DD could start school in August, will be 4 in May. Opinions please!

[carries]

My DD will be 4 in May. As we live in Scotland she wouldn't start state school until August 2009. However, a local private school will take her this August. There are several reasons why we are considering this. Mainly, she is VERY intelligent especially with language. She can write her name and recognises letters and is beginning to read. She is above average in numeracy. Another reason, she is in nursery, in her anti pre-school year. It is a mixed year with some anti pre-schoolers and preschoolers. Her friends are pre-schoolers and therefore start primary 1 this August. She seems to be ahead of the rest of her age group. Also she is hungry to learn and I suppose DH and I want to grab this opportunity.

I started school, in N.I, when I was 4 and 3 months. My folks say I coped fine, but when we moved to Scotland I had to redo primary 1 as I was to young, in their educational eyes, to start primary 2.

What age to kids in England start school?

I would appreciate your thoughts. We haven't made a decision as there are obviously some disadvantages. SHe is emotionally only 3 and 9 months (her age) and she would be young do everything - exams, starting uni or work.

depends ont eh kdi imo

pmsl, that was soo weird, Cod, thought I was on the Lost thread! was thinking it all depended on Aaron!

dd started school at 4.5 years. She has settled well-ish, but is desperately tired and I wish that she could have started in reception a year later rather than having the stupid english system of not being able to defer and still go into reception (would have to go straight into year 1 instead).
While she seems to be enjoying it, I think the school week is too long and too intense.
If I were in your position I would wait, and use the time you have at home and (for example) when your younger child naps, to do extra if your dd wants.

Not really that amazing TBH: they're all close in age and as the eldest was a HP fanatic, the others followed suit. Eldest was such a HP fan that she was confused when she watched ball games with only one ball (quidditch involves snitches, snaffles and other stuff)!

The others also saw all the praise she got for being "such a good reader" that they wanted similar. But actually being a brilliant reader at 5 just means you don't realise that you actually sometimes have to work hard at stuff that may not interest you as much as muggles and quidditch... and if your classmates only know HP from films, you don't make many friends from being a purist and lisping that the books are much better!

I think you are making a mistake going against the advice of the nursery teachers.

Even if she is bright enough to learn to read and write there is so much more to school than numeracy and literacy.

Social skills and physical stamina are important. A lot of four year olds still need a nap and you would be surprised how tired she will be when she starts school.

I agree with others who say that it depends not so much on intelligence - that can be nurtured anywhere, at home etc - but much more on the emotional readiness of the child to cope with the stresses of school. some fit in just fine; others take longer to settle.
my dd1 will be 5 in May. I delayed her until #January, and she will go part time until Easter. She is quite a sensitive child, and physically very small, so delaying was the right decision for her. she enjoyed her last months at preschool, and gained in confidence from being one of the "big ones"
I think you sholud concentrate much more on whether she is emotionally and physically ready rather than intellectually

agree THYE GO MENTAL ehn they start school and youll soon regret it
if a preofessionlals has said no....then do as htey advise imo

THEY TANTRUM ans cant relax thenwill becaome a school refuser - hahaha THEN youll haev a battle on your hands

Just to straighten things out, no professional has said no and I'm not going against anyones advice, because I've not asked them. There were a couple of situations when DD freaked out 1) a pantomine at the school, she hates adults dressed up, she is the same with Santa, Halloween etc.. 2) a paramedic came to the school with the ambulance, she found the paramedic interesting but refused to enter the ambulance. This is her usual! The teachers said to me that another year and she will cope better. This is before I'd thought of school in August.

Her social intelligence is much better than her ability to control her emotions. She is talkative, and reads situations very well, is able to make friends in any situation, e.g, park, soft play, nursery. However, I take the point about her stamina, but she would only go for mornings for the first 3 months.

Thanks for all your contributions!

Also please bear in mind that if she is going to an (academically competitve)independent school ime (in England) they work a year ahead of the standard curriculumn.

So if your DD is in with peers 1 academic year older than herself, she will be doing work that is aimed at children 2 years older.

I have not read all the thread though, and this may have been addressed.

Alos bear in mind that if this private school has a nursery (as many have) the children who have been at that nursery would have been working at this level too.

When my DD was in reception, children from other private schools and nurseries joined and they, whithout exception, had to be given extra tutoring to get to the same level.

i would think about it at the other end the scale - when she leaves home and IF she goes to uni - she will be very young if she goes straight from school to uni - id be more worried about it then. id rather my child went to uni at 18 than 17

dd was 4 and about 10 days , full time straight wway . It was fine .

Would be less concerned about the actual age she would be starting (my dd in England who has an August birthday will have to start when only just 4, we will live with it) than about the age gap with her class group, and, more importantly, as pp said, about her then going through uni, work etc into adulthood with children 18 mths older.

I've given this some thought in the past as when I was at primary school the head wanted to move me up "a year or two". My mum point blank refused. Her argument was that I would then go onto secondary school 2 years early, to uni 2 years early, to work 2 years early...however you look at it I would, somewhere, have lost 2 years out of my childhood.

It didn't bother me at the time, I just went with the flow, but now when I think about it I think she was absolutely right. And there is no way I suffered academically, went on to get very good exam results and Oxbridge degree.

I know that's a one-sided viewpoint, just wanted to share my thoughts.
Good luck with your decision.