Getting LO into school earlier

[newmomma1]

Has anyone managed to get their LO in to school a year early?

My LO was born is September and will go to school when she's 5 but i’d like to see if I can get her in sooner.

She's more advanced than a lot of kids in nursery and I hate to think that she will be coasting along in a class when she could be with kids who are as developed as she is.

Has anyone managed to discuss this with their local council and been successful with it. If do what did you do?

Never ever heard of this happening
September after 5 th bday here.
My children are now late 20s
First went part time for the whole autumn term....March bday
Second until the October half term ...October bday
I think doesn't happen now in my area though

Doesnt happen in my area. Not permitted by the Local Authority

Never heard of it and don’t think there would be any benefit I have an August born so started school at 4 years 3 weeks it was tough to say the least

Only in independent school

You would be choosing to put your child at a disadvantage which is unusual. There will be kids in that class who are almost 5 and are themselves advanced, but whose parents didn’t choose an early start. I believe that if the LA approved then your child is treated equally for admissions which could be contraversial depending on the school if it’s oversubscribed.

Coasting along??? She'll be playing....

You’re dc might cope in the infant years but you’d be settling them up to fail in the teenage and young adult years. If they find school easy just feel lucky as many find it very difficult. I doubt you’d find a school or local authority who would agree anyway. Just let you dc play and be pressure free for as long as possible. It shouldn’t be a rush to make them grow up.

Trust me OP you don’t want to do this, even if you could. You really can’t tell from nursery how your child will perform academically but no matter what your child is MUCH better off being the oldest in her year. A year makes a huge difference in maturity, attention span, comprehension, and knowledge, so the oldest children will have the best chance to excel academically, socially, and in sport. In America parents fight to hold back perfectly able children for this very reason.

She won't be coasting along, she will be playing and learning social skills along with all the other children in the year. She may be one of the earlier ones to learn to write her name/start to read etc but the teachers will be used to having children in a class who are almost a year older than some of the others.

I started school as usual but after a term was put up a year as my reading and writing were advanced. This was ok but as I got older it caused some problems with friendships - I was a year younger than everyone in the class and not as mature. I don't recommend it.

Just enjoy the extra time you have with your dd. She'll be playing at school when she starts, as well as working.

I had a friend at primary school who was moved
Up a year so skipped year 3 I think!

So you want to get her into school when she is 3, soon to turn 4.
Are you stark raving mad?! She will be at such a disadvantage whereas if you wait a year, she will have the advantage.

Don't do it to your little girl, don't wish her childhood away

They used to do it in the 80s! I'm an October birthday so I turned 4 in October and started reception after the Easter following. I did stay in reception for the whole of the following year though.

I don't see much point in it, I think nursery provision in most schools is good these days.

I have a very clever child who was born at the start of September. She is by far the cleverest in her year group and possibly the year above. I am also a teacher in her school so I know this to be true! I would never have wanted her to start school a year earlier. It is perfectly possible for her teacher to stretch and challenge her whilst she is in her expected year group. Emotionally and socially this is right for her and she is in no way coasting!

@Hugepeppapigfan

I have a very clever child who was born at the start of September. She is by far the cleverest in her year group and possibly the year above. I am also a teacher in her school so I know this to be true! I would never have wanted her to start school a year earlier. It is perfectly possible for her teacher to stretch and challenge her whilst she is in her expected year group. Emotionally and socially this is right for her and she is in no way coasting!

Oh god 🤮

You would be crazy to do this, even if you could. She might be doing really well right now, but what if that's just precocious development and it levels off later on? It might, or it might not. Also, is she as socially and emotionally advanced as she is academically? If not, that will have a major impact on her wellbeing.

What @Hugepeppapigfan said!!!! Just enjoy. You will have an easy ride, and if she needs to be stretched, you can do that at home or speak to the school. Don't forget the emotional development needs to tag along and you need to look after her development as a person, not just academics.

