Why do schools start children "eldest first"

[SoupDragon]

DSs school and the attached nursery start the children according to age, starting with the September children and ending up with the Summerborn ones. DS2 is due to start nursery next week, being a "Middle" child.

This means that the eldest children have much more attention fron the staff, simply because there are fewer children in the nursery at the time that they join. By the time the summer born children start at the end of next week, there will be at least 30 children running around playing, demanding attention and, quite possibly, scaring some of the younger ones.

Doesn't it make more sense to start the youngest ones firat and then gradually add in slightly older children? Then they'd have more chance to get used to the nursery and the staff, will have more attention whilst they settle in and then gradually get used to more children as the intak period progresses. Why do they do it the other way round? A week isn't going to make any difference age-wise is it?

They do it in exactly the opposite way where I am. Summers started two weeks ago, some autumn born children only start this week. I agree it seems madness the other way round.

I've never understood this myself SD. Surely the older children, already at an advantage by virtue of their birthday, then get a further advantage by getting in on the action first. The same happens with school for reception, but over a longer period of time.

Following on from another thread, this practice seems to be being adopted in Scotland too, whereas previously I think it was an English phenomenon.

Very, very confusing. Any educational psychologists out there got the answer?

At ds1's school they have a different system. For the first week the youngest ones go for just the morning and the older ones go for just the afternoon. In the second week the young ones go for just the morning while the eldest stay all day. In the 3rd week all of the children go full-time. The 1st week gives the teacher a better chance to get to know each child and see what their strengths/weaknesses are.

agree with you completely SD. luckily for us dd`s school does it the other way round with the youngest starting first & eldest last.