Reception school

[Tora8]

My little one is only 3 nearly 4 next month ,he will only be 4 when he goes to school this September and I know a lot can change in this time but at the minute his no wear ready to go to school ,his only just getting used to nursery. Can I have information on how to go about deferring a year till my little one is 5 . Just so I have that option if my little one is not really for school this September . Thank you all

You can’t defer but if you want him to go when he’s 5 then you just decline your allocated school and reapply for an in year transfer next year for a year 1 space.

You should know you’ll have less choice though, the best schools will be full. You’ll just have to accept wherever there is a space.

And most children start when they are 4. Reception class takes that in to account.

If he is 4 in March you will struggle to argue for deferred Reception unless he has diagnosed additional needs or you live in Scotland. In England it is still unusual to defer even if Summer born. He will mature before September and you can support his readiness in the meantime. Does he attend preschool/nursery?

My daughter is turning 4 in March too. I asked the LEA about deferring and they said no, only if her birthday fell between April and Aug. I have made an arrangement with a local school where she can attend their nursery school until March (part time), and then join the Reception class for summer term (when she legally starts school). I feel more comfortable with this arrangement because it gives her an extra 7 months to mature.

We are moving from abroad and it's possible we are only being offered this option because of our circumstances. But maybe it's an option worth exploring if you think your son is not ready. 4 seems so young to me to be in full time school, but I know that's the norm.

The school will be set up to introduce you child gently. They have experience with this.

They form strong binds with class mates and learn a lot about how their time in school will work from using a coat peg, lunch time, whistle at break, register etc. Its all done in a way suitable for 4/5 year olds. There's a real risk if your child doesn't attend they will be at more of a disadvantage having not learnt these basics. Its expected these are known in Year 1 and the kids have strong bonds with each other by then.

I think it's a real concern for you so speak with the school, ask for more information about how they deal with kids who maybe aren't ready. Hopefully this will put your mind at ease. Deferring/skipping to Year 1 is a big decision your lucky enough to be thinking about it now and can do more research to decide what's best.

I don’t think you can defer. Deferring is for summer born children only normally.

Look up the Facebook flexible school admissions for summer borns. even though he was born in March they will be very helpful.

He will be fine, honestly.
My DS is July born so was only 6 weeks after turning 4 when he started reception last year.
He could barely hold a pencil, let alone write his name or recognise letters. He couldn’t even colour in or draw a simple picture.
Anyway, he has come on enormously in the last term and a half, and has learnt really quickly how to do all the above things.
He does lack some of the emotional intelligence that the older children have, but he’s more likely to learn that in this environment rather than if I had left him in nursery.
It does help that he has an exceptional teacher, and we were really careful to choose a school that would nurture him.

Honestly, he will do so much better having that year in reception, rather than dropping him into year 1 without the skills the others will have learned.

You legally have to have your child in school (or suitable alternatives) by the start of the term after they turn 5. For a march birthday, that means the start of the summer term. You apply for your place as normal to start in September (presumably you've already done this), accept it as normal.

Then speak to you both the school and your local educatio authority to tell them you won't be taking up the place until Easter 2020. They have kerp it open. However, you might be doing a disservice to your dc, as all of their classmates will have been practicing their reading and writing for months by then. Will your dc be able to catch up?

You will not be able to avoid school until Sept 2020 if that is what you thought. Only April - Aug children could do that.

He'll be fine, March is only half way through the year. If they don't attend reception they miss out on a lot of basics but also can struggle to fit into an established class especially if they aren't very outgoing. One of my DD's did skip reception due to being abroad and it wasn't easy for her despite her being academically ahead of her peers (I taught her to read and write).

I have deferred for different reasons but mu little boy is April birthday and I believe it only applies to April to August birthdays you could look into this you could also discuss phased entry with the school as they don't legally have to be I full time school till they are 5 but I do think this could cause problems of done long term as he will miss lots of the phonics work ect

Many schools do a staggered start to Reception, phasing mornings, afternoons, lunch before full day in the first term so it may be some time before he is expected to go full time. Also if you accept the place for September you can still try to negotiate to start later in the academic year without forfeiting the place, which could be as late as Easter as that is the term after he turns 5. No all schools are willing to be flexible but it may be reassuring to have the option if there are concerns about his readiness nearer the time.

Send him part time for the first 2 terms?