Advice on primary school grade dilemma - Australia

[DinkyTie]

When we left the UK last year dd had just completed grade 2. When she started school in Aus in Jan this year she was put in grade 2 again.

I have given it some time and I'm sure she needs to be in grade 3. I've a meeting with the school this week and I'm pretty sure they won't do anything so just looking for some advice.

She was 8 in January, is performing better in some areas here and at level in others. I don't think she's gifted but I feel she needs to be more challenged, and in her correct peer group.

Dh feels she's actually gone backwards since starting school here, which I can understand, but I felt there was too much pressure in the UK.

What State are you in? Government or Non Gov school
Did th,e school give reasons for the grade 2 placement on enrolment?

We're in Victoria, non Government school. They said grade 2 because of her age.

Since they are almost half-way through the school year , I wouldn't be pushing to move her up. You say she is performing at level in some areas and above level in others - I'd think that she'd be better off staying in Gr 2 now. There would be a lot of stress for her to change grades , try to make new friends, and to deal with work which she hasn't done before.

It's not unusual for Australian kids to be in gr 2 at age 8 . Talk to the principal, but be prepared to have them say that it's better to keep her where she is.

My daughter is very young in her grade after an international move. It was exactly right in grade 2, but now she's in grade 5 she's looking quite a lot younger than her peers. I think you should try to project forward a few years and think about what it'll look like when she's 11, or 13, or 15.

It's not just about now, it's her future education too. She'll be 18 at the start of year 12.

And we may return to the UK at some point, I need to balance this.

The UK is a bit more advanced in terms of learning material anyway. Everyone I know who moved to Australia have had kids who needed to jump 2 grades - and found government schools really didn’t support or understand this as effectively as private. Definitely have the conversation with the school and ask to see material from grade 3 and 4.

I actually am leafinthewind thinking forward

That does sound a very odd grade decision to me too. Growing up in Sydney I had a friend who was in the year below me with a January birthday, to my May birthday (young end of the year but not the youngest). This had happened because she'd started school in Qld then moved - they started later. I understand that Qld have had to change their schooling system to bring it more into line with the other states, ie an earlier start to educational input.

Now I know that April - July birthdays being held back has steadily become more normal since I left school (age 17.5), but January seems quite out of line. I would absolutely agree that she needs to be moved up to be with her peer group, and unlike the person suggesting it's the middle of the year so don't, I'd say it's already the middle of the year and needs to happen urgently.

I hope you haven't been the victim of someone misguidedly wanting to prove that UK education is behind ...

I remember thinking, the last time I took my children home for a visit, how crazy it was that my just turned 12 yr old son (July) would have still been in primary school had we been based there, rather than having just finished year 7. He also looked well and truly like a child who belonged in highschool at that point!

DS turned 8 in March and he is in year 2. There are several other children in his year that are turning 8. He could be year 3 but decided to hold him back on the advice of his preschool teacher, in part so he would be slightly older in high school.

Cross-posted, OP. How old will she be when she finishes high school? Is she just old in the grade, or is she actually out of grade? It's so hard when you cross between hemispheres, isn't it? UK schools may well not be at all flexible when you get back - though private may be different.

There is no real age standard between states here and in my state there is an 18 month age difference between children in the same grade due to the ability to hold back or send early.

On of mine turned 8yo in Year 3 and the others turned 8yo in Yr 2 so not sure why the school would automatically assign Yr 2 due to age? That's public schools though, private schools set their own rules. We swapped one of ours (the one who was 8yo in Yr 3) from public primary to private high school. Some private schools refused to take them from Year 6 due to age and said they either had to repeat Year 6 at the public school before they could start at their school in Yr 7 or would have to repeat Yr 6 at their junior school if they had one and had space so they would be the 'right age' for Yr 7 at their schools. This child was a high academic performer so it was not like they were behind and would have benefited from repeating. That was a few years in advance though as most schools have waiting lists and I guess the schools thought maybe they could have a drastic change in academic standards by then? We did end up finding a private school that would take them into Year 7. Only problem we have found is that they are 12-18 months younger than all of their friends so they were the last to drive etc. Benefits were they were not as much of an adult in Year 12 as making 18/19yo's bring in permission slips signed by parents for sports carnivals and excursions etc is ridiculous but happens in both the public and private systems here.

Sorry, should have added, I'm in Australia.

I would have started DD at 5 here, not 6 as she was ready. It feels like it's stunting her by keeping her in grade 2.

I've given it a few months as I did want to give it a chance, we were all still settling in from the move.

She goes to a private school, so it sounds like there is more flexibility to get this sorted?

Private schools should have more flexibility, yes. But at least some can also be more difficult in terms of deciding they don't want children young in year. Having said that I still don't think a January birthday should be being viewed as young in year!

My sister (late June) was put on a table in kindergarten that they were planning to repeat - the preschool class was overfull so they bumped some up. May to July birthdays I think. When my mother realised what was going on ... (actually I think my sister came home saying she was dumb, because she was on the dummies table - unlike a friend she'd been at a different preschool with. She was also reading before starting school). It did get sorted.

A friend of mine, early May birthday, was forced to repeat a year during highschool when she had a year "out" due to her father's sabbatical. Most of that year out they were educated in England, but it was just used as an excuse. But that was unusual at the time, as one of only a couple of schools being fussy about birthdays later than about March at that time, as far as I know.

