Can we have ages instead of school years?

In year 7 child just moved to a new school, travel is usually longer and often more complicated e.g village bus, they start getting homework, parents involvement in the school life is different. In year 6 they are staying at the known setting with people they know for quite a while, in the same classroom all day, usually closer to home and parents are more involved.

P1 is used in Northern Ireland. P stands for primary so P1, P2,P3 and so on up to the last year of primary school P7

I think it makes a lot of sense. So much of children’s experience is shaped by school. A 15 and 16 year old in year 11 are likely to be at similar levels of maturity based on their lived experiences. A 15 year old in year 10 and a 15 year old in year 11 are less likely to be so in my experience.

But they might have a child a similar age is a different country. I. Scotland I don’t know if that is S3 or S4. Think it might be S4 but see the confusion. If a Scottish poster said S3 would you know age they were?

So if I said that I was worried about leaving my son in fifth year alone over night, you would know what I meant, and have advice?

What's even more fun is when someone mentions the English 3 tier school system and while the year numbers are the same a Year 7 in middle school is going to be likely having a different educational experience to a Year 7 in a 2000 pupil secondary.
Totally blows people's minds 😂

Just add 5 to the school year => age child turns in that academic year.

I remember reading a thread started by a woman who said that her son was 60 months old, or something like that.
It took me a moment to make sense of it!

Not if you are in any country other than England and Wales and I’m assuming NI. Otherwise it’s just babble

MN is global even if majority are British. And Scots don’t use the same system anyway

I have had dc go through school. I still have to count backwards. It’s annoying

Please stop that's just too much like...common sense!😱🤣

I just ask. It’s only an issue if you make it one.

To use Y11or13 when speaking a out English exams is normal, when speaking about Scottish exams using S4/5/6 is normal but so is using exams rather than year so saying my DD is doing highers rather than S5.
Overall years don't quite equate as Scotland is 13 years of school Primary (P) 1-7 and secondary (S)1-6 while in England there are 14 years including YR but due to different starting ages, like school year starts mid august but the youngest will be 4.5 not 4 and with a right to defer . As cut off is 28th February not 31st August.

It depends on topic so anything education related using school year works but for general questions like phone use getting bus, understanding right/wrong, empathy, development age is better
Eg is it ok for my 9 year old to get the bus outside our house and travel two miles and get off at Grandma's house it doesn't matter whether they are Y5/6 P5 4th grade or whatever to answer question

Agree and it can be so confusing. Like DS could be son or sister, DF could be father or friend!? Also I love when people write DDog or DCat 😂

But back to the OP, I agree the school year thing is annoying especially for those of us not in England and who don’t have kids.

I think stating the year group and the age is probably more useful.

Summer born DD took 2 GCSEs at 14 (because this was the way her school did it, not because she is a genius), 8 GCSEs at 15, and A levels at 17.

School years are easier to define development than birthdays imho

So age would be a lot more relevant than class unless it's related to education.

Sure. But loads of posts use school year for topics that have nothing to do with education.

No not new.
I just find the abbreviations a bit naff.
Dthis and Dthat.
All so daft IMHO 😂

Using school years rather than ages muddies the water somewhat. A "year 1" child could be either just turned 5 or about to turn 6 so any advice would be age depending and 9 times out of 10 the OP states the age in an update, so why not just put it in their 1st post? It would save endless posts of "what age are they OP"

I have had DC go through school and I still work it out on my fingers 😂

That's a silly response. Children can be the same age all over the world, and someone not in the English system may have amazing experience of a similarly aged child.

But what is the big issue about supplying BOTH bits of information?
Why are some posters so determind NOT to give the age as well as the school year?

The determination not to supply age is coming over as really weird.

Are you new here? That’s just not how MN works. MN uses abbreviations. You can’t expect the whole of MN to change.
And saying “age 15” does not provide the relevant context - for example, Year 11 in England involves heavy-duty exams, whereas the general equivalent in say North America, Grade 11, may not, so what the 15yos are going through in different countries is very different and very relevant.

If it's a school related post I would need to know the school year rather than age.