Where has the time gone .....

We had a letter today about applications been open! And I’m not ok! Haha

Already?! I didn't think it opened until November? That's so scary 🙈

@Louise ours normally open September - January.. they tend to open inline with secondary school ones But I know not all do :) xx

I just checked, for Essex ours opens 4th November, x

Not okay😭😂 ours open 1st november, i’m not ready😂

I’ve just shipped my eldest off to high school (yesterday) so my emotions are absolutely everywhere HAHAHA!

I can't even believe we're at preschool age and my Son starts year 4 tomorrow 😭

I’m going to send mine to Reception at 5, so he will have an extra year of play:)

@Olga I considered that for Elodie but she’s more than ready now never mind another 12 months :) and the schools I’m looking at have continual provision (play based learning) right through to year 2! I think you still need to apply next year though don’t you and then check with the schools if they will allow you to defer til the following year?

@Olga check that the school you apply for will let your Son enter reception and not have to start year 1 with the rest of his year group. Schools do vary with this

@Amy mine is ready, but I literally just want another year out of school system, and for him to be a bit more grown up when he starts school, and to take on each school year a year later than he would otherwise have.

@Peer95 I did, and our school is accepting. But also there is a complains process people go through to make the school agree to reception start at 5, because school would have to prove why missing Reception year is in the child’s best interest, and they never can, so eventually agree

@Olga just make sure all the schools you’re interested in will allow him to start in reception and not year 1 and how your secondary schools approach out of cohort children if that makes sense I know our local secondary schools move them back into their actual year group when they go up to them so they miss year 7

@Olga oh and also remember you may get a place in this years round of admissions but not necessarily in next years you would have to apply again their place isn’t held if that makes sense!

@Amy this as well! You need to be wary of this later down the line as to whether they're accepted to continue going through the years or whether it will be done by the year group they're supposed to be in. I don't see any reason to defer a child who is ready for school- EYFS is all learning through play

Ours is not until November Secondary schools open in September

@Peer95 I see a lot of reasons. A child just turned 4 and a child just turned 5 are very different in terms of their development, even if they are ready now (just turned 3).

@Olga I was going to do this but at the schools im applying for they send you straight to year one if you start at 5

@Amy I considered it all, thank you. I have four good school in my catchment, and I would be happy with either.

@Violet yes, sometimes you have to fight through stages of complaints to get reception start at 5. But more and more people are doing it as more research comes out about summer borns, so soon it will become more of a norm

@Olga that’s good! It looks like you’ve done all your research - sadly many don’t and end up having a battle or expecting the place to be saved to the next year and get a shock etc!

Emotional 🥺 but I think he will be ready in the next 12 months. I worry that he’s young in the year but my husband has the exact same birthday (28th of July) just 29 years earlier. He was also actually born at 25 weeks so technically even younger and never had any problems at school and has done amazing things with his career… so that reassures me!! Xx

@Ellie definitely! Working in my son's nursery I see children in his room that are ready but he still seems young, and then got to remember how much they grow and change in a year 🥺 xx

@Louise sooo much! I can’t believe the change between 2 and 3 xx

Size 5s just finishing her last pack of 4+

Axon won’t be going, my older one is home educated and I think axons will be too. Hopefully by time he’s 5/6 we’ll be about to move back to where we live now with MUCH more HE stuff available, bit depressing moving somewhere with not much going on.

Ah this scares me, really need to look into the local schools and when we need to apply by 😬😬

Scary he’s only just turned 3! How will we know if it’s the right school 😬

@Sophie go there in person, you will just 'know' if it feels right. Also ask on you local page for real parent reviews and filter through them

I’m home educating my little one this time , I’ve 2 grown up sons in there 20s and can still remember how I felt when they started school and the year up to it , very emotional time for us mummas!!