Has anyone had success requesting early Reception admission for a September born child?

[edelweissss]

Just wondering if anyone’s had any luck getting their child into Reception early when they were born shortly after the 31 August cutoff. We completely understand the rules, but it feels tricky when a child seems ready and just misses out by a few days. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s tried this with either state or independent schools was there any flexibility? Also, is it possible to ask for an assessment outside the normal age group, just to see if the school agrees the child is ready, without it affecting the usual application process? Any experiences or advice would be really helpful

Could you not have moved your child to a 9-3 nursery?

Are you sure that's what you want? When it comes to GCSEs it's an advantage to be one of the oldest. The extra maturity helps them deal with the demands.

She might be ready now, but will she be ready as a teen to deal with peer pressure and exam stress. She may well be fine but I would not push for my child to go early, definite advantages to being older.

My DD is September born and while I understand where this comes from (as by the time they go they are MORE than ready) I have never heard of this.
Having also had a child who is summer born and one of the youngest in the year I would prefer them to be one of the oldest than the youngest.

We had a few @edelweissss at our independent school however they all ended up resitting the year. I think the parents really wanted it but they just werent ready

Sept 3rd kid here! She was 2 weeks overdue 😂

We didn’t start reception early however we did move her to a private school with a preschool attached. The pre school just catered for her so much better than the previous state run preschool. They merged a lot with the reception class, gave her loads more to do to expand her willingness and readiness to learn. She’s now in year 4 at the same private school and flourishing. There are children of all abilities and as the class sizes are smaller they can cater for all levels. She often goes into the year 5 class to do maths work because she aces it.

Yes it stretches us financially and we could have a much more comfortable life if we didn’t pay but honestly I wouldn’t change a thing. She’s so happy, loves school, gets lots more time outside, swimming weekly since reception, woodland school twice a week, classes outside, pe twice a week. They know her strengths and weaknesses and cater to them just because they have the time and small class sizes so we are very happy. FYI it’s a class of 12 and they have a teacher and a teaching assistant, plus subjects such as science, pe, RE, music, art, swimming etc are done by specialised teachers not the class teacher. So lots of teachers at hand. Good luck x

I’m struggling to square this sentiment around not labelling or judging people with your earlier comment that ‘not everyone has to think like a Brit’ tbh.

But in response to your actual question, I agree with the posters outlining the benefits of being older within a year group.

We put early sept ds into a private school for nursery and preschool as the preschool was like a state reception (two older dc). Plan was for it just to be that so doesn't need to be a budget issue. He has stayed there in the end due to issues at state school for siblings but a few did leave for state at end of preschool.

So you want your child to start school at 3?

Just to add if you have decent state schools in your area maybe have a look around the pre schools attatched to them too. At DDs school, reception and pre school merge in the afternoons and the pre school do lots of learning through play. I've never heard of any of the children getting bored.

I think you’d be totally mad to reduce the advantage your child has as a September born. I’ve got one summer and one mid/year and the summer born still notices differences being the youngest further up the school. Being the oldest brings advantages that last all the way through the school system.

My three AC were autumn, spring and summer term birthdays.

School is so, so much easier for the older children in the class. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.

DGS is September born and AC is frustrated that there is another year of nursery fees that they didn’t have with their summer-born first child, but it is what it is.

My DD is a september baby; in her primary class alone, 8 of them were september babies and half the class was autumn born.

She would have been ready the year before, and she started school already exceeding the end of reception targets, reading fluently etc and strong with maths. But I think it was much nicer for her picking all that up as one of the oldest at nursery than one of the youngest in reception. She has continued to do well academically but she has also had emotional wobbles etc which I think have been made much easier by being a september baby.

I was an August baby and I'm aware you can still thrive / exceed as the youngest but I wouldn't try to fast forward any kid, however gifted or able. I know several people who were moved up a year (including my mum as a child) and it never goes smoothly imo.

My son is a September baby, he went to a private school nursery and they started him on the reading scheme in nursery.

My daughter was born the 1st week of September, but starting school early would not be something I would consider. She turned 4 last month and has to do another full year of nursery before starting reception the week after she turns 5. I'm happy with this, she gets 30 hours working parents anyway, and it gives her an extra year to develop social skills, mature emotionally and grow in confidence before starting school. That's a good thing to me.

On the flip side, my end of August boy was fairly ready academically but sending at a week over 4th birthday was rough. Please don't disadvantage your child.

People are being a bit harsh here. A birthday of September 2nd is no different to July 31st. Understandably if there’s a cut off you will have people with different circumstances either end of the cut off with different reasons for doing so.
I must say I’ve never heard of anyone who’s been able to do this. I have a friend shows child is early September and he was sooo bored and had outgrown his preschool class, he would have benefitted from starting school with the summer born kids only a few weeks/days older than him.

Must be different in Scotland. My DD is still 4 and started school (I assume reception is just the same as primary 1) she is 5 in a few days but is one of the youngest.
She was bored at preschool

It's better to be older than the youngest. Especially when you get to the GCSE years. Plus they'll be in a better position starting further education/learning to drive at 17 straight out of school than straggling behind not able to drive for a further year out of school.
The brain doesn't fully mature until 25! The amount of maturing, emotional growth that will happen between 4-5 is huge. Logical thinking begins in the brain from age 6, and reception is mostly play. So if you did push her up a year, she'd be in year 2 before the natural development of logical thinking, instead of just hitting Year 1 where they have to do more structured work. I have a very late August baby, it was obvious until Year 3 how much younger they were.

why would you want this? Genuine question

Don't do it! My husband's birthday is at the end of August, my daughter's birthday is September 1st, so we know this situation very well.

He was the youngest in his year and found school quite hard - not academically, but he was always having to work a bit harder socially and at sports. He coped well overall but it didn't help his self-confidence at all.

She is currently the oldest child in Year 1 (and will almost certainly always be the oldest child in her class, save for any kids who defer from August and start later), and she is flying. It's helping her confidence enormously. Literally makes me glad I was in labour for 3 days and not 2!

Much better to be the oldest. Ds birthday is the very end of august (he was due in September but early) so he just made it into reception by a few days.

Quite a few of his classmates have already turned 5. I think it’s a disadvantage being the youngest in the year.

Why on earth would you want your child to be the youngest in the year and start reception when they're not developmentally ready for it? They could struggle all the way through school. It is far better to be one of the oldest in the year than the youngest.

I was born on 14 August but I was 3 months premature and should have been born in November. I started school the year I turned 5 in August but really I should have started the year later due to being born early. This was the early 90s though and there wasn't much awareness of that kind of thing and my parents hadn't really considered the implications that I was born early so should start a year later. I was always the smallest in my year group and up until I was in my teens I felt like I was always catching up socially and emotionally with my peers despite being academically bright. Most of my friends were actually in the year below me at school too.

1 of my children has aug. 30th bday. I’ve recently found out that I could have had DC put in the year below. I really regret & am unhappy that it didn’t happen. I don’t believe in pushing pupils, the stress is very bad for young developing brain.

No experience of moving up early op, but I just wanted to say I can understand you wanting to move your child up early. My oldest DD isn't even a September baby (late December). She knew all her phonetics sounds before starting school and could read. She spent Reception and year 1 being taught what she already knew. She is also generally quite grown up for her age. She is now in year 5 and while it's great that she is excelling academically, she is also already bored of primary school with almost two years to go. Academics isn't everything and I think she'd genuinely be happier in the year above.