Should I defer school for my 4 year old boy?

[Fayrazzled]

I know that there are a number of you on here that have discussed deferring entry for your child to reception, and I've read through a number of your threads. The time has come to apply for my son (3 in mid August) and I really don't know what to do.

He is currently at at lovely pre-school but will have to leave at the end of the year as they were assuming he'd go to school next year and they are now fully booked for next year so wouldn't have a place for him.

I'm not so concerned about my son's ability to keep up in reception, although like many little boys he's not keen on holding a pencil and would rather be learning by doing things. However, I'm not sure he's ready emotionally for school. He finds 4 mornings a week at pre-school tough and is very tired in the afternoon. There seems to be such a big difference between him and the girls who'd be in his school year but have just turned 4.

In my heart I think I would rather he deferred his entry to school until he'd turned 5. However, I'd love him to stay at his current pre-school and that's just not going to be possible. Is it worth finding him another pre-school for just one year and then moving him again to school? Or is that just going to be disruptive?

As I understand from posts on here, (thanks lingle!) if we defer his entry he could go into reception rather than year 1- our LEA would allow that, so that's not an issue.

Any thoughts? I can't sleep at night worrying about it. I just wish I had a crystal ball so I could see how he might be in 10 months' time. Thank you.

[wheresthehamster]

I wouldn't worry about 'work' in Reception! Although they should be able to hold a pencil and control it, most of the day is spent playing or doing practical things.

I would love to know how deferred entry works. Do the deferred children get priority over the rising 5s or do they go through the same admissions criteria? If they get priority, is there a limit to their number? In an over-subscribed school that must mean that a reception child might not get a place because a rising 6 year old has it.

[lingle]

I think the work levels in reception vary from school to school.

At ours, reception is hugely ambitious and they are on to learning that sounds can "pretend" to be other sounds (ie spellings) by the end of the year.

no idea about priority. obviously it evens out in oversubscribed schools since the year before another rising 5 got the place.

[Fayrazzled]

I'm sorry- I don't really understand the term "rising 5s". My son is August born so under the standard system would be just 4 when he started school and wouldn't turn 5 until the summer holidays after he'd finished reception.

I just wish he'd been born a few weeks later TBH. Life would be so much easier.

Lingle, are you in Ilkley?

[GooseyLoosey]

Dd is a late October birthday and her class teacher has advised me to take her out of school for an afternoon a week. Can you talk to the school and see if they would be flexible if it looked like your ds needed a break.

[GooseyLoosey]

Oops, that would be late "august" birthday!

[sorkycake]

There are a couple of issues here.

There is a full year to go yet and your son may become ready to enter school without difficulty next year.

He won't be of compulsory school age until the term after he turns 5, which will be the September of 2010.

If you choose not to send him to school next year but defer entry, does that mean that application for a place in the school is also deferred for a year? ie Do you apply for a place this year and defer with the LA and school? or do you apply normally next year and chance the rules being changed and suddenly find there isn't a place for him?

[Firway]

Good reception teachers will monitor your son carefully when he starts school. Make an appointment to see either the head or the reception teacher for next year. In my experience teaching reception, boys who have only just reached their 4th birthday do find school extremely tiring to start off with - even the half days! Sometimes if a child is still finding it hard after half term in October then half days can be extended until christmas or even easter. Ensuring that your child has a good breakfast and an early night when he starts school really does help - you can always spot the children who don't get these things.

Please don't worry about secondary school just yet - whenever you start his schooling he will be with his peer group educationally.
If you do defer his start date he will not be at a disadvantage if he is older - in some cases he will only be a few days older than some of the children.

[lingle]

Fayrazzled, have just tried and failed to contact you off-list. It said something about asking you to send me a CAM message? no idea what that means!