Starting primary school in Wales

[Dr0pThePirate]

Does anyone know what age children start primary school in Wales?

DS is three and will be four this October. We've previously been in Scotland where we were told our local primary would accept DS the first term after his 5th birthday. Now we're in Wales.

We've declined a nursery place but I'm assuming he will start school January 2016. Can some kind person tell me if this sounds right or is he due to start this September?

I've looked online but I'm getting a bit muddled up. I'd love to hear from someone in Wales who knows what the admission age is.

Thank you!

Croeso mawr.

From friends in the vale, I think they have the same system as we do in cardiff, which is that he starts reception the September after his 4th birthday. It's because your ds is quite old in the school year that he will be nearly 5 when he starts. If the school has a nursery class, theoretically he can start the term after he is 3, and unlike reception it can be any term, not just September (so someone with an autumn birthday could do 5 terms in nursery, which is what sounds confusing). However if it is an oversubscribed school sometimes they only have a September nursery intake. You could presumably reapply for nursery for this September, if you have declined an earlier space.

Nursery are half day ours is two and a half hours.nursery forms for September had to be in by March 2nd I think so you'll be late applying.

I think in vog nursery is half day, same as cardiff. Rct give full days right from 3 but that is probably changing with budget cuts. If you need/ want full days some primaries have links with wrap around care you can pay for, either at a local private nursery or in dd's school run by the same people who run the after school club. Not all primaries have this though. I know some working parents who have turned down free nursery places and kept them in private nurseries until reception for this reason.

MrsDumbledore

Thanks for that info, it was the 5 terms that was confusing me. You've really cleared that up

Carl - I'll be putting the application in pronto!

Yes, all school nurseries are half days (well 2 1/2 hours I think). Some have better links than others with local private nurseries for wrap around care. The Vale Family Information Service website has a useful link to all registered childcare providers.

The 5 terms thing is very confusing, glad you've cleared that up!

This is interesting. I'm in Ceredigion and here we have 3 intakes a year - September, January and after Easter so children are 4+ a few months at most when they start. This means that those starting after Christmas/Easter get an extra term or two in YR. DD2 was 4 last month and starts after Easter (sob).

That happens at nursery age here Mejon.

Our school has 3 intakes into Meithrin each year so they start half days the term after their third birthday . This is how some spend 5 terms in nursery.

How very confusing! We used to live in Cardiff but we moved before DD1 started school or we needed to think about schools so I had no idea that what happens here isn't the norm. Both of mine have been in Cylch Meithrin since 2-2.5 too.

September after turning 4 here (West wales, welsh language medium school)

In Wales, they start part time school nursery the September after they turn 3.

Reception the September after they turn 4.

They'll be in Year 1 from the September after they turn 5...and so on.

Annie - read my first post above. Not in my part of Wales (Ceredigion). Here, children attend school the term following their 4th birthday as there are 3 intakes a year. A few schools have nursery classes attached so I'm not sure what happens there but the majority are as I've said above.