Would you apply if it were your son?

For the people that say they would send their child ahead to a short week kinder, but hold them back for full time school... what do you envisage happening at the end of kinder? Would you plan on them repeating the year?

God now I'm getting all confused.. LOL... all these answers and then re-reading and changing their answers.... are you people trying to confuse me?!!? LOL

Ok, so I stand corrected, its Kinder when they are 4 - but they have to turn 4 by the 1st Jan. Aricyn turns 4 on the 10th Jan. Its 3 days a week. He won't be with 5 1/2 year olds, he will be with kids that are 4, 4.5 and maybe turning 5 that same year.

So having said that - yay or nay? LOL

Meow, in NSW at 'preschool' you can send them once they turn 3, but most will wait till the start of the year, so for my youngest, he will turn 3 in a few weeks, but will start preschool next year and do a year as a 3yo and then a year as a 4yo before starting 'big school'. If you have a child who is on the young side, then you can hold them back from school and they do 3 years of preschool. The trend around here for those born Jan-April was to send them to preschool for a half day the year they turn 3, so they are still only 2 in some cases, then a full day the following year, then up to 3 days a week the year after that so they are turning 6 within the first few weeks of school starting.

YAY from me. I don't think that in the scheme of things those 9 days will make a lot of difference - there will be some kids born before that date who wouldn't be up there where A is. Let him do the assessment and go from there.

So next year would be kinder. Year after is pre-primary or something, then from year they turn six is first year of school-school?

Or is it school from 5?

If it's kinder, pre, school, then that sounds ok to me.

ETA - nah, I'm lost again. Ignore me

ROFL Marcellus! Just to confuse you more, in WA year 7 is still primary school ;)

Is it not elsewhere? I. can't. compute.
just as well DS is only 2. I have years to figure this out.

LOL, that's why there should be a national system. I'm pretty sure that in all other states year 7 is highschool I know it is in NSW at least.

You know your son better than anyone. If you think he is ready then why not let him do the early acceptance test. I don't think there is much to be gained from keeping a child who is ready for school at home.
IMO the worst case scenario is that he is accepted for school when he isn't ready. If that happens he might have to repeat the year which at his age mightn't really be a biggy.
I guess that something to keep in mind is that some parents hold their children back as long as they legally can because they think that they benefit from being older than their peers so some of his classmates might be almost 2 years older.

FWIW, I'm not a great believer in the idea that being older is an advantage. Yasin is clearly almost a year younger than some of his peers. In the NSW system he had to start but in the ACT system he could have waited until next year. When we went to his parent-teacher interviews a month ago they had nothing that wasn't positive to say about him (much to my shock lol). Him and one other boy are ahead of the class in maths and he's doing well in every other area. He was doing distance education for 6 months and every time something better came up we dumped his lessons so if age and prior exposure was of any benefit he should be behind but he isn't.

Kinder I would send him. Then if he isn't ready, do another year of Kinder.
Here in Vic you can send them to Kinder and then if they are not ready as been assessed by the Kinder teacher then they can do an additional year of Kinder. Most Council run Kinders here are government subsidised, so that is why you have to have approval for the extra year if needed so they Kinder get's the appropriate funding for that child.
So here in Victoria this is the way it is
Kinder 4yr old either 10.45hr sess or 12hr session of whatever days.
School Prep to Year 6
High School Yr7-12 .

I know in Adelaide they have what is called reception..so the child goes to school when they turn 5 no matter what time of the year that is. So the starts are staggered over the year. Great system, wish all schools all over the whole of Australia had this system.
Really all we want is a National System, it really is quite silly and confusing.

Qld is another Grade 7 in Primary school folk...and they don't do prep either! lol

Yep Melly, send him to kinder! The boy will love it :)

Mel, I'd be having him assessed and probably send him.
He sounds exactly like DD at that age.
We have a different system again up here so I won't confuse you more but DD finally starts tomorrow (should have started at the beginning of the year but we moved a few times) and will also start proper 5 day a week schooling next feb. She can't wait.

I too think the leadership argument is a load of bollocks, it is either in your personality or it isn't. I was almost a full 12 months younger than all my peers from the beginning, i was the smallest until about year 8, it had no effect on me, i was a leader (not alwys in a good way. :lol:) and generally topped my class. I think only you know your child and can make that decision. If you think he's ready then i say send him. If you're umm-ing and ahh-ing then perhaps don't. :)

This is how it works here in Tas...
They have to go to Kinder the year they turn 5. (Public school - Tassie) In Tassie each child does Kinder then Prep then Grade one etc. Kinder is Primary school in Tas. (2 or 3 days)

But being that this particular school allows early enrolment for gifted children by passing the asessment then A would be able to go earlier (Private school)

He will either have just turned 4 (Jan 2011) like my eldest did (so he has always been one of the youngest) or can wait til he has just turned 5 (Jan 2012) So he will either be one of the youngest or one of the oldest.

O started Kinder in 2007 - he was turned 5 in the July so he was a bit over 4.5 when he started Kinder. K will basically be the same as O was. He will start Kinder in 2012 at a bit over 4.5.

