pre school age

crunchie1

Hi,
can I get some advice please..My LB will be 3 at start of March and I wondering what is the right time to send him to school, so that will affect what age I send him to preschool. Alot of people are tell me to wait until he's 5 1/2 that means he may have 2 years of pre school (maybe a couple of days for the first year)..others are telling me to send him to school at 4 1/2 that he's well able for it and he may get bored if he waits! If he goes at 5 1/2 he'll be 18 doing his leaving(I know thinking ahead) assuming he does not do transition year or have to repeat anything!!phew..
Any advice please???

Moonbeam

send him to pre school if you can afford it for 2 years.
It is can be hard to know before pre school if a child will be ready for school but bring him to the play school let him meet the teachers and kids and talk to them about it.
I sent mine for 2 years (2 1/2 - 4 1/2)
Most of the kids will already be 5 or nearly 5 starting school and will do transition year but they will all be 18/19 finishing unlike in our day when we were 16/17 doing our LC.
I have an April baby and chances are she will start at 5 unless she is exceptional.

heldel00

Back in the day it was very easy to have a child repeat infants if you discovered they were a bit young or just not ready for school. Nowadays it is damn near impossible so keep this in mind.
I know a fella who was 19 doing his leaving last year. Didn't make a bit difference to him at all. Nobody actually remembered he was that age until he mentioned it himself.

Lisha

My April born daughter will be going to school at 5 and a half. From the January before she was 4 she did Playschool 2days a week. From the September she was 4 and a half she did her free Playschool year 5days a week.

You need to factor in what year she will qualify for her free Playschool year. Google ecce free year and you'll get the info.

IMHO children need to be 5 or very close to it starting school. They'll never be too old.

lazygal

I have a May child and she'll do two years of preschool before going to school aged five. I would only send a child at four if they would turn five by the end of February of junior infants.

Redpunto

I have three kids, 2 starting at 5 and 1 at 4 years and if I cud have done it again I would have waited for all three to be 5 years of age. Don't be in any rush for them to start -the extra year gives them confidence for school.

byhookorbycrook

Starting primary is much more than academics, for example, people often think because a child can count (and very often it is actually by rote, rather than to understand the "ten-ness of ten" etc. that they are school ready.

Social skills are vital at primary, an immature child may well be unable to take turns, ask questions, stand up for themselves in the school yard and being able to manage toileting/zips, belts/shoes unaided etc. are almost more important than knowing letters/numbers which they will be doing at school anyhow.

As has been already mentioned "staying back" is not really an option in primary, anyhow, unless there is a special educational need , not immaturity.

okiss

I would agree with byhookorbycrook. Your child needs to be able to do all the things mentioned before school.
I know one child who had problems in the areas mentioned. They were lucky they got into a small class and the teacher saw the issues they had. They have been attending physo & ot and getting resource hours in school. Things are improving but along with this the child is still immature compared to the rest of the class.

Another couple I know saw there child was not ready to start school at 5 so they waited for another year. This child is doing well in school now and has plenty of friends. Another couple they know sent there child to school a year before they were ready and they regret it. This child is immature and has been getting help for a number of years with reading ect along with this the child does not like school.

I have a friend who recently retired after years of being a special needs assistant in a primary school. She told me that no child should start school before the age of 5. Even the very bright younger children who could cope with letters/numbers ect found it harder to cope with school re the other children, mixing ect.

I would also agree with the other posts here that is very hard to keep a child back in primary school.
You want a child to be ready for school so they can cope well with it. If a child can cope with school they are happier which make learning easier.