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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask that people state age not school year when talking generally about children?

141 replies

clockover · 25/10/2021 19:28

Please?

It would make things much easier for those of us who don't instantly know what Y4 etc is. I know how to convert it but I just think on a thread where it's not school related, but definitely age related, giving the child's age would be more appropriate.

OP posts:
Tailendofsummer · 26/10/2021 17:41

When did upper and lower sixth stop? That is what I had in school.

clockover · 26/10/2021 17:41

Just add 4 for the youngest age and 5 for the oldest. If you can’t be arsed to do both sums just add 5.

This seems the most straightforward way if doing it...

The most straightforward way would be to say their age, which is the whole reason I made the thread.

OP posts:
ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 26/10/2021 17:57

Exactly OP, you're spot on. I struggle with it too.

Graphista · 26/10/2021 18:30

Totally agree op I find it very confusing as when I went to school in England 1st year at high school was called 1st year no idea what it's called now y6/7/8?

Also in Scotland we don't use the same system

Posters insisting it's fine because that's the ENGLISH system need to remember mn is primarily a UNITED KINGDOM site but in addition has posters/members from outside the uk.

If you have a gap in your knowledge it's best to try and learn the school years and ages rather than everyone else adjusting the way they post.

Why should we have to when our kids aren't/weren't in that system, are perhaps adults by now and we weren't in that system?

Unless it's specifically school related just say the child's age like a normal person!

You wouldn't introduce them in real life as

"This is little Johnny I'm not gonna tell you his age but he's in year 8"

I mean wtf!

Age is universally understood - pretentious school year naming systems that make little sense is not!

and the Scottish system isn’t massively different, either.

What are you basing that on?!

The scottish school system is very different from the English system in a number of ways inc this

Surely we all remember what the school years mean from when we went to school ourselves?!

Genuine question how old are you?

Cos I went through the English/welsh system and that's not what we had - I'm 49

Mners in Scotland and Northern Ireland didn't and still don't! My dd 20 wouldn't know what you meant as she went through the Scots system

Anyone know when did it change and why did it change? I hate when things like this are changed PURELY for changes sake!

as it wasn't introduced until the 90s thanks for that info

You're right op that first reply was not only rude but ignorant and to a degree prejudiced

It definitely happens.

It does and it's usually arsey ops/pps who think it will be soooo identifying if they state their child's age!!

but i know they go when aged 11!

I think you meant in England yes? In Scotland it's 12

When I was I'm school, it was infants, juniors and seniors

Same - and in some places we lived there were even middle schools! Not sure if they still exist we didn't go to one though, infants (completely separate school for me and my brother) then junior/primary and then high school/secondary/senior

they expect dc to suddenly manage to get themselves safely to school, have the phone and independence with no gradual build up. It's bizarre

Yea I don't understand that either. My sister did that with hers - spoon fed them right to the end of the summer holidays before they started high school then expected them to just cope suddenly getting themselves to school by public (not school) bus, and having the right stuff in their bags for each day and not losing clothes etc (frankly she should have tackled the latter YEARS before!)

English exceptionalism right here...

Yep! In SPADES in 2 particular posts!

@stingofthebutterfly

READ THE THREAD

And learn the FACT that the education systemS In the uk are NOT all the same to the extent of different ages when kids start school

I'm sorry that you lack basic research skills.

A don't be so patronising!

B I don't come on mn to have to research/do a bloody calculation EVERY time some poster falsely thinks it's more identifying to state an age and wankily posts a school year instead (AND often doesn't say WHERE they are)

Roughly year 11. ie you don't know! Oh and you're wrong btw

What 1% are you referring to? Scots are certainly more than 1% of the uk and I'd say from the responses there's a good deal more than 1% of mners agree with op!

@Simonjt ahh bless you  I'm familiar with your posts reckon you're a great dad!

@DeepaBeesKit oh don't even get me STARTED on the tits that use key stages for something not REMOTELY related to key stages!

