Help please.. Is just turning 4 to early for school?

[Daniellesmac]

My daughter turns 4 next year on the 23rd of august. I'm wanting her to start school in the September, but she will only just of turned 4!!

I don't know if it's too early for her. She's intellignet but still going through toilet training at the moment and shes still not fully there with her speech.
I might be just worrying (most likely)
Anyone else in or has been in a similar situation? Much needed help

Also quick question on views on primary schools around twickenham/richmond/teddington areas.

Danielle x

Those of you who are saying yours weren't ready, did your dc go to nursery?

DS is a July baby, and starting this sept. he does 4 days a week in nursery. Every other week he is there from 10ish to 5ish. I've been telling myself school wont be that different. Hope I'm not kidding myself. He's still my baby boy :( I hope he'll be ok

Daniellesmac, DS is 8th August and his friend at school is 28th August. We are also Richmond borough. DS started full time at nursery at a year, but after maternity leave with DD1 we had a nanny for a year. Socially he was ready for nursery, but he had no interest in reading or writing. He is still not keen on writing (9 this summer) and has been tested as borderline dyslexic.

He had a few accidents in reception. Our school asks for spare pants and socks in a carrier bag in their PE bag, and if there is an accident they put on their track suit bottoms and the wet stuff comes home in the carrier bag.

When DS started school RUT's policy was that summer borns were part time until Easter,as a working parent this would ave been horrific, but as we don't get a place at a school we wanted, he got a place in Spelthorne and did only 3 weeks of part time.

Which schools are you thinking about?

Yeah shes starting nursery in September so will have a year there before she has to start. As for being physically too small shes big for her age and looks fairly grown up so she will be no smaller than the rest of the children starting

But if she's not even 3 yet then why are you worrying toilet training and speech? It's another 14.5 months at least before she'll start school.

DS1 started school when he was 5.4yo. I don't think he would have coped going to school at 4yo, tbh. Would be better if there were two intakes per year, IMO. Seems an unfair system as it is just now.

My ds (23-08) starts reception this sept. he didnt start speaking at all till 3 (won't shut up now). He loves nursery and have no problems with him starting school aged just 4. If he struggles with some areas no problem. He's got a long time before serious learning starts anyway

DS is in the same boat as your daughter, and a year ago (when he was almost 2), I couldn't have imagined that he would be ready for school) - but I've been sending him first to childminders, and then to a local playgroup a couple of days a week, and he really has taken to it so well that I have no worries about school next year.

He's also not potty trained, and he's unable to dress himself, and his speech could be better (strangers have trouble understanding him)

What the other people are saying is true - once she's been to nursery for a bit the chances are you'll see that she's going to be fine. If it turns out she's not thriving then just put off school/go part time for a while until she is.

My ds 2 has just turned four and will start school in septemeber, I don't see this should be a problem as long as the school is following the curriculum properly, reception is still the eyfs curriculum which is more about learning through play than sitting at a desk being taught things off a board etc.
Ds1 is in reception at the moment he was 4.8 when he started though so not a young 4 but we have seen from him being there that learning is play based and that teachers are prepared for children to need lots of support. I suppose it depends on how good the early years department at your school is.

I also think a year makes a huge difference, you'll be surprised how much progress they make in the pre-school year at nursery.

My DC started in September and they were split according to age; Sept - Feb birthdays went in one class and March - Aug in another class. You'd be surprised at which class had the most issues! There were 4 or 5 children with August birthdays and they coped brilliantly.

The difficulty is that if you don't want to send your child at 4, you're more than likely setting them apart from the majority of other children - they then have to be the "new" child when most of the other children are familiar with the class, have formed friendships etc. I'd think that could be as hard as starting when they're little. Its such a tough decision but as others have said, apply, then make the decision nearer the time!

My DD is 31st August and started on the 2nd September. We wrote to the school and asked if she could go part time until Feb half term as she was so young, they agreed and she went half days 4 days a week, the school suggested Wednesdays off as it is the day all kids regardless of age crash with tiredness. We found she coped so much better than we thought she would but things are still tough, she still cries when I leave her in the morning, she is absolutely exhausted all week but she has the most fantastic time, she has made loads of friends, she is so much more outgoing and confident which never would have come with another year in nursery.

You will need to apply September (it's Novemeber in this county tho') even if you don't want the place till late in the school year.

If you choose not to put her in at all during reception you may potentially lose your place and have to go through an in yera admissions process (where you may or may not be able to get a place). Please be aware of this and factor it in to your plans.

I have June, July and August babies. DD1 Started in the January when they ad defered entry and with hindsight I wa=ish she hadn't! DD2 started in Sept and aprt form being tired no ill effects. DD3 starts in september!

If your are still concerned this time next year and have a place organised speak to the school about half days or part time...

Bear in mind that much of the 'lower achievement of summer born children' data is based on a historic situation where summer borns had less time in Reception through staggered starts - so these youngest children got less time in Reception than older children and laid less secure foundations for their future learning.

