Early Admission into reception?

[Housewife36]

Hi,
My son is only 2 but he's confident, social and above average for his age.
He's ready for school already (although I'm not ready to let him go)!
Problem is because he was born 11th September he won't start reception until the week before his 5th birthday.
I'm trying to find out what I can do to get him accepted, the week before his 4th birthday.
His sister is 3 1/2, in the few minutes he's in preschool with her, he's joining in the games with the other children and is accepted as part of the class.
His sister is also at the top of the class as she is reading.

Cheers

People keep say he is better off being the oldest. Dd born on the 18th in a class of 30 was about the 5th or 6th oldest and Ds born 13th was the 2nd oldest but there were at least 4 other september born. I have same birthday as ops boy and wasnt the oldest either but in the 60s we had rolling entry.
Youngest if siblings also tend yo be more precocious as they pick up what the older child is doing.

I am going slightly against the grain here, ds is in a similar position but in yr1. He is bored, very bored. He was fine in reception because he basically had free rein to create his own education and the school were flexible with reading books etc. In yr 1 they are claiming that the National Curriculum means that he has to work within his year group and that he can't do anything more challenging even though they admit that he is easily completing all his tasks. He is allowed to read but he has already worked his way through the books in the classroom.

Not all schools are like this. He is there because 7 years ago it was the right school for his sister (and the best school she would have got a place in). He is a different child and the school has changed a lot over the time. Look for a school which provides opportunities beyond their year group. Consider academies and free schools which are not as constrained by the National Curriculum. Discuss how they will challenge him.

Changing year groups will have an impact at transitional stages such as secondary school, sitting GCSEs (or equivalent) early, not being able to drive/ drink with his peers.

I went up a year in primary school
But the secondary school
Wouldn't let me go up early so I had to repeat year 6

Ds1 is a gifted child, he could read a novel by the time he was 3 and do small sums etc. No way was he ready to start school aged just 4.

Acedemically yes he would have been fine but school is about so much more - socially, physically etc as people have already said
Dd could colour in really nearly between the lines age 2 and recognise her name etc but she's just normal.

I think you need to see him to Playschool and if he is soooo exceptional they will pick up on it and advise you further.

There is a big difference between the September and August born children, I can see that in all 3 of my children's classes when they were in reception. (And I say that as someone with a late July DD who has done really well at school) just a certain level of maturity when t comes to sharing /getting tired/following instructions.

I have a similar birthday and started school at the normal time, but was then moved up a year as I was academically ahead.

It worked really well and I have been grateful for it ever since and feel (probably irrationally) that it gave me an extra year of adult life, enabling me to do a Masters and still finish university at 21.

It's too early for you to tell, though... you're probably best off finding a great nursery, starting him at school with the rest of his cohort and seeing how things work out.

I have a bright summer born who did very well academically but struggled socially right through KS1. So I would be wary of putting him up a year.

But anyway, I think you have a nursery problem, not a school problem. The issue is more about the year he will be in nursery when he's four and with no / few other four year olds. I know people who've done school nursery in the mornings and some afternoon preschool / Montessori for that year for older kids. Or just changed nursery to a more academic one, or one where it's all joint with YR and they can work at that level if they want. Have you considered any of those options?

fWIW the problem i have found with my 2 has been year 6 when they were more than ready for the independence of secondary school. They both really enjoyed the challenge of SATs which actually gave my dyslexic ds a huge confidence boost. Academically they were in the top sets of secondary school but it was the new challenges of having a timetable, getting trains to school by themself etc is what they were more than ready for as well as the academic stuff. Bright kids with a love of learning dont really get bored in primary
But anyway, I think you have a nursery problem, not a school problem. The issue is more about the year he will be in nursery when he's four and with no / few other four year olds.
why do you say there will be no/few other year olds? There is a very good chance that there will be plenty of autumn borns

There is a very good chance that there will be plenty of autumn borns

About a third of DS1's reception class has already had their 5th birthdays, and we're barely 2 months into the school year.

Yes it is also a nursery problem too. Unfortunately the nursery school that is more academic won't take him the spring term after his 3rd birthday (he has to wait until the the September). I also feel they would be a better judge than me, if they took him when they should do.

I don't know why you are still considering this tbh. You say it will be state sector in England and they don't do accelerated entry.

Shop around for a good nursery with a good age spread.

I think you are missing the point - the state has a duty to educate children from a certain age. They really don't have a duty to do this for an extra year - whether that's at the start or end of the process. So this just won't happen.

And an academic nursery? Really?

You would be crazy to even consider this. Your son has an educational advantange by being the eldest in his (real) year group. Most parents would consider that a very big plus.

Instead you want to make him the youngest in his year group.

