Starting school

[Guest guest]

DD3 will be 4 on 30 August and will be starting school in September.

In her case I am not worried, she will be the youngest in the school, but

certainly not the slowest. She will be in a class of 17 reception children

with a lovely teacher (who taught her two sisters). The young half of the

year have a very gentle induction and will not be full time until after

Christmas, with the opportunity for parents to discuss the situation

if they still feel the child is not ready.

Another parent I know from a nearby village has a son with an August

birthday. She has looked in to the possibility of delaying him starting

school for a year. Apparently, this is only possible if there is an

" educational " reason for it and requires the child to be assessed. (I'm

not sure of the details). Of course, children legally only have to start

school in the term after their 5th birthday, so the child does not have

to start this September, but would not be guaranteed a place in the

school of their choice if started later in the year and would join the same

peer group whenever they started. So if they did not start until next

Sept they would join in year 1, not reception.

I can't help thinking that it would still be better to have more than

one intake a year. I live in Cambs where all children start in Sept,

whereas not far away in Essex my nephews and nieces have an

intake at the start of each term.

Love