Can my child start reception early?

[Adriana87]

My daughter was born in September 2019. This means it won't be until September 2024 she starts school. To be honest our prime motivator is childcare cost as its costing us over £1,200 in fees. I appreciate that drops by 40% when she turns 3 but it's still a bitter pill to swallow that she'll be in nursery for half a year longer than her brother before going to school. Is it an option for children to start reception earlier?

No.

They start the academic year they turn 5 (legally the term after they turn 5). They don't start Reception earlier than that.

No
The cut off is August 31st

I'm in the UK. This year, they can start Reception if they are 4 by 23:59 on the 31st of August 2021.

State school, no, private maybe at their discretion. Does your local school have a nursery/preschool class, although this is no guarantee of a Reception place there. Fees can be subsidised by Early Years funding until aged 5, universally 15 hours but in some cases 30.

No. And you shouldn't be making decisions about her education based on childcare costs. There are plenty of threads about parents delaying their summer born babies. Your child would be 3 when starting(nearly 4 but 3 nonetheless)

No, but lots of primary schools have nurseries and take children full time in the year before they start in Reception. It doesn’t have to be the same school where they will be going into Reception.

You want to send your child to school a year early to get free childcare?

Is it an option for children to start reception earlier?

Why would it be? We all have childcare costs (ok, not all, but you know what I mean).

Schools are not taking children in early to waive their parents money.

@Soontobe60

No, but lots of primary schools have nurseries and take children full time in the year before they start in Reception. It doesn’t have to be the same school where they will be going into Reception.

I always thought the nurseries attached to primary schools generally took children 5 mornings only or 5 afternoons only with the 15 hours, with only a very small number of children entitled to 30 hours going full-time?

No. I have an August born and an October born. My August born was tiny when he started and although he managed fine, when I see how my October born flew in reception I realised how much he struggled in comparison. You just need to suck it up im afraid, for the best interests of your child.

No. And your reasoning is absolutely ridiculous.

What will you be doing for wraparound care when your child does start school? It certainly isn't cheap!

I hear you OP I was due early Sept , DD arrived back end of august … we were so glad! We saved soooo much money!! So I feel for you!
But normal state school no you cant the cut off is august 31st as others have said.
Private night take them, but then your not saving money at all that way!

You’d seriously impact your child’s prospects by putting them in formal education when they’re so tiny, just to save money? Okay.

I appreciate that childcare is ££££ but this is surely a joke.

No. But it will be great for your child to be one of the eldest!

Of course there isn't!!

Some schools have a nursery attached, worth looking into?

No you can't start early.

She'll benefit from being one of the oldest children in the class when she does start and over the course of school. Appreciate that doesn't help with the costs now though.

Really @Sunshinedaisymeadowsxx? I have a late august born and I’m hoping to defer her so she can start at 5 years + 1 week. I can’t imagine being grateful for sending a child to school when the week before they were just 3 years old, money saving or not. We send our children far, far too early in this country.

My youngest DD is born early September. I felt she was ready to start school early and really wanted to see if I could do this. Then I had friends advise me that she would be almost a year younger than all her classmates going forward. She was on the small size too (just petite). Years on (she’s just finished uni) and I’m so glad this didn’t happen. She was still one of the smallest throughout the years. Academically it would have been a push for her if she were so much younger too. Whereas my DH is an august baby, was always the smallest and late for all the various rights of passage through the years.

It's rather odd that parents can take the decision to delay starting for summer borns, but not bring it forward for autumn borns who are also close to the cut off. Personally I don't think being the oldest is a benefit for all children. But that's the situation at the moment, so as things stand, you can't do this.

@Dollywilde yes really! She’s been in nursery since six months full time and although on the dinky side her speech and social skills are the same as her older peers. No concerns with her being the youngest!

In my DS year there is one august baby held back, so he turns 7 in august when everyone else has turned 6… he is so much older than everyone and much taller as well.

This would be a mad thing to do. My DD is a summer born and not very academic. She was far too young to start reception. She had only really starting talking properly a few months before. It's held her back so much and even now in Y8 the difference shows. She seems so much younger than her year group in every way ( not just academically) I even phoned a private school recently and asked if she could transfer and repeat the last academic year. Sadly there is a long waiting list.
DS has an October birthday and being one of the oldest in the year has given him a massive advantage.

Don't you get 30 hours? That starts the January after she is 3 and gives you the exact same amount of free care as school does.

It won't financially benefit you to send her to a Reception class the September she is 4 instead of a nursery/preschool class. You still get a free 30 hours in term time and then pay for wraparound and holiday care.

@KatherineOfGaunt sounds like that set up is specific to your local area. Where I am I think pretty much all school nurseries offer 30 hours.

Nope. I know the local private school takes 3-4 year olds on, but I can’t see that being any cheaper than childcare