hi some one told me that my son has to start school the term after his fourth birthday but i had been told it was term after 5th hes had a rough time of it he ws quite deaf until he had an op recently and he has alot of seperation anxiety i just dont think hes ready does anyone know 100% what age they have to start school???

it's definately the term after their 5th birthday that legally they have to attend school
gemma

Not certain but my mum used to teach reception age children (untill she retired) and as I understand what she says they have to start in the September after they turn 4. Unfortunately for us this means Millie will only just be 4 as her birthday is at the end of August but depending on when your lo's birthday is he might get a lot longer than that.

as bedhead said i think it is the september after they turn 4, my daughters birthday is in october so when she starts school properly she will be nearly 5. She goes to the school nursery at the moment and has done since she turned 3. i wonder if sending him to nursey a few afternoons a week would help him rather than just throwing him in the deep end all day when he starts school properly. with my daughter they let me stay with her in nursery until i felt she was ready to be left on her own, (most nurserys will do this) also if the school has its own nursery there will prob be children from his nursery class in the same reception class as him, so if he gets to know them beforehand it will be easier for him when he starts. xx

Hiya its the september after they turn 4 my daughter turned 4 on the 31st august and then started school on the 5th sep, she is the youngest in the whole year but is doing well. The cut off date is the 31st august, but my son will be 4 on the 5th sep but he doesnt start until the following sep and will be 5 and one of the oldest.
like nina c said see if he can start the school nursery to get used to going and make friends as ellie was in a different nursery and we moved her to the school nursery about 8 weeks before the end of term so she was used to it and she could make friends.
vikki xx

Hi! I teach Reception Year and children don't legally have to go to school until the term after their fifth birthday (so if your child's birthday is April - August they don't have to go in Reception year at all, just start in Year One, from a legal perspective). It's very rare for children not to start in Year R at all, though.
At my school, we are quite flexible and make provision for children who are not ready to start full time as soon as the others - I still have a little boy in my class now who only does 2 hours a day because that's all he can cope with. So I would say, visit the school and talk to the staff about things - they should be able to make a pattern of entry that will suit your child. Year R teachers and nursery/pre-school teachers all now follow the same curriculum and guidance (the Early Years Foundation Stage), so the first year of school shouldn't be all sitting at tables or anything, it should be very much practical, learning through play at your child's level and very similar to pre-school.
Hope this helps, sorry seem to have gone on a bit of a rant but it's definitely the term after your child's fifth birthday.
M x

Most children start school the september after they are four but they do not legally have to start untill the term after their 5th birthday. Not so long ago schools used to have 2 intakes which was better if your child was one of the younger ones. My eldest son is a june birthday so he was only just 4 when he started and whilst he was academically ready he really could have done with another couple of months at nursery to teach him better social skills as he tended to rely very heavily on just one friend so there were problems when that friend was off.

You know, I'm a teacher (juniors tho) and i didn't know that! My son started last Sept (was 5 in Jan) and i couldn't imagine him not going to school when he did, wish he could've started earlier!
I think it would cause problems for the child if they went straight in at Y1....esp with the amount of things my son's learnt already.

thats really interesting manicmiz. i think children start school really early in this country and had assumed that if a child delayed the start of their formal school years they would start in reception a year behind rather than leaping straight in to year 1! I don't think I'll have this problem with my son. he is 3 injune so will be at the younger end of the year. he will start in january as they still have 2 intakes in our area.
A lot of pre-schools here are incorporated into the reception class so its more familiar. Possibly in the same building although not the same class, sharing a playground and facilities. Pre-schools run rising 5's where they get used to sitting and learning and writing etc and trips to the reception class to join in with activities to get them more familiar with teachers and surroundings.
Is you little boy due to start this september? its still along way off and he may well be ready by the time he gets there.
One of the little girls had terrible time seperating from her mum at the pre-school i worked at but would be fine once her mum had gone and once she was at school was one of the ones that thrived the most.
Is it different for boys though? I heard that boys are less ready than girls for formal schooling and their entry should be defered. It does seem a shame that they start so young reading and writing and numbers and feeling pressured to succeed. but like manicmiz says the curriculum is a lot more orientated thru learning thru play when they initially start.
best of luck, let us know how you get on when the time comes!!

my son starts school this sept and they start them full time (9-3.20) straight away which i found really strange as at all the other schools in my area they do 3 or 4 hours a day until the january. i don't know how the younger ones would cope with that!! my son will turn 5 in feb but he does a 10 hour day at nursery twice a week now while i'm at work so i think he'll cope fine at school.
we went to see it the other day and the reception classes looked exactly like the nursery class he goes to now! and the kids were doing the same sort of things, some were painting, some drawing etc so i don't think there's too much pressure there. the teacher called it "play based learning"!
ollie's really excited about it, keeps asking to go to his big school!
one thing i am concerned about though is lunches. as he'll be full time from sept he'll be 4 and a half. he's so fussy, i can't imagine him going upto a counter, having to choose something and asking for a certain meal! he eats anything the nursery puts in front of him, things he won't eat at home, but i worry if he has to choose he won't be able to do it!! maybe i'm too over protective and don't have enough faith in him? think i'll be doing packed lunches then!!