]

many of the reception children have been going home early, coming in late some days.The school are happy and in fact encourage it.Absence for non-schoolaged children is coded differently now I understand.

[madamearcati]

pressed submit too early

It is in no-ones interest to have an over tired child in the classroom is it ?

[henryhuggins]

agree, a tired child is not great to have in a classroom - i regularly have this (secondary) where the kids have been up far too late, usually watching inappropriate tv shows, or playing computer games. they are so grumpy

but surely at this age(I have a daughter who turns 5 in dec too) a morning at school shouldn't make them so tired you have to keep them off? what are they doing the rest of the day? did your dd go to preschool last year?

[madamearcati]

henry Buggins - she is in school 9-3.30 not just mornings.I don't think its unusual for DCs to be very tired their first term at school.She went to playgroup 3 mornings a week last year 9.15 to 11.45. So a big jump.

[henryhuggins]

sorry - thought she was just attending am.