Starting a year early??

[treetrunkthighs]

I hadn't even considered this but a friend of my MIL works at the Infant School that DD2 will hopefully be starting at in September 2012. She is October born, so would be one of the oldest.

This friend of MIL has called her this morning to say that the school would take DD2 this September if we wanted to.

My heart says no, but I need to give it some thought I suppose.

Anyone done this?

There is an established and growing body of research that suggests we send our children to school too early in this country anyway, e.g...... www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/school_league_tables/article6877189.ece

YOu'll end up with her repeating year 6 which is a pointless year anyway (once they've done the 11+ in our area ....)

Keep her home.

WHen she is nearly 16 and her 17 yr old friends are driving....

I TRIED to do it with my own DD as she was more than ready for School a year early - also Sept born - but hit a brick wall with a ridiculously inflexible LEA - I was p'd off at the time, so was DD & getting her to Nursery from there onwards was a challenge to put it mildly -

but roll forward a few years & the head start that being one of the eldest in class has given her, is something I now realise was by far the best thing for her & I'm so glad the LEA turned my request down flat - I might have made a HUGE mistake if they hadn't.

From my experience - if I were you - knowing what I know now - I'd wait :)

I went into the 'argument' as if it was a ridiculous suggestion (which it is) and managed to close it down in a few minutes. I am confident that the 'friend' has got dd2's age wrong tbh and mil gave up in the end suggesting I should speak to friend myself. Which I won't be going out of my way to do.

Thanks for the backing I needed

And less DH doesn't buy the beautiful journey mindset, point out that there is loads of research about the practical benefits of being old in one's year (send him to read Malcom Gladwell). It is potentially huge advantage which massively outweighs any supposed risk of being a bit bored in reception a year later (plus a good reception will deal with well ahead older children anyway). Why do you want her to do her GSCE's a year earlier, or compete for university places against more mature competition. Don't do it!

What else does MIL's friend tell her about the school and the children who attend? TBH I would be fretting about breaches of confidentiality, no way should a member of staff be talking to anyone 'off the record' about admittances no matter how good a friend they are

Well done. My dd is a summer baby and although academically she's steaming ahead, i can definitely see the difference still in yr 3 between the younger and older children in the class. Older ones really do have an advantage. Statistically it makes a difference to exam results even at GCSE level.

No, don't do it.

My son is also October, so one of the older ones. He has thrived from his year at school nursery and will be starting Reception in September. Like a previous poster, if you can sort the childcare out I would really recommend the school nursery- I guess it depends on the school, but ours is FANTASTIC- daycare places, even the really good ones don't really compare. Childminders drop off and take to the school nursery, and it seems they overlap (at ours) quite a bit with reception stuff so they are really getting ready for school- eg at ours they do PE, ICT and have assembly.

Main reason is the emotional stuff, however intelligent children follow their emotional age in development. DS is thriving from being one of the older, confident ones. He also had lots of friends a couple of months or so older in the year above, but he is very well placed in his own year and still plays out of school with said friends.

She's misheard.