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Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 3
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Hi every1
Id love some advice from those of you who have boys started in school or they are starting this year. I have a son who will be 4 at the end of March next and I am torn whether to start him at 4 1/2 or 5 1/2. I have got differing opinions from a few people so I am really caught. It seems early to be worrying about it already but I don't know whether to apply for his free preschool place for this Sept or next Sept, I don't want to miss out on it anyway!
any advice would be much appreciated....
Tks 
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 Groups: Joined: 10/30/2003 Posts: 1,379
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Hi.
Had the same dilemma a couple of years back - my DS1 birthday was mid-April so he would have been just under 5.5 if he had gone that September.
The school himmed and hawwed and said we would know ourselves (hello!!). Took this as a message to think about it a lot.
We'd basically decided to wait the year (he would be in school long enough so what's the rush; another year would enable him to be 100% ready for school and bigger crowds; he'd be that bit older and more mature when heading for 2nd and 3rd level) then I heard an interview on the Gerry Ryan Show - you'll hear positive and negatives but the basic message was you can send them early and it can go either way or you can wait and know you've done all you can for them.
Personally, I am 110% sure we did the right thing. He raced in the school door and hasn't looked back.
Good luck.
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Groups:
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 3
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tks so much Staple... I am leaning towards leaving him the extra year to go at 5.5. Its when you think of later on and he is going to secondary school at 12.5, seems so young. And as you said I will be sure he is 110% ready for the real world... :-)
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Groups: Joined: 4/1/2008 Posts: 1,654
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My oldest started last Sept and was 6 in Feb so he was a good 5.5 yrs old. it stood to him as he isn't the most confident. The next guy turned 4 in May and I'm keeping him till 5 too and the baby will be a November 5 so he should be ok the previous Sept. i think 5 is a good age - its almost an even split in his class between the ones who started at 4 and 5. Its personal but I totally agree re the added advantage of a bit of maturity going in to secondary school. I just felt my guys were better able for teh big bad world at 5!
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Groups:
Joined: 9/18/2008
Posts: 3
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Tks charcole,
I think I really am getting closer to the decision of holding him to 5.5. Some people think I'm crazy as if I don't think he is intelligent enough, but its nothing to do with that at this age... I just want him to be old enough to stand up for himself and be better able for things.
really appreciate the feedback girls. Tks :-)
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Groups: Joined: 10/30/2003 Posts: 1,379
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Intelligent enough? That's just funny!
They're only little kids starting primary school!
One of the little boys in DS's class was only 5 a few weeks back - he copes fine socially but had a hard time sitting still and concentrating... ending up being known as a bit of a bolide...
One of the little girls in the class was 5 a few months back - a very quiet little thing and until the last week, she was still upset every day when her mother left her.
My guy is a bit quiet and slow to get to know people. I made sure he didn't 'know' too much about reading or writing before he went to school so he thrived on everything they did...
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 Groups: Joined: 3/23/2008 Posts: 3,702
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i think all our children are different so really only you can tell if you think thi syear is the right year for sending him.
Both my dd and ds were 4 going - ds was 4 22nd august and started and he has had no bother...i have another starting this year and she was 4 in March - and the baby will be fine he will be almost 5 starting. Personally im glad they went when they did, ds would have had speech problems and i thought sending him to preschool for another year was gonna hold him back and that he would be better off with the bigger kids. I worried all the summer thinking was i doing right thing, prinicpal told me he could be kept back if needed thankfully we made right choice and he is flying as is Dd.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do...
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 Groups: Joined: 3/15/2009 Posts: 136
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I started school at 3, secondary at 11 and college at 16 (away from home). I think that many parents go over the top now and many children are 'over' ready. Transition Year is now compulsory in many schools, which adds a further year, which is not necessary.
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Groups: Joined: 12/17/2007 Posts: 2,738
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Hi KellieMom,
Children must be at least 12 years of age on 1 January in the year they start second-level education in order to be registered in a post-primary school.
From what I can work out your DS will be 3 on January 1st next year and assuming you send him to school that September, he will be 4 in the Jan before Sr Infants, 5 before 1st class, 6 before 2nd class, 7 before 3rd class, 8 before 4th class, 9 before 5th class, 10 before 6th class and then the January before he's due to go into secondary school he will only be 11. So he will have to stay back a year.
