Can someone enlighten me about January and September intakes?

[MrsFogi]

I'm a bit lost about how all this works so can someone give me an idiot's guide? In particular, if dd starts nursery in a January intake, will she move into reception two terms later or would she stay in nursery for five terms (she's a January birthday)? Also I take it that dd2 being an October birthday would be a January intake too?

My DD is a January birthday and starts in September, so can't much help you with your first qurestion, sorry! For the second, your DD2 should start school in September also.

Unless you are in Scotland, where I believe the school intake system works a little differently, although not sure how.

If you were at our school she would start in September. Children whose birthdays are February or later would start in January. No one does more than 3 terms in a school nursery.

Dd2 would start nursery and reception in September.

at our school, they do five terms at nursery.

So my dd whose 4th birthday is in June, will start in reception at Easter next year.

Aaaargh I just don't get the school system! Does it make any difference if the school and nursery are private?

probably

Ds is June 04 born. He started Nursery Jan others in his class started Sep. All spend 3 terms in nursery. Those that move over to Reception in the Jan only spend 2 terms in reception then all start together in Year 1. In my ds' case 2009 will be Jan Reception then September 2009 will be Starting Year 1. Make any sense?

BTW cut off points for Hertfordshire are August-Feb September start March-July Jan start.

It very much depends on where you live. My dd is born June 04 and started Nursery last September she will start Reception in Jan 09. She will have had 4 terms in reception. We only have 2 reception intakes now.

Doh! I mean't 4 terns in NURSERY not reception.

It depends where you live.

Where I am (Lincs) the schools only intake in September and the nursery starts from the term after they are 3. So my July born dd would only get 3 terms in nursery whereas her October born friend would get 5.

Try looking on your local coucil website under the education section. There you should find an explanation of the admission process and school start dates.

I suggest the council too - sorry I can't help, we only have one intake in September, all in full time after 3 half days.

It depends where you live and which education authority.
In my area all children start reception the September after their fourth birthday and commence nursery on their third birthday.
Other education authorities have different systems.

Could do either , depending on the school/LEA . Your dd2 would probably be a September starter. However most private schools I've come across only do the September intake into Reception regardless of when/if they started nursery.

My dd went into nursery in Sept 03 and into reception in January 05 (June birthday) so she did 4 terms in nursery. One little boy had 5 terms in nursery from January 03 to July 04 but that was very rare - he was literally the only child left in nursery for the new intake when my dd started as he had scraped a place the preceding year. I live in a London Borough but it may have changed since then .

I'm pretty sure the law requires children to start the term before they are 5. Called 'rising 5'. The cut off date may be slightly different though. This applies whether or not they are at the nursery as a nursery place is not part of admissions criteria generally.

No Law is term after they are 5 to be "in education".

If you defer the school place until after their 5th birthday though, they will join their age-group in year one and bypass reception altogether - and the school may not hold the place for them. I considered this for my dd as she is one of the youngest in her year but I was afraid she'd lose her peer group from nursery. So I bit the bullet and let her go with the others .

but Autumn and Spring term b'days are 5 during the year , only summer born would be waiting until Year 1. In practice most schools encourage a September or January start anyway.

That's true - this wouldn't really apply to a January birthday. Scrub what I said in that case

MrsFogi, a January b/day would not normally start nursery till after Easter hol, that's if the nursery has an intake then (it may not as no-one would be leaving to go to school). Nursery starts term after they are 3.

She will start reception when she is 4 and 3/4, even if yr school has 2 intakes (many don't now anyway).

October b/day might start nursery January and have five terms.

Must add tho that our lovely nursery school has been full this school yr since September and so has not been able to offer places to autumn-born children to start in Jan and do 5 terms (it did last yr). You may be luckier tho

I'm talking about an LEA nursery ie a nursery school or nursery unit at a school.

A private nursery ie daycare ofcourse you can start at any age. Vouchers kick in for funding term after child is 3 (mar 31 is cut-off date for Easter purposes btw).

In my school a January birthday would start the Tuesday after the child's birthday or if the child's birthday fell on a Tuesday they would start that day. They would start reception the September after their fourth birthday so would spend 5 terms in nursery and 3 in reception. It is a LEA maintained school.