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Anyone in Wales - how did you find starting school at 4?

14 replies

Flowerface · 30/08/2013 07:35

My DD will be 4 at the end of November and is starting full-time school in January. I am worried that it is going to be totally exhausting for her - she has only done very part-time preschool and isn't used to all-day, every-day. I think the school is quite resistant to letting people go part-time. Does anyone have any experiences, good or bad, of early school starts?

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Doilooklikeatourist · 30/08/2013 07:43

DD started school the term before her 4th birthday .
She's an August baby , and started in the June ( we moved to Wales so she started at half term )
I picked her up from school at lunchtime , in the September she did full time , but if she was tired , she had a day off .
I don't think the school were too happy about it , but I did what I thought was best for her .
Personally I think it's far too young for full time school .

LickleLemon · 30/08/2013 07:44

Please excuse my ignorance but is it different in Wales to England? In England children with your dc birthday would start school the following September. Can you not defer?

Flowerface · 30/08/2013 08:10

It is different. They start the term after their 4th birthday. I suppose I could defer but I think she would be very bored since ALL her friends would be at school and she would be reduced to hanging out with her toddler brother!

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OrganixAddict · 30/08/2013 08:41

Am in England but my dd did reception last year as a 4 year old (turned 5 after end of the school year). She coped ok with school but very little else and we have had lots of tears and tantrums at home owing to tiredness. I did send her full-time but she had a very relaxed teacher (so for eg she once fell asleep in the book corner and was left to sleep). If school had been more full on I might have thrown in a few "sick" days for her to rest.

mikkii · 30/08/2013 08:44

Like Organix DS is an August baby. He started school having just turned 4, to make matters worse he also attended afterschool club until 6 three times a week (I work ft). I echo that early bed was a necessity, sometimes going straight to bed from afterschool club having fallen asleep in the car.

I'm not in Wales BTW.

anydreamwilldo · 30/08/2013 09:25

It took my DGD until Xmas to really cope well with school and have the stamina to keep going. She has enjoyed it all but needed to be met with a snack, play, tea at 5, bath and bed by 6.We also had the odd Friday off when she was tired and grouchy, told the school she was poorly.

Isesgirl · 30/08/2013 16:01

I'd echo anydream... with the 'meet from school with a snack' line. It doesn't have to be a sugary, 'bad' snack - I give mine a little box of raisins, a banana (and NEVER a finger of Fudge or a small brownie) and a carton of fruit juice.

My twins were aged 4 and 3 weeks when they started Reception and the first couple of terms, the days I forgot the snack they were very whiny and short-tempered in the next few hours at home after school.

It's a big transition for them of course but mine fell into the school routine REALLY quickly - I think it made them feel grown up (we had been reading a book called Puddle's Big Day for weeks before, about a duckling who wanted to go to school like all his older friends....) having their own bag and learning new things etc...

Mine went full time from the off - 8.45 am to 3.15 pm and I didn't have a single day of leg-clinging or crying that they didn't want to go. I do admit though, that having each other there will have been a huge comfort (we are splitting them up into separate classes when they go back next week in Year 1).

Prior to starting school they had done three days at pre-school (9 to 3) so they had some idea of the structure.

Could you maybe do the first couple of weeks part-time (picking up at lunchtime or something?) and see how your DD copes? You may well find that the stimulation and excitement sees her through and she sleeps like an angel for you every night!

We can hope eh? Good luck!

JemimaMuddledUp · 30/08/2013 16:39

I am in Wales and have 3 DC. They all started school FT the term after they turned 4 - DS1 started in the January aged 4y3m, DD started in the April aged 4y2m, DS2 started in the September aged 4y3m. They had all done 5 mornings a week at nursery school prior to that. DS2 and DD also went almost straight into using the breakfast club (from 8.15am) some days and DD was in the after school club a couple of afternoons a week.

The only one who was really tired was DS2. Even he got used to it after the first couple of weeks.

Remember that all the new starters will have only just turned 4 too,, unlike in England where some will have just turned 4 but others will be almost 5. In that way it makes it easier as they are all at roughly the same level in terms of maturity etc.

Speak to the reception teacher about your concerns. Also remember that it is a play based curriculum until they are in Y3, so very similar to what they have been doing in playgroup/nursery.

Flowerface · 30/08/2013 19:09

Thanks everyone. I was panicking partly because she had some swimming lessons this week - half an hour every morning - and was ATROCIOUS in the evening - on one occasion screaming for two hours nonstop at supper! I started to fear things to come! In general I am sure it will be good for her and can always give her the day off if she's coming apart at the seams. In an ideal world it seems a better idea to do them part-time till the following Sept, but I am not sure it is worth locking heads with the school about it...

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JemimaMuddledUp · 30/08/2013 19:14

Ooh, your mention of morning holiday swimming lessons led me to click on your username as my DC did them too earlier in the hols, and I see that you are in Aber too Grin

I'm now wondering whether your DD will be starting at my DC's school...

Flowerface · 30/08/2013 20:05

Ha ha! Well, let's hope so... We can endure the tantrums together!

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mejon · 31/08/2013 15:55

Or maybe DD1s as we're in the same place too Grin. DD1 is an August birthday so was only just 4 when she started. I expected tiredness etc. when she started but if anything she got even less sleep and was perfectly fine (very early riser regardless and still is - unlike her mother!). Your DD will benefit from having an extra 2 terms in Reception if my memory is correct so that will be a bonus.

RandallPinkFloyd · 31/08/2013 16:03

Is this a fairly new thing? Only I'm in Wales and I've never heard of it. Mind you my DS is an August baby anyway so will only just be 4 when he goes.

I'm not particularly worried as I'm an August birthday too (the day before DS's!) and it never affected me in the slightest. Primary age children are all at different levels for the first few years, it all evens out by the time they get to high school.

The only bad side is for me, I get a whole year less with my PFB than the parents of September borns!

RandallPinkFloyd · 31/08/2013 16:17

It must be different in different areas. I've just had a look and in my area they only operate a 'single entry in September' policy for all schools.

I thought I was missing some very important information then!

I'm sure your DD will be fine OP, the teachers know what they're doing. It's going to be far harder for you than it will be for your DD Smile

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