So am I right to think that the only reason children's entry to school can't be deferred is...

[emkana]

... that the government wants to be able to compare "like with like" for their SATS/GCSE statistics.

Is it me or is that outrageous? Where are the children's needs taken into account in this?

I took ds for his school visit this afternoon and it's just blatantly obvious that he's not ready for school. He's just not. So I can wait till he turns five... but he still has to join his peer group, when he'd do so much better if he could join reception next year.

[bangs head against wall]

Kindergarten in Austria isn't formal at all. DD2 (6 next week) is in her last year there and they do have one "preschool hour" a week - but don't spend any of this time learning to read or write. From what I can remember from DD1, the nearest they come to writing is tracing over lines - they've spent quite a bit of time making calendars and working on different craft projects.

When they do start school (generally the September after they turn 6), they are expected to learn very quickly, however. Teaching is very formal and they spend most of their time sitting at their desks; I just can't imagine DS (almost 4) being ready for school here and people are generally quite shocked when I tell them that most children in the UK start school at 4.

That sounds exactly like Germany then LinzerTorte. In Germany parents are even told off if they teach letters or numbers before the children start school.

It's slightly frowned upon here too, emkana. DD2 can already read (she more or less taught herself while DD1 was learning at school) and most people are slightly about it. More than one person has told me that she's going to be bored when she starts school - which, considering how quickly they're expected to progress with their reading, I can't imagine will be the case at all.

As to your OP, YA def. NBU!

Well, my dd is August-born (30th!) and was premature. I also have an August ds who was fine to start at 4, but I knew (and the playschool said so of their own volition) that she was just not school ready. Deferring was not really an option as the school is very oversubscribed and I did not want to lose a place.

Luckily, dd being my second, I had grown a pair of as far as standing up to the authorities, and enrolled dd in the school in her proper year. BUT - I only sent her mornings only, all year. The head puffed and blowed about it, but the class teacher was fine, and whatever the head said, I merely turned up every day at 12 to collect dd.

Fast forward to the end of year 2 and dd is (ahem, not bragging, just trying to reassure!) top of the class. Plus she has a really good group of little friends. It's all a pile of tosh about friendships being formed immediately. Dd didn't encounter her very bestest friend until year 1.

Just thought I'd let you know that Bliss, the premature and sick baby charity, are doing a survey on entering your premature-born child into primary school. They want anyone whose had a premature baby to take part, whether they agree with the current School Admissions Code or not and whether they wanted to delay their child's entry to school or not. You can get more info and take part here.

They campaign for more flexibility around premature born children starting school and will be using the survey as evidence in their campaigning work.

Emkana, I know your other thread about your DS not knowing his numbers and letters or drawing anything... what else happened today to make you so certain he's not ready?

God, reading this thread makes me want to emigrate right now! What I find laughable is that they are pushed very early on here but then the standards are so much lower when they reach eight or nine. In Finland etc, they start formal education later but end up with higher literacy scores in the end. BAsically school at 4, 5 and 6 is just free childcare here. Plain and simple. Educational policy is governed by driving the economy and encouraging women out to work as soon as possible. So sad.