Applying for primary school - Scotland - Help!

[Hereforit2022]

Wondering if anyone can advise?

I have a LB who was born middle of march. He misses out on starting primary school August 2023 by 12 days (he was actually due on 28th February, was overdue). Do you know if I can apply to get him into school for August 2023? And if so how I do it?

He is very much ready for school in my opinion and has cousins/friends due to start next year so would love him to join them

Speaking as a primary teacher….

nursery isn’t supposed to be “challenging” 🙈

I probably didn't use the correct word. Stimulating maybe

Apologies, as all of my kids have been through the East Dunbartonshire system I probably assumed every other council was the same.

But my kids are all now older secondary and over the years of them being in schools and knowing all of their peer groups I've never come across any child whose parents have taken the option to send a March/April birthday early. And this is Bearsden/Milngavie, home to the pushiest parents in the world. At the other end of the year though, it's far more common to defer than not defer.

Wonder why it's still listed as an option.

Ds had a friend whose mum had got him into school "early" (February birthday). He actually should have gone to the excellent and well regarded primary school that ds went to but ds' headteacher refused to countenance it, so he ended up putting in a place request and going to a school further away that means his mum had to take him to school (his catchment school was literally beside where he lived).

He should have been in the same year as ds (who has a September birthday) but was the year ahead.

Ironically, a few years later, his mum, who'd gone to Uni to study to be a primary teacher, ended up doing some teacher training at ds' school and realised what a wonderful school it was.

They moved back to England when he was about 10 (his mum was English). Not sure which year he would've gone into as by my mental calculation, he'd have been out of synch with the English system to.

This was in Glasgow - over 15 years ago.

Ds had another friend at secondary who was a non-deferred February birthday. He was highly intelligent and more than coped academically - but ds said his younger age sometimes showed (he never said in what way - maybe maturity?).

Even though he did S6, he was still 17 for most of his 1st year at Uni.

I'd find other ways of stimulating your ds. Just because his relatives are going to school in 2023 is not sufficient reason for him to go. This will impact on his whole life. He'll make new friends once he starts school and his cousins will still be his cousins

I've never come across any child whose parents have taken the option to send a March/April birthday early. And this is Bearsden/Milngavie, home to the pushiest parents in the world. At the other end of the year though, it's far more common to defer than not

@FamilyTreeBuilder this may be because these parents know it will benefit their DC to be amongst the oldest rather than the youngest in the exam years. And they also know their DC will likely be leaving home and heading to university and don't want them going at 17.

My experience of the private school system is that Jan/Feb birthdays are all deferred, and many December as well. For the very reasons above where almost all the children will be aiming for university.
I've even known 2 Feb born children apply for S1 entry but the school would only offer them a P7 place. Actually worked out well for the DC involved

Can’t he go to school nursery. It runs 9-3ish anyway and is a soft introduction to school.

If he's getting bored I'd probably put my energies into looking for a more suitable nursery for him, and also look into finding other interesting activities for him at home and outside nursery. Lots and lots of good books, imaginative toys, trips to child-friendly museums, and try out some sports/music/foreign language clubs or classes for children. Find a nursery where he will be interested and happy, and look at it more as somewhere where he goes to learn emotionally and socially rather than necessarily academically, if that makes sense? I agree that lots of DC are more than ready to learn aged 4, but it doesn't all have to happen at school. There is a lot you can do at home, and if he is emotionally secure and happy that is the very best basis for more "academic" learning.

Hi Op, I'd agree with a school nursery class. Ours was very structured whilst remaining play based and very nurturing. Lots of emphasis on social skills and laying the foundations fir skills for learning. They are very much part of the school, join in in assemblies and all special days. P7 buddies come into the nursery to start transitions in the pre school year. They eat their lunch in the canteen with the other classes. They see the school teachers all the time in the school and by the time they transition into school they are very much part of the school already.
My child was there until just before 6 as were others and they weren't bored but were very ready for school when it started and emotionally ready for school, making learning easier.
As others say, it's a full school day, 0845 to 0310 here.

Hi, it's been started as a pilot in a few councils with a plan to roll out in 2023.

You're probably right, @BalmyBalmes , pushy parents are probably the ones who want their child as the oldest, not the youngest and aren't so bothered about the extra costs for childcare in their final year at preschool. Not so much an issue now that preschools and nurseries are 9-3, but when my kids were that age it was 9-12 and if you needed childcare, you shelled out the extra.

@Awumminnscotland

No, the move in 2023 is to extend automatic deferral to Sep-Dec births rather than just Jan/Feb as it is now.

Early enrolment is denied by most LAs but 4 mentioned earlier in the thread have allowed it. Source was an FOI request by Upstart Scotland.

Yes sorry that's what I was referring to , the deferrals to be parent choice from Aug as think another poster had also. My mistake I thought that's what you hadn't heard of .