If it was up to you..what age would you want your child(ren) to start school?

[emkana]

Following on from my other thread here
I would be interested to hear opinions when children should ideally start school.
I would say five would be a good age. I think four is still too young, but six or even seven, which it often is in Germany, seems quite old, looking at my dd1 who is nearly four and already seems so keen to learn about letters and numbers.
What does everybody here think?

I would say 6.
But perhaps from say 4 or 5 they should be at a nursery a few mornings a week where they can start learning numbers and things but in a more laid-back environment.

agree that some kids seem "ready" for school a lot earlier than others.... and yet they're all chucked in at the same age regardless

6 or 7. With a bit of help at home, I think they could get there with letters and numbers. It broke my heart when my 'baby' went full time, a month before her 5th birthday.

Totally agree, starlover.

6 or 7.

I think kids should start an informal educational setting, socialising and getting ready for a formal learning environment, at about the age of three to four, depending on their individual development.

They shouldn't start any formal learning until at least six or seven, imo. It works for everyone else in Europe - practically every Western European country has higher literacy rates than us, higher levels of public exam passes and infinitely better behaviour. And practically none of them start formal learning until at least six.

I think about 7 to FT school and the formal education.

Maybe a play based kindergarden/nursery setting before then from whatever age a parent decided suited them and their child; although maybe PT compulsary and FREE for 5yos - to get them used to being away from mum/dad, socialising and learning social skills with other children, before formal education started.

It would probably depend a lot on what was on offer before school. If the child was at a good preschool/nursery type thing, then six or even could be a good age.
But in Germany in some places the Kindergartens just leave the children all day every day to run around doing "free play", and that is a wasted opportunity I think. I don't necessarily think that should do all literacy or numeracy work, but topic-based projects would be great and stimulating and every enjoyable for the children, IMO.

DD was more than ready at 3, teaching herslf to read and desparate to do more than I could give her (and no she was noy hot housed). On her first half day she wanted to go back ofter lunch and was upset when she couldn't. ds six or so. they are all individuals

school as in structured education around 6 or 7

but actually full time off my hands / out of hair / not in my face - around 3.5 to 4

Like HMB's DD, mine was more than ready at 3. It was interesting to see people acknowledging that those countries who start "formal" schooling later actually put 6/7 year olds into a much more rigid system (not quite right phrase) than they endure here in the UK.

I don't think it is DD who isn't ready BTW, just me who isn't ready. I hate the idea of my little one having to go to school so early; it just seems that they are so little. Whether they are ready for formal learning or not I just don't like the idea. I guess I just want her to be my baby for longer!

But I think a lot of the informal pre-schooling they do in Europe, prepares the children to be put into a more formal environment at seven, doesn't it ML?

I understood that although what we call formal ed doesn't start til about 7 in Germany and Scandinavia, there is actually a carefully structured programme, beginnning with co-operative and social skills, imaginative and expressive play, and before they learn to write they are introduced to all the various shapes they will need in order to form letters - circles, straight lines, curves etc etc, as abstract concepts, and they are given confidence with all the motor skills needed before embarking on letters themselves. then they learn in a flash.

Hmm, a tough one. I think ds1 who is just 4 is ready for school although I think he'd be quite happy remaining at his sessional pre-school for longer too (9-1pm). He's getting along fine there on numbers and letters but in a more laid back fashion than in other local nurseries, which I prefer.

I agree that about 6ish sounds right for more formal learning, with perhaps some more 'laid back' pre-schooling from 3-4.

I'm quite worried about ds3 who will start school just days after his 4th birthday - he's only 8 months atm so perhaps he'll seem ready but it sounds incredibly young to me.

it so depends on the child

dd (now 4.5) has been in her element in nursery school/fulltime learning since about 2 and a half - she just adores being in a group, joining in, sharing stuff, the more interaction & stimulation the better - she's a bit exhausting outside that world

ds (just 6) still hasn't got it, despite swanning through the academic stuff. He wants to be off in a corner quietly percolating the concept of friction, not having to sit on a carpet tile and say whether the story was about a lion or a tiger. I don't think he'll really be ready for group learning till he's about 8.

Binkie are you me? That's exactly what my kids are like.

I think 5 or 6, but with very structured state preschool up till then - even doing reading/writing etc, but without the pressure of it being 'school' (also with flexibility of pre-school - i.e. not minding if you take them out for a day or a week holiday - it's got to be good for little ones to be able to go for outings with their mums when the places aren't over-run with older children). Ds will be 4 and 3 months, Dd will be just 4 when she starts, and I do think it's too young. The difference between my ds and some of the children who will be 5 in September is huge!

I think from experiences within my family and reports from friends that isn't always the case-it may be the aim but it doesn't always turn out that way. For example family in Holland have had a very tricky time, my cousin remarked that their 6 year old is expected to be too grown up, lots of whole classteaching sat at desks in rows, very little "down time" within school, e.g. P.E., art. Also teachers very strict and "hands-off" which was a bit of a shock after a very casual, cuddly pre-school until that point.

Six or seven, I think, though I admit I was very happy to send dd2 to school when she was five and even tried to get her into a year early!

Hmm. Sounds like it was a bit of a sudden transition. What I liked about my DS's school, is that they had a policy of letting the kids go half time for up to two terms if they needed to (although no-one ever does, because they're so good at getting them integrated after about a month at the latest - they then screw it all up when the kids go into Year 1 and have a sudden transition from the informal, mainly play-based reception class, but that's another story.)

Caligula:

Problem is that they're at the same school, which thinks sun shines out of dd but has developed a special voice for phoning me up about ds. Is your ds's school understanding?

5 for nursery type education and then reception should be for 6 yr olds like in other countries..our kids spend more time in school and from an earlier age than most countries

Oh God, not the special voice!

My DS's school are quite good about accepting that kids are individuals, but I think I'm quite lucky because it's a very small school and they have enough time, resources etc., to be able to deal with that.

reception year is like nursery really isnt it? they are getting themselves ready for when they start proper learing in year one.
i personally feel that a child should be able to start school in the september before or after the one they are actually due to start iyswim. for example my nephew has a sept 1st birthday (lucky for him he wasnt born a few hours earlier or he would of sunk without trace in the current system) other children born the same day may be perfectly capable of starting school the year before, but the law says they cant.
another example, my year one dd was born at the end of april & although way ahead in her work, lacks social skills & could of done with the option of starting school in the following school year instead of at 4 & 4 months. my other dd (feb birthday) who starts reception in september, has been desperate to start school for over a year & would quite happily of started last september.
they should also be grouped according to ability & not age as soon as individual needs are identified.