It will be interesting to see whether the 'summer born effect' diminishes / disappears as September starts for all have become the norm. Certainly, having taught Y3 in a school without staggered starts, with every child starting full-time in December, I had absolutely no idea which the summer-born children were - they were distributed throughout the ability range, both academically and socially. The one issue that did sometimes arise was very premature children born in late August, especially multiples.

December = September. Apologies

Your only other option is to bypass Reception altogether and let her start in Year 1 when she turns five. Not really recommended.

It makes me glad that I'm in Scotland as I don't think I'd be impressed with that set up at all. Children here get two years in preschool (optional) and then the majority will start school at the age of five. It isn't common practice for children to start school at the age of four here. There is also the option to defer if you still feel your child is not ready, in that case your child can start school at the age of six. It does happen here.

My DD1 has an early August birthday and is just coming to the end of her reception year. She was at nursery from a year old, and was absolutely ready for school when she turned 4. She is thriving there. The teacher says she can be easily distracted, but that is not uncommon and any good EYFS teacher will be understanding of different levels of maturity.

I would be very tempted to keep her out until the next year, although she would end up going straight into year 1.

But, you don't have to send her until she is 5, which will be in the summer holidays, so, as long as she is enrolled to start in the September, you will have fulfilled your legal requirements.

The drawback with this is that there may not be places at your preferred school/s when she starts.

It's a stupid system, really, and I do think there should be two intakes a year, and more flexibility of movement between classes, particularly when they are little.

DD has a 21st August birthday and DH a 23rd August birthday.

DD struggled to settle in nursery; she would cry at every drop off. We also moved during the school holidays, just before she started reception, which meant we had to change schools at the last minute.

As we were moving to a rural area, we had a choice of schools with places available. We visited them all in the last few days of term (when we knew for certain our move would complete during the holidays) and we were utterly bowled over by our 'catchment' school. I explained all our worries to the HT and she said we could defer for a term or 2, do part time days, do full days but only 3-4 days a week or we could literally play it by ear and take odd days off when we knew DD was far too tired. I knew they had DD's best interests at heart. Incidentally the other schools we approached were far less flexible and wanted to discourage and notion of part-time or deferred entry.

As it was, DD went to school - albeit a week late as I was in hospital having emergency abdominal surgery and our baby DS was also rushed in at the same time with suspected meningitis! - and honestly, she never looked back. She was full-time from day 1, at her own request. She has never cried, is always eager to go to school and absolutely loves it. Academically she is thriving and was streamed into the Yr2/3 class at the start of Year 1.

My advice would be to try not to worry - so much will change in the next 12-15mths and your DD may well be ready for school by that time. If you are still concerned though, please do not hesitate to send her part-time or defer her entry until the spring or summer term.

DD2 is August the 13th, DD1 July 13th. Both have only one person younger than them in their respective classes.

DD1 sailed into school without a look back and continued to do so from there on.

DD2, completely different child. Hated nursery and hated reception year as she didn't like all the playing. It took until yr1 October half term for her to actually enjoy/like school.

DD2 was put on an ELP during reception year for her hand writing.

She is now Yr2, working at a significantly higher level than the majority of her peers.
DD1 hasn't suffered academically and also works at a higher than expected level.

I did consider deferring DD2's start but thought she would miss out friendship wise. In hindsight, I don't think friendships would have suffered as they mostly seem to be pretty transient at their age.

Mikkii I've been looking into chase bridge primary in Twickenham, Marshgate, stanley primary school, Kew riverside school and collis primary in Teddington.. I've been looking into a few others as well but they are the main ones. If you know anything about their reputations I'd love to know. Theres only so much you get from ofsted

Sorry Mikkii The Russel School in Ham and The Vineyard School were the others

I think that your DD would be okay in primary school (maybe a few hiccups at the start) but I think that secondary school, around 5/6th form is where the problems start, IME. Being a year behind other kids can show then more so than at other ages. Personally, I would not send you child to school at only just four but it does work out with some families.

my dd would have been easily ready. Ds, not so much

DS is late August and had some speech delay. He started in the nursery class of the primary he will be joining last September at 3 plus ten days. He's been fine and it's reassured me that he'll be ok for Reception at 4 plus ten days. Agree that it's nothing to do with intelligence but has something to do with emotional maturity and also just the habit of being in school, doing things the school way etc. For that reason I'm very glad DS had the chance to be in the nursery class.

He's the youngest in the school and obviously will always be young in his year and that will always have an effect. But actually he enjoys it. He is still very obviously younger than some of the others (speech still a bit babyish, runs like a toddler not a little boy) but he's holding his own and getting a lot out of it. HTH

Don't know much about primaries in the areas you mentioned now though I grew up there. From what I know of the area, they are mainly pretty good (or were) so you are probably well placed.

PS went to Collis but decades ago so not v relevant experience. I thought it was all based on catchment though?