can i appeal to get my child who is born in march into school this year???

[icekah]

does anyone know if there is any chance, or of an appeal process that would mean i could get my daughter into school this year as she is a couple of weeks outside the cut off mark, which is the end of february???

[_Ju_]

I would speak with her teachers first to see if she could cope. Even if she could cope now, there are studies that show that they suffer academically ans socially when they get to high school. There are also studies that show starting a year later is greatly beneficial to the child. In anycase you should speak with the teacher first.

[Scarybiscuits03]

I wouldn't think so, if they did it for one they'd have to do it for others, on the bright side, its much better being the oldest in the class than it is being the youngest!!

[Hoida]

Our childs birthday was February and we put him to school in the August after his 4th birthday and regretted it as although he was ready academically he wasn't really ready socially. I would say think very hard about it as she will always be the youngest in the class. Having said that I doubt if they will bend the rules as everyone would want children born in March into school in the August.

[onecalledk]

You CAN put your child into school if there birthday is within a few weeks of the cut off date. I faced this when my son was due to go to school and after talking to various people decided to leave it til the year later. It was also explained that it could impact on the child when they left school as they would be younger than those around them and be less able to make decisions regarding what they wanted to do in college etc. You could also have the scenario where the child was old enough to leave school but not old enough to start training etc .......

My childs birthday was a few weeks outside of the cut off date and we left it til the next year for them to go to school. By that point they were much more ready than if we had done it the year before.

The education authority will look at childrens circumstances if the birthday is within 4 weeks or so of the february cut off date.

its a decision not to be taken lightly as it has a knock on effect for the rest of that childs life ..

K

[squidge]

My son is also a march baby and I spoke to the headteacher to see about him starting a year early. She did not agree and I thought long and hard about letting it drop which is what I did. In hindsight I am glad I waited. He was more mature when he started school even though I had thought he was
Mature the year before. He has sailed through school and he was a bright boy and didn't go off the boil at all. As he was quite a small boy height wise he would have really noticed that if he was in the year above him. As it was he was pretty much middling in the year he is in.

It worked out well

[viking]

I kept both my children until they were five and a half and have never regretted it. They were able to cope well not just academically but in the playground etc. Many children who are not ready, spend primary school trying to keep up with their peers which is not conducive to good and enjoyable learning. Why do you want your child to go to school this year? She would still be able to have another year at Nursery.

[cat]

i would wait too.my boy could have gone at 4 and a half(jan) but i kept him till he was older.he sailed through primary and is now in high school and i think its at high school that it really makes the biggest difference.he has people in his year that are a year younger than him and they seem to struggle more with everything,especially socially.

[new driver]

Take the chance to enjoy another year of your child's early life when you can instill your values and set boundaries which will help in future development.
Build a solid family relationship with your child before other significant adults and peer pressure come into play.
Give your child plenty of attention and a wide circle of experience to take to school in a years time.
Talking, playing, exploring the local environment, reading to your child, listening and discussing in a one to one situation will teach far more than going to school too early.

[Mad1man]

Hold off on sending the kid to school early - I've seen friends who have done this and had their youngsters get through into high school and then bomb both socially and academically because they were not mature enough to cope with the pressure of the raging teen hormones and the academic challenge of heavy study for S4 exams, the mood swings and for some wild sleep patterns. None of these seemed to have as severe an impact on the kids who were older. My own two were summer babies and went to school at 5 and 5 1/4 no major hiccups.

Good luck

[wickscorrie]

why?
educationally your child may be able to cope, but socially they need to be more mature to cope as they grow, i see that with my oldest and she was only a november baby not even a february child, even if you got the child in, you may find that the teachers would recommend that the child repeats a year and then the child is at a loss as their pals are moving up and they aren't, ask your health visitor for advice on this matter, or if your child is already enrolled at playgroup or nursery speak to the staff there and ask their advice

[changilass]

Just interested in your reasons as to why you would want your child to go early?

[Violetsky]

I feel I have seen both sides of this discussion - as I had a child born in March who was more than ready academically, and I did actually have them assessed by the powers that be from Inverness (dont know if this is still an option) however the child had just started with chickenpox and was not very communicative - therefore they would not allow her to start school that Aug. Therefore the following Aug she started scholl and was never a problem.

On the other hand my other child born in Nov entered school the next Aug, and encountered nothing but problems.
Please please think long and hard before trying to get your child to school this year, they might enjoy it, you might appreciate the free time - however you will both have a very very high price to pay later in life.

[Mr & Mrs]

does anyone know if there is any chance, or of an appeal process that would mean i could get my daughter into school this year as she is a couple of weeks outside the cut off mark, which is the end of february???


I put my daughter to school when she was 4 1/2. Her birthday was in the January.

I lived to regret my decision. Whilst she was a bright little child, she suffered when she went to the High School.

My son didnt go to school till he was 5 1/2.

Can I ask why you are desparate to get your daughter enrolled?

[lindsaymcc]

I find this quite fascinating actually!

We were in England when my daughter started school, she was 4yrs 1mnth old when she first started. I know the education systems are different, but she was ready for it! We moved to Thurso when she was 5yrs old and she went into P1 class, and is now in P2. However, she is well ahead of her class because of the extra year she had in England.

Im more interested in the differences you are all noticing at high school?!

[_Ju_]

Im more interested in the differences you are all noticing at high school?!

Highschool is about survival of the strongest. If you are a year younger than your class mates, at a time when a year means a huge difference in terms of maturity, both physical and mental, size and social interests, that will put you at a huge disadvantage that will most likely stick all through highschool. You will also be asked to make very important decisions about your own future when developmentally you are at a much younger age. You are exposed to a wider range of ages and people from very varied backgrounds. The younger you are ( and a year at that age makes a huge difference) the less equipped you are to deal with those differences.
I feel that children are being pushed to grow up more and more quickly, while really we should be trying to get them to hold onto their childhood for as long as possible. I know to the day childhood ended for me because it was so marking. For many children that marking moment will be the first day of highschool, so I didn't want my son to start it earlier.

[Carole]

does anyone know if there is any chance, or of an appeal process that would mean i could get my daughter into school this year as she is a couple of weeks outside the cut off mark, which is the end of february???

The answer is 'Yes you can'. The assessor and headteacher will help you decide whether it is right for your child so don't worry too much about whether you are doing the right thing. Even if your child is assessed as ready for school, you can still make the decision to keep them at home for another year. Every child is different and you are best placed (with the appropriate guidance) to make the decision as to what is right for them.

Your child is not a year younger than the others who are starting school - only a couple of weeks younger than the arbitrary cut off point.

I am the mother of one child who went to school early (birthday 6th March) and another who was home schooled. Two extremes perhaps but each option was perfect for each child.