Dec 2008 babies - moving up this Sept or next??

[BoyMeetsWorld]

Please quell my rising panic!

DS is a Dec 2008 baby. I was certain I apply this Sept for primary entry next Sept. just discovered today though that all his nursery class are moving up THIS Sept (next month). Have I made a horrible mistake??

No your are fine, a friends little girl is Sept 08 and is staying on at preschool another year, will be off to school Sept 2013 :)

Well fine as in you will apply for her Sept 2013 place in January 2013 and find out her school allocation in April 2013. My DS is July 08 born, we applied Jan 2012, foundout in April 2012 and he is off to school in Sept 2012 as one of the younger in his class.

My DS was born Sept 2008 and yes I am applying this Sept for entry next Sept. Nearly all the children in his nursery class are also starting school this year but his nursery has both a Sept and Jan start which means he started in Jan and will have 5 terms at nursery rather than 3. Think there are just 3 or 4 children in his class who will return to nursery with him in Sept so you may find that there are a few in your DS's class that return to nursery with him.

errrr no, unless they are moving to the school nursery class in the primary school like my daughter (Nov 08). Reception is a a year next September.

The others would have been born before 1st Sep 2008, you are right that you apply this September.

Phew, thanks everyone! Though poor little DS with all his chums disappearing

To add to this...my mother is now convincing me that once we've applied in Sept (for next year) he may be meant to start in APRIL rather than the following Sept as I thought. Presumably the school would contact to let know but I need to start getting child are sorted pronto if this is the case. Any other similar birthdaters expecting to start April or is Grandma wrong?? (wish they gave out handbooks about this stuff!)

Grandma is wrong. Everyone starts in september, although it is possible to go part time until your child turns 5. Maybe in the past they had different start dates.

DD1 is Nov 2008 and in our area we have to apply before January 2013. Some schools have preschool/nursery classes and after the allocation dates, lots of the parents round here start their child in the relevant nuresery after Easter. Could that be what Grandma means?

On our Local Education Authority website there is a downloadable handbook.

DD1's friends are mostly Summer babies, so they are all off in September, too.

Grandma is wrong don't panic!

Children start primary in the September of the academic year during which they turn 5. They can, if they wish, defer starting until after they turn 5 but in practice next to nobody does this.

So you will apply for school this autumn/winter. You will find out what place you have been allocated in the spring/summer and you will start school in the September.

Keep a look out for posters in the Dr, library etc which will tell you when and where to pick up forms and the deadlines for application as this will vary depending on where you live. Come September give the new starters a little while to settle in and in October/November time ring the schools you are interested in to make appointments to look round. Then fill in your forms and try not to panic :)

By the way I have a Jan 07 who I managed to get to school at the right time and a Dec 08 who I have not yet applied for, I'll be picking up forms from ds1's school once term has started :)

Thanks lots pookamoo and indith - some great advice there, I shall stop running about like a headless chicken now