I know its hard when you feel your child is exceptionally bright but I would encourage you to do things with him at home. There are an awful lot of very bright children in the world and lots of children will be able to read pretty fluently by the time they attend reception. If your son is desperate to learn you could teach him. In addition, keep in mind that he may well be able to learn but he is unlikely to be emotionally mature enough.

My DSs attend an academically selective independent and there is absolutely no way that any child is allowed to attend out of their year group (either being held back or pushed forward) and so the likelihood is that you'd struggle to find a school willing to do this even in the private sector.

Oh, and there is a full on genius kid at our school. He can read at y3 level.

Guess what? He's still 4.5. He wants to play in the mud and the home corner.

A good school can accommodate his abilities without pushing them through ahead of their emotional maturity.

also, let's not forget, the brief description you've given of your son as a second born somewhere between the age of 2 and 3 sounds entirely usual and normal. You cannot possibly tell how academic he is yet. I have 3 boys and the eldest was toilet trained before 2 and had great vocabulary, could write his own name, count to 100, learnt to read when 3 etc etc. He's now an entirely normal y6 pupil, good at some subjects, rubbish at others. Like the vast majority of people. I think youd be hard pushed to get any professional to confirm that he is so unusually bright that he couldn't possibly stay in his year group until he is at least at school. They won't investigate dyslexia or autism until much later either, because 2 is too young to know.

Thankyou all for your advice its been really appreciated and helpful in weighing up pros and cons. Unfortunately some people have started being offensive so I won't be posting or reading anymore.

My mind is boggling a bit at anyone wanting their child to start even earlier than the very young age that kids start school in the UK.

IMO being "ready" for school
Has nothing to do with academics. Otherwise you'd have to say that kids who can't read and write at age 7 shouldn't be at school yet! I really struggle to believe that any 3 yr old could possibly be ready to start full time school. I think very few 4 and 5 years old are ready and it is a great shame that the system we have means they start so early.

Honestly OP I can't think of a single positive thing about a 3yr old starting reception.

It's easy for us with older children to see how people can overthink it in the early days (that thread with the parent looking for secondary schools for an unborn and unconcieved child! and the one looking for a sponsor for the future private education of his 3 year old!) but at least they care about their children I guess. It's such a competitive world, there's a lot of pressure to hit the ground running.

However, my advice as someone further down the road is, as you know OP, relax a bit. It's too early to tell how academic your son will be and if he does turn out to be very academic, he still needs social and emotional skills as well and is very probably better off being top of his birth year at school. At secondary school age, we all know children who were high flyers in primary school but have come a cropper as teenagers due to too much pressure and natural teenage rebellion. Equally, I know of children who were faces in the crowd at primary school that went on to get top GCSE and A levels. Plus lets not forget all the children somewhere in the middle just happily getting on with life. I think as parents we do need to step back a bit sometimes and let them develop as people as well as exam factories. We're all guilty of it sometimes OP, don't get sucked in!

Just reread the thread and no ones being offensive. I think you've had very sensible advice

I know an intelligent child, she is smug, looks down on others, etc ... she sails through tests, but is very un likeable. I would work on his social caring and friendship skills. Being bright at school does not make them more employable against others who will achieve the same academically.

I couldn't agree more Karaoke.

And I say that as the mother of a bright Seprember baby.

Maybe the OP could consider Home Ed?

sally I also couldn't agree more. I know some very academic children. A couple have been told from a very young age how great they are and how much better they are than everybody else. Their parents are obsessed with schools and exams and getting them into Oxbridge. The kids are smug know it alls who aren't well liked or have no friends. Conversley, equally bright kids with less pushy parents that haven't been shown how to get ahead by putting others down and making them feel bad are much more popular and well-liked. That's important to teenagers.

And 2 is far too young to tell much. When DD started in reception, there were three children who were real high flyers - free readers by Christmas, writing fairly complicated sentences with good spelling, adding and subtracting three digit numbers etc. Now, midway through KS2, one of them is still impressively brilliant, although not too at everything, one is a clever good all rounder, solidly in the top groups for all subjects but in the middle of the top rather than head and shoulders above the rest, and one is average. Children develop at different rates, and lots of children who were perfectly average throughout reception (and Y1etc) had huge spurts of intellectual development later on and caught up with the initial outliers.

I know of large groups of bright children and many are nice, cooperative, non competitive, normal well adjusted kids. A small handful are super competitive, vindictive and have ego issues.

We're in the same position with a September birthday for ds1 but no idea how 'academic' he'll be. I do however know that he's into bloody everything and needs constant varying stimulation ALL the time! I'm actually more hoping he's normal!! Anyway, he's registered to start on his 3rd birthday at a great nursery which is attached to a pre-prep. Meant to be fab and all the kids who go are really happy and do well. That's the best thing you can do for him Id say. If you're gong for a private school a lot of them stagger the intake anyway so there's a good mix of birthdays across the year. So it's not like he's going to be a year older than everyone else. I'd relax about it.