Send school early, dob: march 31st, please share your views....

[Saichinna]

My son is going to be 4 end of this month. I am very keen for him to start school this year and have requested early years assessment,also looking for prep school. As I have no idea what skill are needed for primary 1, could somebody please guide me as to what skills are needed. Please help me to make me right decision as I don't want to push him and destroy his introduction to school. Or on other hand, waste his year in nursery if he is ready. I would appreciate your help. Thanks

If he's 4 this month isn't he due to start in September anyway?

Which country are you in?

Sorry, I am in Scotland, but moved from England a year ago, so it's August. That's why I feel like I would be wasting his year by staying in Scotland, but can't move to England for next few years....

Oh just spotted you said primary 1 - not England or Wales then? Must turn off mumsnet when I'm too tired to read properly!

I think that's really wee to be going to school. We deferred DS so he started p1 when he was nearly six on the advice of both his nursery and the school. Don't regret it at all but know plenty folk who didn't defer and wished they had. Seems to become more of an issue at secondary school. Depends on your DS tho but he is v likely to be the youngest in his class.

They will try and hold you off. Schools are already trying to defer jan and feb birthdays til the next August. My son is a feb birthday and I put him into school as I felt he would be bored in nursery for another year. He has loved primary 1, developed his phonics and early math plus his social skills have improved immensely.

Although he is in the lower reading group and perhaps takes more time with his work, he absolutely loves going to school. Trust your gut instincts whether you think your son is ready or not.

is there a reason you are so keen to push him to school when he will be younger than everyone else in his year? (Cut off is the end of february in Scotland). He will get his free nursery hours so his year wont be totally wasted!

His present nursery is really rubbish. We are paying£650/month, full time. We feel he is not getting anything there, so decided to move to independent school nursery, but keen for assessment for p1. But very confused....

I'm in Scotland and opted to defer both my boys until they were 5 and a half. (Feb and Dec bdays).They are now 10 and 12 and are thriving at school . They are both very bright and I didn't do it from an academic view, but a maturity one. Please think very, very hard about sending him early. The trend is to defer, especially boys, so he will be very young.
Does the school have a nursery he can go to?

I would move nursery if you are not happy with his present one but would maybe reconsider sending him to school early as he will be so much younger than everyone else and may struggle a bit

Primary 1 in Scotland isn't equivalent to YR in England. It's a much less gradual introduction to school. Finding a nursery you're happy with for the extra year might be a better way of introducing him to early learning.

My ds is a November birthday, and even though he's academically very able and coping well with school (P2 now), the social difference between him and the March, April, May etc children is still very obvious.

I wouldn't do it. I agree with the others, find a better nursery.

Some people we know put their son in early mainly because he was tall

After the first few days, they almost had to drag him in to school crying - he was clearly not emotionally ready, but having committed themselves to him starting and giving up his private nursery place they felt they had no choice but to persevere. He ended up with self esteem issues and was a bully and altogether not a pleasant child but who knows how much of that was connected to his early entry to school.

I have heard said that it can be a mistake to put your child into school too early but it is almost never a mistake to defer them.....and in your case it is even more than deferring.

You mention moving back to England in the next few years. For me, I think it would depend on what will happen when you move back. If you defer now but that means he would effectively miss a year of primary school completely, that would outweigh being the youngest in his class for now. But if you deferred and he would go into his correct year group when you move to England having had the same number of years schooling as his peers, I would definitely defer.

They would be very, very unlikely to take him early. This used to be possible, bug I don't think it is now. The youngest boys in my DC's classes were fine throughout primary, but the difference became apparent in secondary in terns of maturity etc.

Please reconsider. Get a better nursery or Something. It's a really bad idea.

Any state school would be very unlikely to take him however a fee paying school probably would and may even encourage it because you'll be paying them for it, but maybe I'm just sceptical! I have worked with children who've had Feb birthdays & gone late & those who've gone early my advice would be wait. The gap will be huge.

For our area early entry requests should have been made by 1st February this year for starting in August this year.

I am in North Lanarkshire and this is the info it has about early entry:

Early entry

Thank to all for sharing your views. I think I am more clear now and would change his nursery and let him be in nursery for one more year. Once again, thanks all.

So if you leave him in nursery, he won't start school til August 2014? Mine were desperate to start school long before that so certainly some kids are ready. If you ar thinking of coming back in say 3 years, your DS will have had one year less schooling than his peers so would surely be further disadvantaged?

In Scotland the Pre-school year before school has some structured learning- numbers, shapes & letters if they are ready - if children are starting to write- a good school nursery will encourage that too . There is also a lot of learning through play, trips away etc.
The nursery is often attached to the school so the children spend time within a school environment, and will often share facilties- there is a lot of liaison between the two.
P1 ismore full on "schooling". I guess reception year lies somewhere between Preschool and P1. Shildren in Scotland spend 7 years at primary, and then up to 6 at secondary.

Sorry folks- looks like my facts sren't quite right. There's no structured learning of letters etc in nursery but teachers will encourage them if they want to learn.
Any Scottish teachers around to clarify??

Mine are 16 and 18 now, but I remember the oldest one's induction into P1, when the HT said it was the first intake that had had two years pre-school ed, so the first P1 class that had arrived at school all able to "read and write". (Obviously not very well, but they could write their names and recognise numbers/letters). That was 13 years ago, so I imagine that it's still the case.

I don't know what the assessment involves but knew a couple of girls (one very bright, the other not) who 'failed' it. But that was years ago - before there was very much in the way of nursery education. Since the introduction of almost universal nursery education, very few parents are requesting this assessment and, as has been stated upthread, many parents of January or February born children are deferring school entry for a year. So if your DS started P1 in August, he could be the youngest by a wide margin.

Although it may have changed since DS started school, I think P1 is a lot more bums on seats than the more play-based English reception, so unless your DS is a child that likes to spend considerable time drawing and colouring or sitting playing quietly with lego and such-like, he would be better waiting till he goes in with the correct year group.

Probably even more important for boys not to be younger than others in their peer group, especially for physical skills/strength. He is only 4! Children need to play and learn to think creatively and freely - there is plenty of opportunity for formal learning later or at home if you feel he is interested. Why not even 'home school' until he is due to start? Possible to do this and still have social opportunties. Social skills are SO important and are developed in the Nursery setting as well as school.
I teach in a selective school and am so sad that the are a number of very young children who gain amazing academic results yet lack imagination, initiative, lateral thinking skills or have any hobbies that they do 'for fun' and not because it is tutoring/kumon/something that will 'give them an edge' against other children!
Happy children learn best.

I'm in Ireland so similar system. I sent ds1 at barely 4 (late July birthday) as I felt he was more than ready.

School couldn't refuse but weren't happy, his age was mentioned constantly for a year until it became apparent he is more than able academically. He's 6 now and has a reading age of 8, is good at maths and his teacher says he picks things up remarkably quickly and has a thirst for knowledge. So for us it was the right decision.

However the other youngest boy in the class has struggled massively, is way behind targets and school have been begging his mother to permit him staying back a year.

So ime I'd make sure you honestly think he can cope with the work, if so stick your ground but if in any doubt leave him the year.