Delaying reception start by 1 year - Any advice?

[shithebed]

My daughter is due to start reception this September. She is an August born child and I have just made the online application with the local authority to register her for reception.

However, while she is a very bright child I have second thoughts. I do not think she is ready for school yet. She is basically a baby compared to her peers.

The difference between her and someone who is 11 months older than her is huge. She currently goes to a nursery attached to a school and hates going "to school", she begs me every morning to let her stay at home, etc.

I believe the nursery teachers are doing their best but she might feel out of place because she's so much younger than everyone else.

I'm getting very stressed about her starting school with the wrong mind set, if she is not ready she will hate it, will not be able to integrate well and will feel inappropriate.

I don't want her to feel she is not good enough (because she doesn't match her peers developmentally).

Is it too late to try to delay it by 1 year? I don't mean a term, I mean a September 2020 start. And what do I have to do, where do I start?

@shitthebed I just searched the Facebook group and there’s not been much recent info on Kensington and Chelsea requests - 2017 there was a positive from a school but that was a voluntary aided school so it was up to headteacher and not the local authority. It’s a minefield! It is possible though! It might be worth joining the group and posting to see if anyone has recent experience there and with what schools.

My daughter and I were exactly in your shoes op. I delayed her. She is now in Y2. Best bloody decision I ever made.

OP I very much doubt your DD would be “damaged” by an early start- reception still goes on the Early Years curriculum, which is play based learning. Learning according to the school curriculum doesn’t start til year 1- that’s when learning becomes more formal in style. I don’t feel that either of my summer born children were disadvantaged by starting at 4. A lot of people get the wrong idea about reception and think the kids will be there doing rote learning, but it’s not like that at all. Lots of dressing up, outdoors activities and choice of activity too. Well, at least at the 2 schools I have experience of!

There is also the option of flexi schooling if your preferred school allows that, but that’s usually when parents have the children at home for part of the week. I know a couple of parents who did this when they felt the school week was a bit much for their child. I considered this funnily enough, but for my winter born middle child, not the summer born 2 as they managed better than he did.