can a child start with senior infant n skip on junior infant

hello2020

hello, twin girls with October birth date started junior infant at 4 year 10 months..

all their classmates appears to be younger than them and they appear quite big/mature for JI.

Even school teacher appreciate that they are very smart in the class.

we were wondering if there is a possibility that we can advance them by one year to senior infant ?

beveragelady

Their teacher was being polite.

They're still very young. What's the hurry?

sekond

It's usual to keep children with their own age group and not either advance them or hold them back without very strong reason - the reason being that for social/friendship reasons it makes more sense to do that, and then either support their learning, or allow them to advance within the class.

In any case, at 4 years 10 months they're possibly on the lower/mid age range - a lot of children would be well over 5 when starting J.I. and actually don't have to legally start until they are 6. So I can't see a school moving a child of that age into S.I.

If you think they aren't being challenged in school then look into things that they could do outside of school that would interest them - music/sport/languages etc. There's lots of little kids activities like that around.

Deeec

That would be a very unusual situation for a child to move from JI to SI. Junior Infants is of course important from an education point of view but also is about children adapting to school life - abiding by the rules, making friends etc. At 4 and 10 months they are still very young.

Can your children read and write? Is it possible they are gifted children and have a higher IQ than their peers.

jumbone

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_age_effect

Have a read of this - children who are 'old for their year' tend to be over represented in elite sports, academia and leadership. Why would you take away that opportunity?

glack

Please, please don’t do this! I would imagine your school (or any other) won’t entertain it anyway. Your children would need to be extraordinarily gifted in every aspect to even consider this - not just smart, genius level smart, emotionally mature etc. While they may be advanced at this moment, it won’t necessarily stay that way. Even if they are the smartest/oldest in the class, that is an advantage to them, not a disadvantage. They are too young for seniors in any case. If they started last year, they would have been 3 and that is not allowed.

endacl

Have a read of Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers’ and leave them where they are.

Big Bag of Chips

Starting at 5 or turning 5 in junior infants would be very much the normal age range in all schools. And lots of their classmates will also be very clever. My daughter started junior infants at 4 years and 6 months and is the youngest in her class. She's also very clever. But so are her 2 friends who were 5 starting.

It's a long road to leaving cert. If you move your daughters to senior infants now (even if by some chance the school allowed it) they would be only 11 starting secondary school. When many of their classmates will already be 13. And then the interest in boys/girls starts and the peer pressure to be in relationships etc.

Is that something you'd like your girls to have to handle at 11? And then being only 16 going away to college? Assuming they do transition year.

If you try to push them on now, you will inevitably have to hold them back somehow at the other end?

annoyedgal

It is extremely unlikely to happen. Children of all abilities should be catered for within their class peer group. The teacher will be able to stretch their learning experiences if necessary.

4 years and 10 months is not old in anyway to be starting junior infants. There are usually a few children who turn six a few months after starting.

Would you really want them to start secondary school at 11?

Sounds like they are doing great, be happy they were doing so well and let them enjoy the year.

alroley

October babies would be in the middle in most school classes. I highly doubt all of their peers are younger.

hello2020

Thanks a lot for your helpful views. after reading all your comments , i am having second thoughts now.

some kids in their class are just about 4 year but they appear little babies so we thought about this option.

one observation is in asian countries like india kids start couple of years early and they do quite well academically while some kids starting late gets bored/tired of school by the time they reach leaving cert (just a personal observation)

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886509#Comment_117886509

agree with you that its a long road to leaving cert and one thought process is to finish leaving cert before distractions like going out, to be in relationships etc start building up....

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887529#Comment_117887529

Good luck with that .... That will be well before leaving cert !

Big Bag of Chips

Social development is just as important as academic development. And your daughters, socially, would not be mature enough for secondary school at 11, regardless of how mature you think they are now.

They are little girls. The same as other little girls in their class. They are only in school a couple of weeks. Ease off a little and let them find their feet. Keep in contact with their teachers and make sure they are not falling behind out of boredom.

one thought process is to finish leaving cert before distractions like going out, to be in relationships etc start building up....

