Nearly 4 year old exhausted from lack of sleep

[Liskee]

DS1 will be 4 soon. He's always been a wake up at 6.30-7am kind of kid, but we managed that with 7.30pm bedtime. He dropped his nap at age 2.5. He's been in day care from 7.30am - 5.30pm for 3 days a week since he was 10 months old. He eats really well. He started pre school 3 weeks ago, mornings only.

This last few months he messes about at bedtime so much that sometimes he's not asleep until 8/8.15pm. We've started the routine earlier these days to account for his endless toilet trips, questions and general nonsense. It can still take til 8pm and that's with us being really consistent and not pandering! He's then awake again 9/9 and a half hours later and refuses to go back to sleep. Like 5/5.30am or 6am. We have a gro clock but he shouts and cries so much he wakes up his little brother and the next door neighbours. Even when we stay in the room with him he makes a huge amount noise. I guess he knows that being noisy=getting up and going downstairs.

Yesterday he was exhausted when I picked him up from pre school. Managed his tiredness with low key activities all afternoon. So tired he couldn't eat dinner and didn't make it to the toilet twice so he wet himself (potty trained for over a year). Bed at 6.30pm finally and out like a light.

4am this morning and PING he's wide awake and shouting the house down. Today is going to be an absolute disaster.

What are we doing wrong? How can I make him sleep an extra hour? (I really think this is all he needs to turn him from pale tired devil child into well slept sunny child!)

And totally random!!!! But do you think the clocks going back will help? Or have some kind of impact?

Thanks and sorry this is so long.

Any way you can get a nap out of him some days? Half an hour in the car maybe? I'd try that today to attempt to get had time later than 6pm again.
My 9 yr old is on about 9 hrs sleep, but seems fine on it. He has always slept less than average, but i suspect he was doing more than 9 hrs aged 4. His day usually starts shortly after 5 tho. Still not managed to knock that out of him.
Any chance he is hungry when he wakes? Can you stoke him up on porridge or similar before bed?
And then, the controversial one. If he seriously isn't dropping off to sleep til 8pm, what happens if you put him to bed at that time, in the hope that he is properly tired, and then just goes to sleep without all the messing about... It may extend the wake time in the morning too?
Good luck. None sleeping children suck. But hold tight. You are about 12-18 months off weekend lie ins - for the past few years mine have got up, made breakfast and watched tv from 6am (allowed to get out of bed time) giving me and DH a lie in til about 7,30!!!! We started by leaving dried fruit, a breakfast bar or wrapped croissant and a carton of juice out for breakfast. Now they get their own toast.