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Preschool education

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

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Original poster

cut off date for starting school?????

37 replies

sha11 · 13/06/2007 07:36

Hi Please can you all advise me on what to do - I have a 23 month old and baby due in early september.

What I would like to ask is, if you had a choice of when the baby would be born 1-2 days before 31 august or 1-2 days after 1 september what would you choose.

I would prefer the aug option so they would be closer in years at school. What would you advise and the reasons for it.

OP posts:

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MaureenMLove · 13/06/2007 08:06

What do you mean closer? Personally I'd want 1st September. If you think about it, when they are sitting their GCSE's for example one child could be a whole year older than you lo, but in the same school year. It may not be that much of a problem by the time they get to secondary school, but it means that your lo starts mainstream school at only 4. Far better to be the oldest, than the youngest imho.

haarpsichordcarrier · 13/06/2007 08:08

definitely September birthday imo.
much better to be the oldest in the year than the youngest.

PandaG · 13/06/2007 08:09

I'd prefer a child to be oldest in year too, but young in the year not a disaster either, just so much younger than some peers when starting school, and a just 4 yr old may find school more tiring than a very nearly 5 year old when starting. Sure this levels out though

haarpsichordcarrier · 13/06/2007 08:13

actually there was a study that suggested having a September birthday was an ongoing advantage throughout education iirc. will try and look it out later

Original poster

sha11 · 13/06/2007 08:59

maureen - i mean if oldest is in year 3 youngest will be in year 1 not reception.

OP posts:

ELR · 13/06/2007 09:01

definately september especially if its a boy

Original poster

sha11 · 13/06/2007 09:06

elr-why if boy?

OP posts:

MaureenMLove · 13/06/2007 09:21

Ok, I got ya! And yes, why a boy ELR?

WaynettaSlob · 13/06/2007 09:22

My DS1 has a 31st August birthday. i have always thought that this gives us lots of flexibility - if he copes well in his year, well and good, if not we could keep him back.
i was always the youngest in my year, and it didn't damage me!

LIZS · 13/06/2007 09:40

But Waynetta you can't just opt to keep him back usually , UK schools are not that flexible although Scotland uses different timings altogether. We have 3 academic years between ours (Yr4 and Yr1 atm) and it works ok but could be a problem if you have to have a sibling actually attending the same part of the school(ie. Infants) to get a place for child 2 using sibling priority. Developmentally younger boys can have a tougher time in the early years of education but there are potential issues either way tbh.

WaynettaSlob · 13/06/2007 09:43

Perhaps easier in a private school?

themildmanneredjanitor · 13/06/2007 09:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ELR · 13/06/2007 11:07

well girls tend to mature before boys and i have a few friends that work in preschools and they always say the younger boys cope less than the younger girls

hockeypuck · 13/06/2007 11:13

Definitely definitely August birthday

DD's birthday is August 31st, she is the youngest in her year. She was totally ready for school this year, aged 4 and it would have really held her back to have been in nursery for another year. She loves writing and reading and things and was so keen to learn. her teacher said "it's a good job she's not in the year below because she runs rings around half of the older girls" She is socially ready for school too and has had a great year.

There are children who aren't ready for school when they start, but imo it is something they learn, they soon catch up with their peer group and get on with it.

ChasingSquirrels · 13/06/2007 11:28

spetember every time

ChasingSquirrels · 13/06/2007 11:28

or even september

portonovo · 13/06/2007 13:39

Don't think it matters. I'm a late Aug birthday, and I have a summer-born son and I don't think it's made a shred of difference.

I've seen September-born children struggle to settle in at school, both socially and academically, despite being the oldest in their year. Both boys and girls.

If when the time came you felt he/she wasn't 100% ready, there are often flexible arrangements - all summer children at our school do mornings only for one term, and a few children have done only 2-3 mornings until their parents felt they were ready.

In terms of logistics, it can sometimes be better to have them closer together in terms of school years, so they would be in the same schools for longer - there are only 4 school years between all 3 of mine and I'm really glad because juggling 2 different school calendars is a nightmare!

