January intake for four year olds does it work for your child?

[whomovedmychocolate]

I have a bit of a problem. My DD was born in October and so would not be due to go to primary school till four weeks shy of her fifth birthday. But she's actually quite studious (already) and they only do reading and maths for an hour a week in her preschool.

I may have the opportunity to send her to an independent school with very small classes (3-4 in the first two years, rising up to 9 on average till 11) in the January. But I'm torn as to whether she'll cope. It's nearly half a year away and I know they can change a lot at this age but wondered if there were any parents who've made this decision and how it went.

My other child is a July baby who would be starting school at the same age. So the other consideration is that they would be two years apart in school rather than one year apart, which would be easier in terms of finance because we would have less crossover of school and university years funding. But does that detract at all from the school experience of being at school with your brother or will they ignore each other anyway after the age of six?

Any views?

Surely she will still be in the same school year regardless of when she starts? She will just spend longer in Reception.

There are 3 intakes a year at my DC's school. So DS1, who turned 4 in the September, started school the following January and did 5 terms in Reception. DS2, who turned 4 in the May, started school the following September and did 3 terms in Reception. DD, who was 4 last February, started school last April and will do 4 terms in Reception.

Mine all coped fine with starting school soon after their 4th birthdays, but then it is normal here. I do think that the children who spend more time in Reception have an advantage over those who only have 3 terms though.

You need to double check what the classes are equivalent to and how they move them up. At dc school they have a nursery which takes 2 1/2- 3's in one year group, rising 4's (like your dd) in the next (some might call this Kindergarten or Transition) and then move to Reception (or its equivalent) in September, so she would n't be "ahead" of her peers which I think is what you are implying. Our dc are 3 school years apart and it has been fine if hard logistically - different start/finish times- until this coming year when for the first, and probably only time, they will theoretically synchronise !

No, she would have spring and summer terms in reception then go into the year 2 in September 2011 I think.

Perhaps it's different in state schools, I don't know. She's achieved all her learning aims (or whatever they call it) for the next year she is due to do in preschool.

BTW thanks for replying I would like her to not be pushed too fast but we do not have a place for her at a state school and are unable to find a place for DS at the same preschool so I'm thinking it would make sense to move them both together so he goes to preschool where they will both go to school, when she goes to school IYSWIM? Sorry this is a bit complicated.

LIZS - this school only starts at 4 and runs up to 18. So there is no preschool/kindergarten bit. There is a separate preschool down the road we'd put DS in though for logistical reasons.

And the school days are the same for all the school with wraparound care offered if you need it. So luckily we won't hopefully have the timing issues (though I reckon they will both end up doing after school things on different days ).

This is an interesting problem - in Hampshire ( my teaching cluster anyway) Reception children all start full time in September. We home visit the first week of term, they all come in the second week ( most of them mornings only for now); autumn children stay all day, the next week spring children stay all day and the third week summer childrenstay all day. So by the last week in September everyone is in all day. Obviously there is flexibility in the system for children who look as if they will struggle, or for parents who feel their child isn't quite ready yet. I'm surprised that not every authority isn't having Reception children in as soon as we do - I was under the impression that there was an entitlement to a certain number of hours and that schools had to offer that. Of course, it's up to the parents if they want that.

I would say that so few children in a class (3-4) is a bit disasterous from a teaching and social point of view. It's difficult to get children to bounce off each other (if you know what I mean) with so few, and socially it can either be great, or awful. What if they hate each other - who else do you make friends with? It may be fine to start, but what if your friend moves away? Your choices are very limited then. I've taught in schools with 35 in infant classes and ones with 5/6 in a class. I'd say that 10 was the lowest number that was good for getting a class to gel and work well together. 15 would be the most that works best - sadly, the state doesn't see it that way!

I wouldn't worry about your children being together at school - in my experience most siblings ignore each other and play with their own friends - even the twins/triplets.

whomovedmychocolate have I got this right she would be going into Y2 just before her fifth birthday?

So she would go into Year 2 aged 4? Perhaps it is different in private school, but that seems very strange.

Mrz - yes she would go into y2 three weeks before her fifth birthday but then DS will start school when he is 4 and a quarter and go into y2 at 5 1/4.

I would definitely be wary of putting her two years ahead of her age. DD is 4 and is bright, but is no way socially ready to be in Year 2 with her 6 year old brother.

Is your DS being moved up a year as well then?

I think you might have got confused.

Reception goes from 4 until the September after their 5th birthday.
Year 1 is then from then until the September after their 6th birthday.
Year 2 is then from then until the September after their 7th birthday.

Oops! sorry - totally missed the moving up 2 years angle - just ignore my post.

