Skipping reception year?

[Schoolwhattodo]

Older DC really hated reception, cried every single day. It wasn’t a good year all round for DC1 (though DC1 now says reception was fun ). Is very happy at school now.

Younger DC started reception a month ago and is crying every day. It’s heart-wrenching again. Birthday is January, so not especially young. I am very cheery and positive to them both, older DC saying it’s so nice to have younger there etc but DC2 is struggling with it.

In hindsight I wish I’d done more for DC1 and maybe skipped reception year altogether. So am now contemplating this for DC2.

It feels like a big thing to do though, and the school wouldn’t be supportive.

I would obviously do it carefully - home ed groups, lots of forest school groups etc, keep up learning, and then start in year 1.

Any experiences?

@Goldbar

The entire school, rather than just reception, sounds wrong for your DC. Any other options nearby which offer a different approach?

Strict academy with sedentary children sitting still most of the day and then homework on top sounds like the opposite of the active, free-flow nurturing approach that most children that age benefit from.

This was my thoughts. Far cry from the schools near us. My friends child in another area is in an academy chain school which always sounds way too formal & strict with KS1 I'd move schools

@Saracen

"Your child will be of compulsory school age in January" The OP said his birthday is in Jan so he reaches Compulsory School Age in April.

There is no such thing as compulsory school age. If there was people couldn't home educate.

As others have said, in most European countries the vast majority of children attend preschool/kindergarten, from around 3. The big difference is that the more formal content starts later with compulsory schooling -often around 6.

Kindergarten in lots of EU countries is actually very similar to the play-based learning lots of British kids are doing in reception. It sounds like it might be this school and it’s overly formal style that’s the issue, not reception year per se.

Kindergarten in lots of EU countries is actually very similar to the play-based learning lots of British kids are doing in reception

A full day in reception is twice as long as a typical day in kindergarten.

I wouldn't miss the Reception year personally. The Bold Beginnings report is a good introduction to the importance of Reception. I also wouldn't want my child to have to join an established cohort of children if not absolutely necessary. Socially and emotionally that would be tough.
Have you considered sending your DC part time until they have to legally be full time? Just a thought. Depending on DOB they could go part time until April.

I have just gone through the process of sending my summerborn child to school at 5 years old and fought for DC not to miss Reception. I totally agree we start school too early in UK system, particularly for those children who have just turned 4.

There is no such thing as compulsory school age. If there was people couldn't home educate.

CSA is an admissions term. It doesn't apply to children who are home Educated. But for children who are in/ going into the mainstream school system it is a valid term to use.

@MoonCowbag

There is no such thing as compulsory school age. If there was people couldn't home educate.

CSA is an admissions term. It doesn't apply to children who are home Educated. But for children who are in/ going into the mainstream school system it is a valid term to use.

But it is meaningless as it isn't compulsory to send children to school, it is compulsory to provide them with an education.

[quote Bobholll]@Schoolwhattodo - can you genuinely consider another school?

My DD has gone to school this time & it couldn’t be more different to how yours sounds. Ours is an EYFS unit, so has a nursery attached. It splits in two but most of the day, the kids mix. It’s 90% free play, access to outdoors all day. The kids get pulled into small groups over the day to do phonics & numeracy. It’s completely child led. They do do school stuff, assembly, PE in the hall & circle time/show & tell. But most of the day is very nursery like really. Our school also do forest school once a week Ruby all year groups. They are out in the woods toasting marshmallows on a fire every Friday!

We also have no uniform. Which I’m not that keen on but there we are.

We picked this school for it’s set up & outdoor access/forest school. It gets great academic results, some of the highest in our area but is really arty & values creativity and a child being a child. They do so much art across all years, the school is covered in it. It’s one form entry, small & nurturing. It’s Ofsted rated Good. We decided against two outstanding schools locally because we much preferred the school we got!

(We live in semi-rural Yorkshire, we had quite a lot of choice of schools, competition isn’t that hot!)[/quote]
This sounds like my DDs school, she's in Year 3 now and came out today saying she found a slug on the floor and showed all her friends then her teacher who apparently smiled and told her well done.