And send them to college at 16? With no experience of peer relationships, or nights out with friends? Going to discos is a thing from first year. And while it might be OK for 13/14 year olds to go along. You certainly wouldn't want your 11 year olds to be asking can they go because all their classmates are.

They're only 4. They're effectively still babies. Let them grow and develop as other little girls their age will. They'll be fine. If they're clever now, they'll always be clever. And school should come easy to them. That's one aspect. You can then help guide them through the usual teenage trials and tribulations at the appropriate ages.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058208662/can-a-child-start-with-senior-infant-n-skip-on-junior-infant

Hello 2020 - You havent mentioned in what way they are very smart in class? Are they able to read and write?

If they are were they thought by yourself/partner or did they learn it themselves. Im just interested to know in what way you think they are advanced especially as they are twins?

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887585#Comment_117887585

thanks i get your point.. but don't you think it will be better for kids to finish college early and work in full time jobs rather than working part time and also trying to study...many kids lose interest in studies due to long break of transition year and completely lose the study habit..(just personal observation and i could be wrong)

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117887732#Comment_117887732

they are quite good at reading and drawing ..almost at same level as their friends who went to junior infants last year as they were born few months early...

they also appear physically older than their age as we buy them clothes 2 size up (6-7 year)

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117886415#Comment_117886415

thanks for sharing this...very useful and reassuring...

was bit sad that some of their friends from the pre-school batch went to junior infants last year as they were born few months early so they completed 4 year in time for school year and our girls stayed back..

Clareman

My nephew was quite smart in primary school, really enjoyed it and was always top of the class, the school was going through a bit of a restructure and asked if he (and a couple of his classmates) would skip a class, my brother thought this would be brilliant and he & his wife would brag to everyone how special their son was. Turns out the school wanted the change to even out the class sizes and although academically my nephew was able for the course work being moved a class had a massive impact on them, a year of age is a huge difference when you are in primary school. My nephew went from being an excellent student to being average and that continued on through his academic life.

YellowFeather

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117888946#Comment_117888946

Ah no. Leave them be. I rushed through school and didn’t do transition year, and I regret that now. School is a time for learning and developing and they will be in the working environment for long enough! Let them learn and absorb as much as possible during their school and college years.

Transition year is actually great, as your children can learn how to drive (well, kinda depending on their age), they can start a new language, take trips abroad, and really widen their perspective and refresh themselves before heading on to the next two years of heads down learning, and, if you think some kids will lose interest, well, do you think your two will lose interest? It sounds as though they will not!

spaceHopper

I'ev B/G twins, they started at 5 1/2 and I'm glad we did. I've never heard a parent say they are happy their child started early, it's always the reverse.

Just gone 5 is kind of the Golidelocks age.

Also when they are 13/14 they and in 1st year of secondary they will be that bit more mature than their peers and less likely to be pressured into stuff by the older kids

onlinemathsgr

Leave them where they are.

Outkast_IRE

You need to look at what age that would put them at joining 3rd level also. Nobody wants to be 16/17 entering 3rd level not being able to meet up with your peers for a night out etc. It could lead to them being left out immediately.

heretothere

I'd say they are grand where they are. I would think they are right in the middle of the age bunch, especially since lots of children don't start until they are 5 now, my nephew in law would have been 5 years and 7 months old starting. I had friends in school who would have turned 5 a few weeks after starting junior infants. I would have been 4 years 9 months old starting myself.

You said you think TY can be a bad thing, this really comes down to the school, some are fantastic, some not so much. They will really be their decision when they get to that point.

Also with the physical appearance, that doesn't matter. I have a niece who is a tiny little thing, but a nephew who is wearing clothing for 3/4 years older than he is!! They need to be taught a lot of social skills in junior infants, even more so right now seeing as they have sent a decent chunk of their lives not socialising in the way children would normally get to.

Padre_Pio

They're in school a few weeks and you've concluded they're more advanced than the other pupils and should be moved forward?

hero25

I was that child a long time ago!! went straight to senior infants at 4 and a half, was in 1st year at 11 and a half .. college 16 and half.