:D

Just a little on the Leadership - at our school most classes are composite classes (eg 1/2 or 4/5 etc)- If the child is a bit quieter then at some stage the child the child will be put in a class where he/she is in the older grade so he/she has a chance to "shine" due to other dominant personalities etc. This year O is in grade 2. He is in a 1/2 class so that he has a chance to show more of his leadership abilities cause he was a quieter personality at the start of the year - not so much now. Does that make sense ?

Ultimately you guys will make the decision that works best for you. It has never been something we have had to think about cause of the way the public system works etc.

ETA again - An example similar to yours - O's bestie's b'day is Jan 21. He turned 4 -Jan 2007 - academically was very ready for school but wouldnt have coped emotionally - couldnt start Kinder anyway due to age (too young for Kinder by 20 days) So he turned 5 -Jan 2008 - Started Kinder - One of oldest in the class but still had a hard time leaving Mum - a very bright cookie but held back due to the public system's age policy.
It's a tough one Mel - But from what i have seen over the last 5 or so years the younger ones have coped well. Because we have Kinder then Prep they get to ease into the system. A already goes to daycare 2 days a week and Kinder isnt too full on - especially for a smart cookie like A ! :D He will be a similar age to what my boys were when they went to Kinder - The good thing for you is you have the choice !
I'll stop now ! ; Goodluck sweets ! Look forward to the outcome lovely lady ! xo

Ok I havE tried to read replies but got lost so I will just add my experience! In wa they can start Mindy if they turn 4 by the 30th of June ds1 was born on the 4 th of July he missed out by 4 days you don't get a choice for testing ect here. so he went the year he turned 5. Ds2 was born on the 20th of march so he went the year he turned 4. Both my boys are very smart and I thought they were ready for school but the difference the extra year at home makes is amazing to be honest if I had my time again I would keep ds2 home for the extra year. Academicly he is doing amazing but emotionaly he is not. He is the youngest in his class and in some ways you can really tell. And I don't mean size wise lol he is the same size as his 6 yr old brother lol so anyway long story short get the testing if you want but I don't know if I would send him to school being a year younger than some kids but you know your boy and you are the only one that can make the call!! Good luck!!

LOL these threads are always confusing!

DS is a March baby. He started preschool 2 days a week when he turned 3. He's in his 2nd year of preschool now, still at 2 days (can't afford more haha). He will go to 'big school' (kindergarten) next year. He'll be turning 5 in March. Some of his peers are having their 5th birthdays this half of the year, so they're around 6-9 months older than him, but then he has peers in his half of the year too... some will turn 5 around the same time and possibly up until June.

I totally recommend 2 days (or 3 days in your case) of preschool per week for a 4 year old.. especially if you're like me and a bit challenged on the stimulation/entertainment side of mothering hahaha. I've been really really happy with our preschool.. they encourage independence with their lunch boxes, with toileting, and looking after their bags etc. VERY much like big school. Unlike the first daycare I had him in for a few weeks which supposedly had a preschool program. It just didn't feel like it would prepare him for school.. hours weren't school hours, they catered lunch etc. DS's teachers are confident he is ready to start big school next year, and I know there is NO way I could hold him back a year.. he is just busting to go and he is just itching to start learning (just another thing I'm blaming his naughtiness on LOL... boredom!)

You'll know within yourself whether it feels right and whether it's suiting him. In answer to your question.. yes, I would get him assessed and go from there. Altho.. we don't have assessments for preschool? If it's assessment for starting actual big school early... I don't know... i think you'd just have to go with your gut and whether you feel it's right for him. I wouldn't base it soley on age.

I would get him tested and if he is accepted then send him. It is confusing being that each state is a bit different.

I am in WA so system is a bit different but here they start kindy (2 days per week) the year they turn 4, provided they are 4 before June 30th, then pre-primary they year they turn 5, provided they are 5 before 30 June, then the next year is year 1 (children born after June 30 wait until the next year). In WA kindy and preprimary are all part of school, not council run or seperate.

Anyway for me DD turned 4 June 23rd, so she really is the youngest in her class (and this year the one of youngest in the whole school of 700)- she is in a mixed kindy/ preprimary class, so not only is she the youngest but she also potentially has kids that are up to 2 years older than her. She is coping just fine, she was MORE than ready to start school, and like you if I had had to have kept her home another year I would be tearing my hair out, when we got her first semester report she had already completed all her requirements for Kindy bar a few and she is starting on Pre-primary work this term- where appropriate. I have asked her teacher to expose her to the higher level work but not to push IYKWIM, because I dont want her to get too far ahead of her peers, but if the truth be told if they are ready to learn it- they will learn it, some kids are like that.
Really the worst thing that can happen if you have him tested is they say no- it is not like he has a June or july birthday, he misses the cut off by a matter of days. So I would say yes, get him tested the answer will either be yes or no, and even if it is yes and you then decide not to go ahead, still no harm done.

I haven't changed my thoughts :D - get him tested then you will know what your options are and if he is ready let him go. If he does the test and they say he isn't ready then the decision is made for you.