I am a bit confused. Will your DD be 4 this October ie born in 2006? I don't think that independent schools generally put children into higher years than their age would suggest automatically, although they possibly have more flexibility to do so than state schools.

Do you mean she would go into a new class next September, rather than year 2?

My DS started school at a mixed nursery/reception class the term after he was 4 so in January as he was born in November. He was in that class for 5 terms and was doing things in nursery he probably wouldn't have been doing in preschool. DD also started there and learned to read etc but we moved here in June and she went back to preschool. She starts reception in September.

I wouldn't worry about her not being stretched enough academically - you can keep her interested in learning. Although if you are interested in private school there is obviously no harm in it.

3-4 in a class is tiny though. I would bd a bit worried about sustainability of the school tbh.

Ah domesticsluttery may have the answer then and I'm not putting her two years ahead of her age.

In this school the first year (age 4) is called reception class.
The next year is year 1 (aged 5) etc.

So for example, in normal circumstances she would be a month shy of five in reception. Whereas I have the option for her to go when she's four.

DS however is summer born so he would naturally be a year below her in school. So he'd be due to go to school in 2012 and he'd be four and three months when he joined the reception class. DD if she went in January would be four and three months as well.

Is this making sense?

I think the different names of years is confusing - well it is to me anyway.

OK, have thought more about this (and have more time to type as the DC are playing in the garden!)

Regarding having children close together in school age, I have 3 DC with 20 months between DS1 and DS2, and 20 months between DS2 and DD. So since Easter I have had one in Reception, one in Year 1 and one in Year 2. Years 1 and 2 is a mixed class (it is a small school) so the boys were actually in the same class. On the whole they ignored each other so I wouldn't worry too much about that!

With regard to starting school in January I think there is no problem if she is just going to spend an extra 2 terms in Reception. If she is moving up a school year (ie will be in Year 1 from September 2011) then I would have some reservations as a child who is bright at 3.5 may have just peaked early. It is far better for a child to be slightly ahead of the children in their class than struggling to keep up. A good teacher should be able to differentiate the work within a child's own year group, I know there are parents on MN with children who are working 3 or 4 years ahead of their peers but are still in the correct year group. A child who is academically ready to move up a year is not necessarily socially ready.

As for moving her up 2 years (going into year 2 in September 2011), well this magnifies all of the potential problems listed above!

Soudns lieka matter of semantics as much as anything . If class sizes are so small (and agree that less than 10 is very limiting socially, something like 16 is ideal) then they can just teach whatever is appropriate to the level of the children and name the classes whatever they like - perhaps to pander to more ambitious parents who would like to perceive their dc as "advanced". Might casue confusion were they to move school later on though. Independent shcools are not constrained by NC but they should adhere to the same Foundation Stage curriculum for under 5's as the preschool. Can you clain Early Years funding there until she turns 5 there ?

Cross posted...

Either I'm being dense (quite possible, have only had one cup of coffee this morning...) or the names for the year groups are the same as state school.

Your DD was born in October 2006. Normally she would start school in September 2011 in the Reception class. She would then move to Year 1 in September 2012, and year 2 in September 2013 etc etc.

You are proposing that she will start school in January 2011, and go into Reception. She would then move into Year 1 in September 2011 and Year 2 in September 2012. Or she would stay in Reception for 5 terms (which is quite common).

domesticsluttery - I have a 20 month gap as well. The state school we wish they could get into has mixed classes too so we'd be in the same boat.

I was accelerated two years at school and I definitely would not wish that to happen to my kids. I sat about at the end of the primary school for two years teaching the other kids to read - I was bored shitless and it really put me off education!

LIZS you can claim early years funding till she turns 5 yes, I think it covers about a third of the cost. The socialisation aspect, well they spent two thirds of their time outdoors - it's a quaker school, they believe it's valuable to learn outside - so for example they count leaves, and do a lot more physical learning (building dens/thatching etc.) than state schools, and I think this helps if they are in very small classes (you wouldn't want to have 15 small kids running around an open field with one or two teachers would you?)

In which case it must subscribe to the Early Year Foundation Stage and be Ofsted inspected. Actually I'd love to see 15 4yo's running a round a field ! Certainly not an unmanageable number. That was exactly what ds experienced when we lived abroad, all weathers too.

We are in Wales and have the Foundation Phase up until 7, so we have a class of 30 running around an open field with one teacher and one TA

DD1 was born end of 2006, she startred nursery last january and this September she is going to be in nursery again for 1 full year and then start Reception in September 2011.

There's a couple of Quaker schools here I have recently discovered - you're not in York are you?

Nope. Oxfordshire - I think there are nine quaker schools in the UK.