I think, in your position, I would be insisting DD is put up for the rest of the year and given the opportunity to "prove herself". Agree to a review at the end of the year if necessary. I hope that there isn't a "all classes are full" problem contributing to it though. Fingers crossed!

That does sound odd op. My dd is Jan born and was 7 in year 2.

I have a meeting this week with the school, I'll update on how it goes. I'm feeling a little more positive now, thanks everyone.

I’m watching this thread with interest as my son will be completing Year 1 in the UK in July then coming to Sydney. Based on his birthdate if he starts as a mid year admission in Sydney in Sept, he would be in reception/kindergarten.

I’ve had a conversation with the school that having completed two full years of UK school, he should not be put in kindergarten, 1.5 years behind. But the outcome seems far from clear.

@EatCheese how old is he? Kindergarten here isn't the same as reception. Reception is the first year of school.

sorry I disagree with the private schools are more flexible. A lot of them regulate the starting age so they won’t accept kids on the younger end. They might argue for differentiation rather then moving up especially if her current cohort is an older rather then younger year.

I would argue the point that if you return to the UK she will be substantially behind

I think you'll find that being older for your year is better than being one of the youngest especially when to comes to high school . If she is only average in some subjects you may find that she is then behind if she were to move up a grade. If she was ahead in everything yes sure, but you say she is not so I'd be tempted to leave it. And seriously, it's Year 2 not high school. If she has already made friends and settled after a move from another country you risk unsettling her further. I speak from experience having changed countries myself when I was 12.

Children are often 8 or turning 8 in Year 2. You'll see as a previous poster has said that there can be as much as 18 months difference between ages in a class so she is with her peer group. Though she would also be in peer group in Year 3 if at the younger end of the spectrum.

It's also not common and quite rare to move children mid year in Australia even in private schools. Private schools often have a lower class size ration than public schools and there may not be room for her in Year 3 - which may have been another consideration when the school placed her. If she is very advanced they are more likely to skip her next year straight to Year 4.

While you may feel she is not being challenged intellectually, she may have a few social problems skipping up a grade mid-year. Children are often not particular kind to a child jumping grades.

If you fear she is not being challenged there are programmes like Kumon that run externally from the school she could participate in.They tend to focus on Maths and English. And this would definitely challenge her.

We have a son who is one of the older kids in his year, he could've been the youngest in an higher year but we decided we'd rather he be 18 in Year 12 rather than being 17. We felt we'd rather he was one of the kids with a drivers license, rather than being driven by mates. Strange reason, but there are a lot of accidents with young male drivers carting their friends around.( And we live regionally where the problem is worse)

As an aside unless the school runs from K-12, I'd be hauling ass to get a placement in a private High School. Many of these are booked out from very early ages, and you may struggle finding her a place unless you get moving now.

For @eatCheese. NSW

"Children can begin compulsory Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn five on or before 31 July in that year. By law, all children must be enrolled in school by the time they turn six."
Again, being very young for your year, whether or not he has have already completed a certain amount of schooling may not be to his advantage long term.

See more at www.schools.nsw.edu.au - this site might give you a bit more clarity about it.

My son is 5 now. August birthday. Had he been born 2 weeks earlier, there would not be this dilemma as his birthday would mean Year 2 in the NSW 2020 school year. Instead, by his birthday, he would be repeating Year 1 unless I convince the school otherwise.

Him going into Year 2 in NSW 2020 is non-negotiable. This is a 3 year move to Sydney and I’m not having him lose a full year on his return to the UK. If it cannot happen that he goes into NSW Year 2 in 2020, we will leave just Australia immediately and return to London.

@eatcheese maybe ask them if he can do an ability test? To confirm his level and then you can probably insist on a higher placement. And are you aiming for private or public schools? Private schools sad to say , often have a higher standard of teaching.
Have you already chosen the school?
And what area in Sydney is also quite dependent on the quality of the school you will find publicly. Zoning also applies for some of the better primaries. I'm from Sydney - so if you want any info I'm happy to help.

The Naplan results ( a standardised test run here) are published online, and that shows you the standard of each school comparatively . Can help with choosing one of the better ones.

^ I’d be happy with an ability test. The problem is this appears to be at the discretion of the principal. No problem at the primary school where I am now (Balmain), but when everyone arrives we will probably move to Ryde. What happens there may or may not be the same. It’s quite bothering.

Yes. Balmain would be great - awesome suburb.
Ryde is a bit different to Balmain probably more multicultural .Do you like the area there or is it best for work purposes? There are a couple of other suburbs nearby that are also quite pretty.
Have a look here www.myschool.edu.au . That will show you the ranking of the schools in the area.That way if you've already picked your school you can compare, or see if there are others that maybe better.

It's quite high density out that way and a few of the primaries have really large class sizes. I've been guided by it for choosing our sons schools, and while a lot of teachers hate it, it's useful for parents.

I'd ring every school , including the Catholic ones and privates in the area and ask if a test is possible. Speak the Headmasters or Deputies or the Enrolments officer . Visit the schools. When we moved states I found this really helpful in deciding, as I have a son with an unusual learning disorder and another with OCD.