To want to reiterate that 'yes' it's August and 'yes' Scottish schools are back

[MammyV]

Honestly on every post on here which mentions a child being in school at the moment, someone, at least one poster states 'are you abroad or something' or 'why are your kids in school it's only august?'
Please please understand that most Scottish schools commence back after summer from around the 15th August, we are not abroad, we are in the Uk (at the moment anyway) and I am fully aware of the English/Welsh holidays as its blasted a cross the BBC enough, just irritates me with some of the comments
(Will get off my Scottish high horse now)
Thanks xxx

[MrEBear]

Puremince ok I might have got my Acts mixed up. But basically our school starting age is based on 1870's legislation, that is hardly relevant to todays world. When I went hunting for the history or why we start kids so young in the UK I was expecting something to come up about some level of development that children reach at the age of 5. Not something related to starting work so young.
It just helped out in my decision to defer school.

I do feel sort for English parents having no flex at all in their system, being forced to start kids at just 4 even although legally those kids don't need to be in school. But if they don't start them they miss out on the scramble for school places.
I even came across the story of twins born an hour apart, either side of the cut off, being forced to attend school in different years. Completely bonkers.

[Puremince]

In the 1870s, in parts of Scotland such as Dundee where married women worked in the jute mills there was pressure from parents for children to go to school from the age of 3 or 4. So the legislation worked both ways - some children who would have otherwise started school at 7 or 8 went at a younger age, but some who would have started at 4 went later.

I agree about deferring - I deferred my February born and am very glad I did.

[treaclesoda]

The discussion about what school year is equivalent to what other school year has just been brought to my attention today as I have a child visiting who used to go to school with my eldest but her family moved to England a couple of years ago. She transferred from P4 in N Ireland to year 3 in England and has now finished year 4. I was asking her this morning if she found school very different and she said 'yeah, it is totally different. Almost everything that we have done in year 4, I had already done in P4 at home, school over there is really weird'.

Now, sorry, I don't mean that to be offensive to anyone, I'm just quoting directly from a nine year old! But it sort of backs up the idea that P1 does not equal reception, P2 does not equal year 1 etc.

[tadjennyp]

We moved back from the States last year and dd went from 3rd grade into year 4 and was quite a long way behind the others in maths, simply because she had been at school a year less. It didn't make much difference for ds1 going into year 2, probably because of his autism posing different difficulties and ds2 has had a lovely time in reception this year going to forest school, doing swimming lessons etc!

I went to infant school in Wales, primary school in Scotland, junior school in London, middle school in Beds and secondary school in Lincoln. The difference between the different types of school and expectations was amazing. Very interesting if not altogether good for a shy girl!

[MrEBear]

Puremince I didn't know the bit about parents wanting school to start younger. I'm guessing what was happening in Dundee was the same all over in different industries in different parts of the country.
Same with the school holidays were designed to help farming.

I did come across something that said 2 MPs argued 5 was too young school should start at age 6. Ok it was for the English legislation but I couldn't find anything on Scotlands other than we followed the English act a couple of years later. Then they raised their leaving age from 10 to 13 around 1880.

[AndNowItsSeven]

My ds is deferring reception until 2017 he turned four this month. He will still have 15 free hours at nursery until the end of July 2017.

[Puremince]

Yes, MrEBear, the holidays were all over the place in the c19th. Holidays in a berry-growing area were different to holidays in a tattie-growing area. In some herring-fishing ports they didn't have fixed dates, but announced the holidays according to the movement of the herring shoals. And in some places girls got a week off in May to help their mothers with the Spring Cleaning!!

[Linnet]

Mathanxiety thank you for that info it was really interesting. The more I think about it the more I think it would actually be a good idea to learn to drive in school.

I did think wheel throwing might be pottery class.

[CheerfulYank]

We used to have driver's ed in school but don't anymore, at least not in the high school I went to.

[MrEBear]

Andnow is this not the first year being able to defer in England has been a legal right with no worries about being forced to basically skip a year if you move areas / schools / start secondary school?

[AndNowItsSeven]

Yes it's the first year and only in a very few areas, I live in Liverpool. Even then it's only guaranteed in community schools so not voluntary aided church schools or academies unless the head and governors give permission.

[AndNowItsSeven]

Missed the it about moving areas no that's not guaranteed but be definitely won't be moving out of Liverpool.