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What age to start primary

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    #32
    byhookorbycrook
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,481 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    A good pre-school shouldn’t bore a child , though .


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    #33
    dara10
    Registered Users Posts: 18 ✭dara10


    December birthday should definitely start school at 4. March-May babies seems to be the youngest in Junior Infants these days so your child wouldn't be the youngest. The curriculum in infants has a lot of play. Also think of being 13.5 in 6th class, 19.5 doing the leaving, its too old those environments aren't geared up for kids that old.
    ECCE cut offs are messed up and don't correspond with school start ages (they work off calendar years but schools work off school years, though some impose a 4 by summer cut off). I complained but didn't get anywhere. Eleven out of 27 in my child's class were born between Jan and April and skipped the second year of ECCE. December is perfect as you get the 2 years of ECCE and can start at 4.

    You don't need to apply to schools until the year before they start and even then you can accept a place and later decline. Don't worry about school when he is so young.


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    #34
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    Dara I would disagree with you re the Leaving cert and I am a secondary school teacher. In my opinion the older the better.
    Also those mad 6th year holidays too (I know not everyone goes on them) and for moving out of home for college.
    I would be in favour of all my kids doing a PLC course (at 19) before doing a degree. There is no rush. You would like to think every year brings maturity.

    The curriculum in JI and SI (from what I can see) seems basic eg maths is figures 0-5 in JI and 6-10 in SI. My son knew all that already from Montesorri.
    I do my own reading and maths at home with him.
    The big learning/changes for my son are all the other things like yard, standing up for yourself etc. I am guessing some students also find it hard to sit in their seats and not wander around the room. A primary school teacher would have a lot more insight.


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    #35
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    fits wrote: »
    That's the plan at present. However its hard for us to objectively judge what would suit the boy with special needs better. I guess the psychological reports will help us to make a decision. He's coping well in mainstream pre-school. He has a significant speech delay among other things.

    We had twins who were in different years
    in the same school. I am sure it was very annoying for them explaining my twin is in x class. It came up a few times in my class amongst students.
    Maybe on the flip side if they are in different years they might prefer being on their “own” (different friends etc).

    When do you need to decide? I am guessing it will be the Montesorri who will really want to know. If you pay privately the need to make sure the have x number of children in the ECCE scheme to get funding, In my children’s Montesorri the teacher could only have one privately paying child.


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    #36
    fits
    Registered Users Posts: 13,271 ✭✭✭✭fits


    That’s amazing you had twins in different years. Would be keen to hear your experience. Yes I think it would benefit both to be in different classes. But it’s a little heartbreaking too.


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    #37
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    fits wrote: »
    That’s amazing you had twins in different years. Would be keen to hear your experience. Yes I think it would benefit both to be in different classes. But it’s a little heartbreaking too.

    Sorry we as in my school where I work!!!


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    #38
    Balmed Out
    Registered Users Posts: 4,713 ✭✭✭Balmed Out


    My late December boy who was due mid January started when he was 5.9. Was way too immature at 4 in comparison to the others who were moving on from creche. He would have been the youngest if he started earlier and the oldest as it is.

    My wife is a teacher with about 20 years experience always between junior infants and second class. My daughter was a similar age and there was no doubt of her starting at 4 really depends on the child.

    You like what you're good at and good at what you like so sending them too early and they can struggle for years, if the child is well able and waits they may get bored and disinterested.
    I coach some of his sports and its very interesting how correlated the abilities are with month of birth, I find myself reminding others that so and so are born in November and December while the others January or February all the time. If you remove the top 10% the rests abilities more or less correspond to their age. Some will get disgruntled and feel they arent up to their peers when holding a hurley or whatever and id hate to think the same is true for maths etc. We try to give them all plenty of positive reinforcement and make sure that with a little help they all get a bit of glory or whatever but what's possible in a two hour training session with a coach to every half dozen kids probably isn't in a classroom.


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    #39
    Kathnora
    Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭Kathnora


    dara10 .... you referred to children being 13.5 in 6th class and 19.5 in 6th year.

    While I have no experience of 6th year (primary teacher here) I do know that at 13.5 the 6th class environment does not in many cases suit a child of this age. The hormones are hopping. They are ready to move n to more "teenage" pursuits and may consider some of their classmates to be childish. And there is the possibility that the younger children in the class may be influenced by the older child and their teenage interests too.

    I could see the 6th year environment being somewhat unsuitable for a 19.5 year old. At that age I was 6 mths away from graduating as a teacher. Are we in danger here of sheltering our young people too much and delaying the onset of responsibility and maturity???? Just a thought ......


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    #40
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,894 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Millem wrote: »
    We had twins who were in different years
    in the same school. I am sure it was very annoying for them explaining my twin is in x class. It came up a few times in my class amongst students.
    Maybe on the flip side if they are in different years they might prefer being on their “own” (different friends etc).
    .

    Ah gosh!My mum was a teacher, and her school always had a policy of putting twins in separate classes if at all possible, to give them a chance to be their own person (they had a big primary school).

    I also worked with someone who had twin daughters...when they started secondary school, the "quieter" twin specifically asked to be put in a different class to her sister, as she wanted to develop her own set of friends.Parents were a bit taken aback and slightly worried but went with it, and both twins thrived - my co-worker (the dad) couldn't believe it.

    It's a bit miserable starting college age 16/17 by the way.Maturity-wise you are not up with the rest.Never mind that any events with ID checks you are ruled out of (and it happens more often than you would think).Doing a J1 in 3rd year or whatever, not being 21 in the States -no entry to anything either.Most people graduate around 22/23 now, possibly older as some courses are 5 years.I wouldn't be rushing to get them to the LC at a young age.If you were graduating age 19, nowadays you would have had to go into teaching age 15 to achieve that, and that is just not fair (and probably not possible these days)


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    #41
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    shesty wrote: »
    Ah gosh!My mum was a teacher, and her school always had a policy of putting twins in separate classes if at all possible, to give them a chance to be their own person (they had a big primary school).

    My son is friends with twins. The school he attends always put twins in separate classes too. Being in the same year the boys do tend to kind of share the same friends.

    The twins in my school were in separate years. I taught the twin who had stayed back a year in primary school. Never came across his brother. His friends were completely separate as they were a year younger. It’s a big school with over 800 students.


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    #42
    99nsr125
    Registered Users Posts: 1,183 ✭✭✭99nsr125


    Augustduck wrote: »
    Hi,

    What age is best to start my child in school? He will turn 1 in December this year. in September 2024 he will be 4.9 months and in September 2025 he will be 5.9 months.

    Is 4.9 months too young, would he be at a disadvantage?

    5 or more

    Later in life is where the real benefit is seen


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    #43
    coffeyt
    Registered Users Posts: 304 ✭✭coffeyt


    Have to agree with the consensus that it really does depend on the child, my youngest is a december baby also and has just started this year in JI at the age of 4, she will be 5 at the end of December and is absolutely flying it.
    Having said that my son is an August baby so was just turned 5 starting and he needed to be, he would not have been ready at even 4 and 1/2, he needed that extra few months so if he had been a december baby I probably would have held off till he was 5 and 8 months.
    With regards the other kids, in my sons class now in senior infants the youngest is still 5 and won't be 6 until March and the oldest is just gone 7 since earlier this month so I really wouldn't worry about the ages of other kids as these days it does vary a lot.


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    #44
    MeganOgden
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭MeganOgden


    I'd say that 6-7 years is really optimal, however it really depends on the child


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