I love it, they eased them into the more structured Year 1 and then when it stepped up in Year 2 and then again ready for Year 3. They get some of the best results in the county so their approach can't be too bad.

@ancientgran "But [the term "Compulsory School Age"] is meaningless as it isn't compulsory to send children to school, it is compulsory to provide them with an education."

CSA is a legal term which is defined in the Education Act. I agree that it doesn't mean what people might reasonably expect it to mean, but it does mean something. In the context of home education or school education it means the age at which children must by law be provided with a full-time education. It is also relevant in some other contexts, such as how long a parent can defer their child's start at school without risk of losing the school place, and when a parent can unilaterally choose to send their child to school part-time.

I would love it to be called "Compulsory Education Age" instead.

And Compulsory Education Age would be entirely appropriate because that is what it is.

It isn't just about what people might reasonably expect, it is wrong isn't it? There isn't a compulsory school age, that is a fact.

@ancientgran

And Compulsory Education Age would be entirely appropriate because that is what it is.

It isn't just about what people might reasonably expect, it is wrong isn't it? There isn't a compulsory school age, that is a fact.

Butterflies aren't made of butter. It's still what they're called.

Compulsory school age doesn't mean the child has to be at school. It's still what it's called.

You can send them as part time as you like until the term after their 5th birthday. Maybe another option to consider. Your child doesn't sound happy so I'd definitely move to part-time or home ed.

Compulsory school age doesn't mean the child has to be at school. It's still what it's called. Have a look in a dictionary at what compulsory means.

Butterflies are called butter. Compound words have a new meaning e.g. a bookstore isn't a book, a fireman isn't a man who is on fire so the butterfly example is totally different to using a word to mean something other than what it actually means.

Dictionary definition of compulsory, required by law or a rule; obligatory.

School is not compulsory, it is not required by law, it is not obligatory.

There is no compulsory school age.

Newspeak is with us, shame George Orwell missed it.

Wikipedia explanation of newspeak, restricted vocabulary designed to limit the individual's ability to think and articulate "subversive" concepts such as personal identity, self-expression and free will. May explain why govt uses it, we don't want people knowing they don't have to conform and send children to school.

@ancientgran

Compulsory school age doesn't mean the child has to be at school. It's still what it's called. Have a look in a dictionary at what compulsory means.

Butterflies are called butter. Compound words have a new meaning e.g. a bookstore isn't a book, a fireman isn't a man who is on fire so the butterfly example is totally different to using a word to mean something other than what it actually means.

Dictionary definition of compulsory, required by law or a rule; obligatory.

School is not compulsory, it is not required by law, it is not obligatory.

There is no compulsory school age.

Newspeak is with us, shame George Orwell missed it.

Wikipedia explanation of newspeak, restricted vocabulary designed to limit the individual's ability to think and articulate "subversive" concepts such as personal identity, self-expression and free will. May explain why govt uses it, we don't want people knowing they don't have to conform and send children to school.

I am not disagreeing with your core point. School is not compulsory.

"Compulsory school age" is a legal term. PP used the legal term to explain that this child could very easily delay school attendance without homeschooling, because, legally, they are not of "compulsory school age" - which means that there is no legal requirement for them to receive any education.

It is like "manslaughter." It's a legal term. Many a time you hear of a case where a person has been found guilty of manslaughter when the common term for what happened would be murder.

Here is more information about what compulsory school age means: www.google.com/amp/s/edyourself.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/compulsory-school-age/amp/

PP is not wrong to use the legal term. I am not wrong to use the legal term. I agree with you that the legal term is stupid. But I'm not stupid and I don't need to be given the definition of compulsory.

The term being stupid is the point though. The fact that some legal genius thought that using a word to mean the opposite of what it means beggars belief.

Just to nit pick if you look up the definition of murder and manslaughter they don't mean the same thing, one is premeditated the other isn't. They are terms that differentiate the killing of another human being.