December babies - when do they start nursery/school in Scotland?

[quickchat]

Just wondering.

My 2nd child (only 15 months ) was born middle of December and it just occured to me that she would be 4 months away from 5 if I started her in that August, that's really young.

My first thought is keep her behind a year but that would mean she would be 3.8 or 3.9 by the time she would go to nursery. Bloody hell, by the time my DS was ready for nursery at 3.3, I was on my knees, dying for someone to entertain him for a few hours while I lay in a dark room with a wet flannel on my brow!

Im sure i've hear some start nursery in January but that would mean she would be at nursery for 2.5 years if I kept her back - do they do that?

You can start her at school when she is 4.8, or leave it till she was 5.8.

She could still start nursery at the regular time (term after she turns three), the potential problem would be the year when she could have started school, if you defer, as funding for a nursery place for that year would not be automatic.

Dd2 is a December baby and started in January after birthday. I think it depends whether they have a space available.

She is going to school in August aged four and a half. This is pretty normal for most children. I think you can defer if you have a Jan/Feb child but will have to pay for extra year in nursery if Dec birthday. I think most parents who defer are glad they did, those who didn't are more ambivalent but on the whole are positive. I guess it's up to you and your circumstances.

She would be due to start in august. As far as I am aware, nov or dec birthdays can apply to defer and Jan or feb can automatically defer. My dd2 is a mid feb birthday so really tiny when she started school. We took advice from nursery and also headteacher who alll said she was ready. I did think about holding her back but purely for selfish reasons as she was my baby and I loved her company. You will know if she is ready when the time comes

If your child is 4 before the 28th of February they can start P1 in August aged 4.5 - 5.5. I know January birthdays can hold back a year. Not sure about December.

Both my boys have Feb birthdays. Ds1 started at 4.5 in a tiny village school - we moved part way through the school year and found he'd barely learnt anything, and ended up starting him off again at P1 in the new school. He's done very well since then.

Ds2 also started at 4.5 desperate to join his brother, and apart from teachers forgetting he's the youngest and expecting better behaviour from him ( he's big for his age) than his actual age implies he's doing well.

Both boys have been in private nursery from 6 months as I work full time.

I see. I wouldn't mind paying for 6 months of nursery If I felt she wasn't ready. It's good that they do that then.

Thanks.

You would be paying for 1 year (Aug to Aug), not 6 months.

My DDs birthday is 27 Feb and she started school at 4 and a half on the advice of the nursery. She was definitely ready but the youngest in the class. Now she is in 3rd year and some of her classmates were 15 while she was still 13.

You will be given advice from your nursery at the time and of course you will know yourself when your DD is ready.

January/Febrauary birthdays are entitled to ask for a deferred entry. For a December birthday you could make a case to your authority if you felt she wasn't ready and, if this was accepted, she would be allowed to defer. As far as I'm aware, once this was done there would be no charge made to the parents, but check that out at local level. Don't worry too much though - she may well be ready at 4.5, but if you feel she's not, the general concensus is that the later kids start school the better so it should be fine!

My understanding is that you can only hold back a December birthday if they have had significant problems before the start of the school year. We were told that this had to be requested by the nursery teacher and not the parents. If you are in doubt at all during the nursery year make a fuss about everything just in case.

you definitely dont have to pay if you defer for a december birthday - my daughter is going to defer (she;s four now, is going to do another pre-school year). she is fine academically, but i think socially and academically she could do with another year at nursery...being younger will perhaps cause problems not just through primary but at secondary too. I think it depends on the region how they look at deferring, our region (borders) rarely rejects requests.

I really wish my ds had been deferred. If you can keep your dd then I would. It does make a difference in secondary. If nothing else kids tend to do stuff as a peer group not at an age. That means they try smoking, drinking, etc together, whatever their age. I know it is horrid to think of our babies at that age just now but it is worth considering.

In Glasgow I don't think you can defer a December child unless there are specific reasons. You can pay - around £3000 gir an extra year ( I think that's what someone on another thread said)

I don't think that people who defer here have to pay - it is just hard to be deferred iykwim. Some P1's repeated P1 instead so if they are really not ready there are still solutions.

It varies by region but I think what most posters say is correct - you are not automatically allowed the option to defer for a Dec birthday. Significant concerns come the time would be raised and backed up by nursery staff, so when you came to apply for deferrment you would get another year paid. If the deferrement was "against advice" so to speak, you could find yourself with no nursery place the year before she starts school (although that might not be a problem for you, up to you).

My DD is a mid-Dec birthday and has just started ante-pre in Jan, she is currently the very youngest in the group, but come April, another group of Jan-March birthdays will start and they will be the very youngest.

I currently have no intention of deferring her, she will start school in the August 4mths before her 5th birthday, and I think she will be ok - BUT I will absolutely take the nursery's advice at the right point.

Would it be a school nursery she goes to? I think that makes quite a difference.