When will my dd start school?!

[KathrynKampbell]

I'm so confused by when children start school. If my dd was born March 2012, what year and month will she begin school please?

Which part of the UK do you live in?

I knew I'd forgotten something! We are in north west England.

September 2016, beginning of the academic year after 4th birthday

September 2016

Thank you very much! So she will turn 5 during the academic year rather than waiting til she's 5 to start! That's what was muddling me I think!

You don't legally have to send her until she turns 5, so thi would be Year 1 in Sept 2017. But in many schools at the moment you won't get a place in Year 1 as it will be filled with children who started in Recption the year before.

So you can start full time school for your child in Sept 2016 but you are not legally forced to.

Start finding out what the application deadlines are in Sept 2015 though. For most places you will need to apply by the January. But it might change by then!

Also note that you apply on order of preference. You are not choosing a school. You are saying that, if there is a place for your child then these are the schools you would like.

Places go first to those who qualify AND have put it down as a preference.

If you do not put a preference OR do not get a preference then they will send you to a school with spaces. NOT your nearest school.

Sorry if you already know that. It is just one of the biggest misconceptions I have noticed among parents doing their first application.