Reception or Year 1?

[NoraRobertsismyguiltypleasure]

If you decide you don't want your child to start school until the term after they're 5, do they still start in Reception or do they go into year 1? I'm simply curious as to how it works - my DD is nowhere near going to school, but I do plan on having her start as late as possible.
Do schools still do a January intake?

I think it depends on your local authority (or academy I suppose, sadly) but generally they don't do January intake (or at least they don't here)

If your child starts the term after they are 5 they will start in the appropriate year given their birthday e.g. if the are 5 in October they will start in January in reception. If they are 5 in July they will start in September in year 1.

If you're in England it is as Cheebame says. It depends on what school year she is in. She will still go into the correct school year for her age. If she's a late summer baby she will go into Year 1 (and all of her classmates will already have done a year of school).

Thanks for replies. If my dd is 5 in November she would start in reception in January?

Also, if you choose to defer until the term after she is 5 and she is a summer baby so starts in Y1, you may well have real problems finding a place as a school is not allowed to hold an empty place for you all year, so you would have to apply once all the Reception places have been taken.

I personally wouldn't keep my child out for Reception, they learn a lot and forge friendships during that first year in a very play-oriented environment.

She would start in November if you kept her out for a term.

Personally I wouldn't. She will benefit from starting with everyone else and not being the new girl.

Most parents in the English system start their children at school the September after they're 4, deferrals to later terms are rare. Reception is very play based learning and they are generally eased in over the first term. With a November birthday your daughter will be one of the elder children and when the time comes round, you may well find her more than ready to start in the September. Yes, you can defer until the January, but she'll have missed the first settling-in term, all the fun of Christmas and nativity plays etc, friendship groups will be in place and she will have missed the start of learning phonics. Nothing major, she'll catch up and fit in fine, but unless there's a major reason to delay her start, I personally wouldn't.

My DC2 has just started reception, she's 5 in March, and she's more then ready and is having a ball!

I suppose as she will be one of the older ones I perhaps won't be so concerned. I just want her to be able to enjoy her childhood freedom as long as possible - school is often so prescriptive and 'tick box'. I don't know why I'm worrying really yet, too much time spent on Mumsnet reading about school problems!

Just for the record, there are some authorities that now permit a reception start for summer borns, just after their fifth birthday. But it is a postcode lottery. There is also no guarantee the child won't be expected to move up / skip a year at some point later on.

There is a great Facebook group called 'flexible school admissions for summer borns' that I'm keeping an eye on (I have a 24th August toddler).

To be fair, a November girl will, in all likelihood (and statistically!) be more than ready for school. My October born son is now in year 2 and thriving. Unfortunately, from a very small sample size, it's the summer borns who are struggling in his class.

If she turns 5 in November, then she does not have to be in education until January. But you need to apply for a place for the September, and then defer her actual entry.

If you do not apply during the main round for September, and instead make a late (in year) application for January, you may find that many schools near you are full and your remaining choice is only undersubscribed schools.

She would start school in the January - you would apply for a place as normal and then defer her place. Another option is to send her part time until she reaches statutory school age - I have done this with my dd who is about to turn 5 in October.

"I just want her to be able to enjoy her childhood freedom as long as possible - school is often so prescriptive and 'tick box'. "

If you feel this way, another option you might consider is to wait even longer before your daughter starts school, by home educating her for a year or two or three. It's straightforward to do: you can use whichever approach you feel is right for her, including learning through play.

I originally thought I'd delay my older daughter's school start until she was seven or so, by which time I anticipated she would "need" school and would be well suited to it. As it turned out, home education was such a good fit for her that that time never came. Through home ed groups, I've met many people who started home education for similar reasons. Some later sent their children to school and some didn't.

There's no particular reason why it's best to start school at four or five. So if you'd rather your daughter went later instead of earlier, why not?

I'm another who would say to start in the September with everyone else. Reception isn't much more onerous than Nursery. Pretty much all playing, fun projects and some basic numeracy and phonics.

My DD is a May birthday, and while she was ready for the social aspects of school in the September, she wasn't ready for any academic aspects. The school were great about it and just said it was perfectly reasonable that she didn't want to learn to read at her age and not to worry about it.

Hence DD is not best pleased to find herself in Y1 and actually having to do some work rather than dress up as a princess all day like she did in YR.

I would really like to Home Ed, at least for primary, but my partner and everyone else I know think it is a bonkers idea and I wouldn't really get the support. Also, I live in a small village in a fairly rural area and I'm not sure there would be many home ed groups around.

Thanks for all the responses - it's very interesting.

Have you visited the school? I wouldn't describe ours as prescriptive or tick box, it's lovely!