Legoisthebest · 26/10/2021 18:41

And breathe out Graphista GrinGrinGrin

EmoIsntDead · 26/10/2021 19:08

@GraceLace

Well no. This is a parenting site where the majority of posters are in the UK or have a a UK connection for a start.

If you have a gap in your knowledge it's best to try and learn the school years and ages rather than everyone else adjusting the way they post.

It would probably only take about ten minutes and you would only need to learn about four and then you could use that to work our the rest.

But school years can be different depending on which UK country you're in?

Unless,of course, by UK you actually mean England.

Graphista · 26/10/2021 22:50

@Legoisthebest

It just bugs me when posters do post stupidly vague stuff for fear of being outed when it's clear the Info would do no such thing! It's like the constant refs to dh "hobby" when in all likelihood it's golf/cycling/gaming/any other hobby commonly done in the uk!

As a Scot raised mainly in England and Wales as dad was army it also bugs just how VERY England centric some posters can be it's so ignorant and such bad manners! Some of the Londoners are even worse and think the entire world works the same way as London (somewhere I've also lived by the way and there are plenty of even born and bred Londoners who aren't like that I know but they're a significant minority esp on here)

There were also elements of ageism and intellectual snobbery in those posts too!

I hold 2 degrees and a number of professional qualifications I'm perfectly capable of doing "research" if needed it but mn is not something I want to do it for!

If a way of doing things isn't your norm - because it's NOT done everywhere - then it can be hard to get your mind around

Those posters would do well to also consider that there are posters on here for whom English isn't their native language (though they often put those of us for whom it is to shame!) and also some with learning difficulties and difficulties with processing ideas etc.

EVERYONE knows and understands what a child's age means in general terms of ability and maturity (health conditions & trauma excepted) makes MUCH more sense to JUST say the child's age.

Legoisthebest · 26/10/2021 22:56

Graphista oh yes the 'hobby' thing. Well my user name gives my hobby away Grin
I really can't think of a single hobby that would out someone from the millions of people who live in the UK. Nothing is that obscure surely !!
It's all a mixture of hilarious and frustrating on here sometimes.

DumplingsAndStew · 27/10/2021 09:58

@Graphista

it also bugs just how VERY England centric some posters can be it's so ignorant and such bad manners! Some of the Londoners are even worse and think the entire world works the same way as London

Hear hear.

PinkiOcelot · 27/10/2021 10:38

Can’t believe some of the snarky responses on here to a perfectly reasonable request.
I agree OP. I have 2 dds but they’re now older - DD2 is year 13 (17 years) and I can’t remember what age the earlier years represent. Sometimes I try and work it out and others I don’t.

Justcallmebebes · 27/10/2021 10:40

I agree too OP. I'm in UK and have 3 primary aged GK's but still have no clue

Srettel · 27/10/2021 11:10

DD and her class almost got some inappropriate sex ed material - it was labelled as being for Year 10. We don't have Year 10 in Scotland, so somebody who didn't know that "Year 10" was an English term relabelled it as being for Age 10. Fortunately the teacher twigged.

dementedpixie · 27/10/2021 11:15

I'm in Scotland so my calculation would be complex:

For year 10 I add a year to make Primary 11. Subtract 7 for the primary years and get S4 so roughly age 15 (ds is in S4).

Spidey66 · 27/10/2021 11:23

I think age is much easier, unless specifically related to school

I don't have kids-there are some of us here on MN! Also I'm of an age where they didn't use this system, so for instance secondary school went 1st to lower and upper 6th year. It's much easier for me to grasp a 13 year old than being told theyre year 8 or whatever.

SirChenjins · 27/10/2021 11:28

I agree - age is much easier. I have no idea what Year 9 is, just as many of you won’t know what age a P5 or S4 child is. So many of us don’t live in England (or other countries where they talk about Years) so have little understanding of the school system, but we all instantly know what other posters mean by a child of a certain age.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 27/10/2021 13:05

I really can't think of a single hobby that would out someone from the millions of people who live in the UK. Nothing is that obscure surely !!

Roller llama worrying? Grin

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