Songbird · 13/06/2007 13:48

My bday is 2nd September, so I was the eldest in my school at primary (some cow at secondary was the 1st Sep!!), which I LOVED!!!

I think it's a good thing, personally; when I went to uni I was a couple of years older than most (I'd had a year out as well) and not that I was this terribly worldy wise old sage, but the others did seem very young. I think this probably had more to do with the year out though.

My aunt still goes on about how I had a head start at infant school because I was 5 when I started (my cousin's bday is April so started the year before me). Mind you, she ended up getting a PhD in biochemistry so didn't do too badly, eh? Just the usual family rivalry to be honest.

Summing up, err, did I have a point ? Oh yes, I don't think it makes much difference, but it may be hard to be very young in your year IYSWIM.

Budababe · 13/06/2007 13:57

Funnily enough just had this discussion with DS's teacher yesterday.

DS is Aug 5 brthday (will be 6) and coming to end of year 1. His teacher is PG on her third DC after a big gap and is due in August. She says hers will not start till age 5. She reckons that in England (we are in Budapest and in a private school atm) children don't legally need to start school till the term that they turn 5. So if her DC is born in August she is under impression that it will start school the September after it turns 5.

What is the legal requirement? I was under impression that they could start at 5 but would go into year 1 and miss reception? She thinks they could do reception at age 5.

MonkeyandBabyBoo · 13/06/2007 15:01

Hockeypuck - it was nice to read about your dd - my dd was born 28th Aug last year and everyone always harps on about how she will be the youngest in the year etc etc. Its nice to know that just because she will be one of the youngest in her year, it does not necessarily mean she will struggle

She was due to be induced on 1st Sept and, although I was throroughly fed up with being pg, I kind of hoped she would wait until Sept for this reason. But I now quite like the thought that she will always have her birthday in the summer hols!

LIZS · 13/06/2007 16:04

Waynetta , ime no more likely in private as they get hung up on age cutoffs for sports etc and technically your ds1 would not be eligible for the same teams as his classmates by going back a year group. It is perhaps easier to advance a year in private though.

hockeypuck · 13/06/2007 16:13

Budababe - in England and Wales, they do not legally have to start school until the September after they turn 5, but they would then go into an age appropriate year, so your friend's child would go straight to year one.

IMO, if children don't start when their peers start it makes it much harder to make friends. Not to mention the fact that most of the good schools will not have space in year one for an extra child as they will have been oversubscribed from the start of reception. \

3sEnough · 13/06/2007 16:23

Budababe - August birthdays are counted as summer term births - the teacher's child would have to start school in the summer term, with a class he/she didn't know, one term settling in and then go straight into Y1 which is a shock after R believe me - the teacher should know this though!!!

As for the OP question - DEFINITELY September. I know a few people on here have had confident little chaps and chapesses who have no problem settling in, even when young for the year, but just suppose for a moment that your child is a boy (yes worse for this) who is sensitive, not vastly sociable, who may have a problem listening or concentrating because they were only 3 a week before they started school!!! This happened to my ds - due in Sept, came early, and it took tears, miles of teacher efforts, part time for months, heartache and nightmares before he STARTED to settle in - that was in the summer term of R. It was truly hideous for all concerned. Don't risk it just to get them closer together academically.

Budababe · 13/06/2007 18:20

Thanks for replies. His teacher is Irish and has never actually taught in UK. Was in Mid East for years and now in Budapest.

ChasingSquirrels · 13/06/2007 20:48

you are legally required to educate from the beginnin of the TERM AFTER their 5th birthday. So (dates approx);
Sep - Dec birthday - from the next Jan
Jan - Mar birthday - from Easter
Apr - Aug birthday - from Sep

There are a number of points with this;

alot of areas do not have 3 term entries, some only have one and some have two.
it is rare for a child to be allocated a place out of their year group
it may be difficult to get a place in Y1, as the school may have been oversubscribed for reception.

As a result the vast majority of children are still 4 when they start school, none of these children are legally required to be there.

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