When will DS start school? I'm all confused!

[Bodenbabe]

DS's birthday is late September and our school only has one intake a year, in September. So, bearing in mind that the school year will start a few weeks before his birthday, would he be due to start in the same September that he turns 5, even though he will actually be 4 when he starts?!

Also, if I wanted to defer his entry as late as possible, would the latest he could start be the January after he turns 5? And if a school only has one intake are you still allowed to defer or can you only defer in schools which have a several intakes throughout the year?

Yes in england he will start when he 4. Not sure about defering but I think the legal thing is the latest they can start is the term after they are five.

Yes he will start when he is 4, very nearly 5. My ds is the same. But I'd be happy for him to go this Spetember, when he will be 4 on 2nd Sept. He is SO ready.

It is confusing. But I think you are right about January being the latest he could go, as it is the term after he is 5. And I would imagine that if a school only has a September intake then they are not going to be very happy about you wanting to start in Jan - depends on your local authority. There is another thread about this under "in the news" with a link to some new legislation - might be worth a look

yes he would go the september he turns five.
i don't think you could defer, by 5 thery have to be being educated (though you could HE)

bear in mind that he will be one of the oldest in his year with a september birthday

but go with how you feel at the time. i felt like i would want to defer with ds1, but actually, when the time came he was just fine

Why would you want to delay his start, when he will be one of the very oldest in his class anyway?

I have an August DD, she was 4 then started school a week later, the youngest in her year. I was worried because she's so little, but she was ready for the challenge. I thought about deferring, but decided against it, and am so glad I didn't. She loves school and holds her own with the autumn birthdays! Why do you want to defer?

As others have said, he will be given a school place (should you choose to apply for one) to start Reception in the September just before he turns 5. He will reach statutory school age the following January so will need to be receiving an education from then.

In theory there is nothing to stop someone from deferring entry to Reception until one of the half terms or even a random day although in reality this is neither widely advertised nor encouraged. If you wish to defer entry until he reaches statutory school age then you would still need to apply for a place through the same system as you would for September entry then just inform the school that you will be deferring entry until the January. There will be staff who don't understand the system who will get their knickers in a twist over it but it's perfectly acceptable.

Thanks, all. I probably won't want to defer, I'm just trying to think ahead about when he will start and wondering when that would be if I decided to defer. I deferred DD as she was nowhere near ready and, whilst I suspect that DS will be ready it's just in the back of my mind - mainly because Reception is full days and I think that's too much for a little one. Another thing is that I like our nursery so much more than I like our reception!

Oh and thanks for the info about the other thread, lankyalto - will have a look!