I'm in Scotland and my three daughters started at 5 years and 2 months, 5 years and four months and 5 years and 8 months. School is a huge change for them emotionally and socially. I wouldn't have sent any of mine any earlier. My youngest could have gone at 4 years and 8 months but we held her back. She's nearly 11 now and I've never regretted it.

It's totally possible and sometimes necessary. You need to contact your LA as each one is different.

Do you have a portfolio of work as evidence as to why it's necessary?

OP, how is your child 'advanced'?

I was put up a year in early primary school because of academic ability but there's SO much more to schooling than just academic learning. It was suggested I start school a year earlier but my mum refused - was probably the best thing she could ever have decided as it was after I'd been in school, settled socially etc... and maintained the momentum that the decision to move up a grade was confirmed.

Physically, emotionally, socially - your child would need to be streaks ahead in all of these areas to even consider your proposal! Not to mention the fact that children don't develop in a linear fashion, and often those 'ahead' at the start of school are quickly caught up by others over the next few years.

EYFS is a time to develop through play - UK already pushes children into academic work far too early and the impact in secondary school on all those lost foundational skills which can only be developed through a proper EYFS provision is grim.

Please let your child be a child while she can. By all means, you are her best teacher at this age - encourage her curiosity and development in all aspects of her life, but there is absolutely no benefit to starting school too early.

The same thought crossed my mind with my youngest (very start of September born). With an older sister she was very socially advanced and could do lots of “academic” things easily.

Reception was a bit of a bum year to be honest. Lots of summer born children who were still into Peppa Pig whereas she was into Mia and Me. Also lots of first born / only children who perhaps didn’t have the skills when it came to sharing and playing together quite yet. We talked with the head of lower school (in a prep) about moving her up a year but they told us to be patient.

To be fair we never had any issues with the academic side - she was given extension work to add depth to her learning. This meant that she didn’t race ahead of the other children but has gained more analytical, thinking and application of knowledge skills.

At the end of reception they mixed up the classes as they acknowledged the social mix was off. Almost immediately all the problems we had experienced disappeared.

She also has a big advantage in terms of all the extra work she has completed and is on the A teams for sport - she’s taller, stronger and faster than most of the other kids. She’s top of the top sets (and still being stretched) and that gives her a lot of confidence in her abilities).

If I will be honest, she did struggle far more in that first year than my eldest did who is born end of August. Both the school and I thought it was best to have the chat about moving her up but I am so glad they convinced me to keep her in the correct year. I honestly wouldn’t do it.

You really, really don't want to do this.

I went through school a year ahead, and my sister two years ahead. Academically we did really well - hence why we were in the year groups we were.

Socially and emotionally - total disaster. Both of us ended up having breakdowns at university and having to have several years out.

Our other siblings ended up a year old for their year (a lot of time missed due to a year in hospital) and in the correct year and both had a much easier time.

There are loads of ways to cater for a clever child without taking them out of their year group.

I deliberately avoided having a late summer baby purely to avoid any chance of them being the youngest in their class.

@ Hugepeppapigfan ummm I call bullshit. How on earth could you know your child is “by far the cleverest in her year group and possibly the year above.”
😂

@Oatbaroatbar umm because I’m a senior member of staff at her school so I have pretty good insider knowledge of the attainment levels (and general teacher knowledge of the children’s abilities) of the children in her year group and the other years too. This is the first time I’ve posted anything about my child being clever on mumsnet. Not intended as a boast but reassurance that children can be stretched and challenged within their own year group. I have another DC who is quite different academically but no less wonderful.

I’ve got a clever summer born currently in reception. You’d be utterly mad to try to push to disadvantage your child when you’ve got an advantage that will likely stay with your daughter all the way through.

Even though my 4 yo is very able she is aware that there are some things the 5yos can do that she can’t. The biggest thing is fine motor skills. She’s doing really well with writing but the autumn born girls just have more control, can draw better etc. She is largely keeping up with them but it requires much more effort and practice for her to do so.

I just don’t understand why on earth you’d be worried about coasting during nursery to the extent you’d set your child up to have a massive disadvantage throughout her school years.