While academically, there were never any issues .... socially, in hindsight, i was too immature for secondary school and college.

As per most other responses, leave them as they are. There's more to school than academic performance.

shesty

They are 2 weeks in school!!!No!

spurious

I agree with others, leave them be. Another complication would rear its head at the other end as if they do not do TY, they would be very young doing LC and find themselves unable to access much of college life.

Big Bag of Chips

but don't you think it will be better for kids to finish college early and work in full time jobs rather than working part time and also trying to study...

No. I don't! You use the word "kids" yourself above in relation to working full time jobs! Why not allow kids to be young when they are. Long enough they will be working full time jobs and tied down with adult responsibilities. Let them enjoy their youth while they have the opportunity.

Stop looking to the possible future. It doesn't exist yet. Let your children move through life at their own pace. They might not ever follow the path you have imagined for them.

Right now, at 4 years and 11 months the only thing you need to worry about is if they are happy little 4 year olds. From the mother of a now 16 year old who had taught himself to read before starting school, who was assessed as exceptional ability and who struggled for years to relate to his peers, I can tell you the years go very very quickly. Don't be trying to rush them forward. They might not be quite so capable at the other end.

scarepanda

Leave them where they are op. They are too young to go into SI.

I have a just turned 5 year old, just started JI, most of the kids were in the same preschool as her. She's 'very smart', or so a lot of people have told us. I have no idea how 'smart' she is with regards to the rest of her class, even after preschool. I do know she's a social butterfly and quite advanced in that regards for her age. However, not in a million years would we even consider jumping her straight into SI. Why rush them to grow up? Why put them at a disadvantaged socially because of their age at one of the most important social developmental times in their lives - when they are teenagers/young adults? Pure madness in my opinion.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117888970#Comment_117888970

Nothing you say here would suggest that they are advanced for their age . Leave them in JI - Let them learn how to read and write ( properly ) at a level which their teacher thinks is suitable. Just because their big size wise is a ridiculous reason to even consider moving them.

tayto lover

I read somewhere (can’t remember where) that children have to spend two years in infant classes ie junior and senior infants.

They have to spend eight years in Primary School.

Big Bag of Chips

Another thing to consider OP is the group of people who score top points in their leaving cert every year are above average intelligence. Every one of them. There is a relatively small number who achieve maximum points, and they are above average in their year, and also work hard. They aren't bored or disinterested. They are focused and know what they want. These children would have always been cleverer than their average classmates. Yet, they still manage to stay interested and not get bored by school.

If a child is going to get bored by school, they'll get bored regardless of their level of intelligence.

If all very intelligent kids got bored in their classes and disinterested we'd have zero people getting maximum points. Because none of them would put the work in that's required.

starlady1

Skipping Junior Infants would not be an option unless your child was exceptionally gifted or too old to start in Junior Infants ie. if they were six years old starting primary school.

When I say gifted I mean a child who has been assessed as gifted and one of the recommendations by the psychologist was to skip a class. This is extremley rare. I know of one case but it was years ago. Haven't heard of it happening anywhere in years.

byhookorbycrook

Primary teacher here with a lot of experience in dealing with children who have been officially assessed as "exceptionally able" (the preferred term for " gifted") Starting school is about so much more than being advanced in particular curricular areas, it's social and emotional competence, it's about physical literacy etc.etc.

I've had children coming to me who can really read Harry Potter, do the entire 5th class maths curriculum but who have floundered in the areas above. Let them do this year and then see what the story is next June. You can provide extra stimulation at home if needed.

"Quite good at reading and drawing" doesn't really scream EA to me (and I'm not being dismissive) Children who have done lots of both at home may seem more advanced in these in relation to their peers, but it may balance out over the year. Sit tight for now.

dara10

I heard of one child who moved upto senior infants after a few weeks in junior infants. She could read before she started school. This was a couple of years ago.

In general a lot of kids are bored in junior and senior infants but things pick up from 1st class.