Daughter born 1 day over school deadline for admissions

[Sunburymum]

My daughter is 3 and a bit years old, born 1 sept 2020. The council have allowed me to apply for her to start reception in sept. Not sure if they will accept but if they do I'm a bit stuck what to do. She's very bright and confident,her speech is advanced as well as her writing and numbers.She is currently in nursery in age group 3-5 so varying abilities meaning she's not always being stimulated as lots of kids are younger or different ability. We feel reception would benefit her. If she doesn't go this year does she start reception when she's 5 and year 1 when she 6 or does she jump straight to year 1 as she'll be 5 on 1st sept 2025. Also some.parents are telling me not to send her to reception this year and have her another year at home as I'll be sending her to college and uni a year earlier?very confused.....

I am a 1st September birth too, and while I think I started school at 5, a few of us were moved from Reception to Kindergarten early, so I ended up in the year above. I wasn't the youngest though. One poor girl was born in January. I used to think she was a terrible crybaby, but looking back, she really was virtually a baby.

None of us did badly academically - I guess we were picked to go up because we were doing OK, but I think socially I was definitely behind the older ones, as I would have been if I was August born, of course, but then there would have been no choice. My mum told me not that long ago that she could see a difference in maturity between me and my peers even at university.

It was a bit of a drag being the last one to be able to start learning to drive at school, but other than that I don't think I found it that difficult being younger. Now it's great, as I have nearly a year on most of the school friends that I still see. They were contemplating their 50th birthdays when I was still a 48 year old spring chicken!

However, watching my May-born son struggle behaviourally an socially, where my November-born daughter flew through primary, I do think a later start gives you an advantage overall.

Your daughter sounds like mine. Bright, sociable, .... mines a November baby. I waited till she was four (nearly 5tbf) to send her to reception because I figured they have the rest of their lives to be measured by academic achievement, so let her play an extra year and be a kid. When she moved up she was so much more confident than a year before and it gave her a real boost to be one of the older ones of the year rather than the youngest. Don't be in a hurry to chuck her in the school system, they are there for years as it is.

Thanks to all of you for your advice,especially those who did it without judgement or insult. I see the overwhelming response is to leave her another year, based on evidence and personal experiences. It's nice to see others with the youngest in the year achieving well too.
As part of my application I did have to submit supporting evidence,which her nursery provided. I also had to do the same for the schools I was applying to, one of which did and the other two didn't. I guess I'll wait to hear what the council decide and go from there.
Again,thanks!

Fair play to you OP for a gracious response to some pretty shitty posts.

Please come back and update us as to whether or not your child is excepted into school early… It’s very interesting as I didn’t even know this was possible unless there were exceptional circumstances.
ultimately I think you know your child best and I guess legally if they are excepted and then you think it wasn’t the best thing for your child you could then revert back to starting the following September.
Good luck

My two were both born early in September and sailed through school being one of the eldest in their year.
So much better than being the youngest surely.

This is false. My daughter started reception class at 4 years and a week. They don’t need to be in FULL TIME education until the first term after their 5th birthday, so I f you choose to hold them back and stay in preschool/nursery for a year you can. But if they are ready to move to the next school, why wouldn’t you?

It’s not false, and you’re quite rude.

The post is not saying that all children start age 5. It is saying that OP’s child will be 5 when they start because their birthday is on 1 September.

Pretty much every child starts school aged 4 and OP is well aware of that.

The OP is wanting the year they turn 4. Not the year they turn 5.

Have you checked how the council will deal with progression to secondary school?

Don’t send. Being the youngest is awful and difficult (have a summer born who is second youngest). Much better to be the oldest.

I just don't understand why anyone would want to do this to their child unless they are a twin as in the previous example. Or why any local authority would fund this. All you have to go on at this stage is statistics as you have no idea how she'll cope. And statistically it is not in her best interest. Not to mention all the crap she'll have to deal with as a teen like left behind on nights out, the last to learn to drive, navigating teen relationships she may not be mature enough to deal with.