I, personally, would hold off another year so that he could progress with his whole class (and most of his school friends) all the way through the schooling system.
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Groups: Joined: 3/23/2008 Posts: 3,702
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Cloc ive never ever heard that rule, is it a new thing ? no one has ever said anything to me as my dd will be 11 in the january she intends to start secondary school...she will be 12 in the July - and she will of course be going to secondary school...
Maybe some school only have that rule first ive ever ever heard of it for sure!
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Groups: Joined: 12/17/2007 Posts: 2,738
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I was told of it when I enrolled DS for primary school so I checked it on the citizens information website and there it was! I had never heard of it before either. http://www.citizensinfor...ary_education_life_event
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Groups: Joined: 3/23/2008 Posts: 3,702
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thanks for the link cloc...Must be a relaxed enough rule because ive known of quite a few who were the 12 after january...seems a bit silly to be 12 on 1st january, once they are 12 ya think that would be enough!
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Groups: Joined: 2/14/2010 Posts: 198
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I wonder if that is a very new rule or if it should read 1st January in the school year - ie start in September at 11 and turn 12 by the January. If its enforced half my DS's class will need to be kept back as they are evenly split between those who started at 4 and those who started at 5 or over.
I think you know yourself if your child is ready. I started school having turned 4 on 30th August and never stayed back and didnt do 4th year which wasn't compulsory at the time. I sat my Leaving Cert at 16 and went on to do a degree and masters. My Mam worried constantly that I was too young and teachers kept telling her it would be a crime to keep me back. Despite her worrying she knew I was ready to start when I did. And I'm glad she sent me then. I started my DS at 4 (he turned 4 in July), 2 years ago now (time flies!) and have never regretted it. He is smaller than a lot of the boys in his class so I worried about that side more than the learning side as I knew he was well ready that way. He has learnt to really stand up for himself and I know I was right to send him when I did. Best of luck with what you decide....
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Groups: Joined: 3/15/2004 Posts: 5,316
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Cloc! wrote:Hi KellieMom,
Children must be at least 12 years of age on 1 January in the year they start second-level education in order to be registered in a post-primary school.
From what I can work out your DS will be 3 on January 1st next year and assuming you send him to school that September, he will be 4 in the Jan before Sr Infants, 5 before 1st class, 6 before 2nd class, 7 before 3rd class, 8 before 4th class, 9 before 5th class, 10 before 6th class and then the January before he's due to go into secondary school he will only be 11. So he will have to stay back a year.
I, personally, would hold off another year so that he could progress with his whole class (and most of his school friends) all the way through the schooling system.
My DD started school when she had just turned 4 (27th July) and she thrived, never looked back. If I had held her back for a further year, it would have been the worst decision as she's very bright and way ahead of the other kids in reading and maths, she would have been lost with the younger kids. My second DD was almost 5 (Nov baby) and she's done really well too and my youngest DD starts this September, also age 4 (15th July) and I would think she'll be fine too.
Cloc, where did you get this information? My eldest starts Secondary school at the end of August and she's just gone 12 (July). My youngest will also be just gone 12 starting secondary and this information has never arisen for us. It must be a rule for the secondary school or primary your children are going to because it's not a rule across the board.
Personally, if I had a child born in March/April, I would have no issues sending them to school that September as it's time enough, 5and half IMO is too old when you consider most of the children in the class will be 4-4and half. It would be different if the child was a July/August baby and not socially ready which boys generally aren't. Out of my DDs class of 15 last year, the eldest was 5 in the October after they started and the youngest was 5 the following June and in our school that would be the norm.
Note to self: Read all the posts after the one quoted before posting as the answers may already be there.
I just read the link, thanks Cloc and in my experience after applying to a number of secondary schools, that rule doesn't apply. But the rules start at primary level, some school have a rule whereby the child must be 4 by the April/May of the year starting school. In our school the rule is that a child must be 4 by the 1st September of the year starting and this is probably due to the small class numbers whereby a younger child would not get left behind.
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