We're here. DD1 turns five this March, so she'll be nearly six when starting. I've seriously struggled with deciding on a school for her and now I'm resigned that she'll probably move schools somewhere in her primary school years.

She talks about primary school all the time. One of her friends asked her why she isn't starting school this year and she just looked at us as though she was missing out. Quite a few of her friends are starting this year, they're the same age as her. It never crossed my mind that she would feel left behind and I hope her friends don't treat her differently because she's still a kinder kid. Intellectually, she's ready. She's staring to teach herself to read, talks about what different words start with ("Mum, flower starts with F"), can count and write numbers to 100, can write a fair amount of words without help. Emotionally is where I've always worried about her. Her kinder teacher said we're not doing he wrong thing by keeping her back. I've heard many parents say that they've regretted sending heir child early, but nobody has said it about keeping their child back.

The school we're thinking of is in a large country style town about twenty minutes away. Have heard mixed reports about it. Has good arts and music programs, lunchtime instrument lessons. I think she'll be okay there. They run an entire year of pre prep classes, kids go for a session each week so that it's all pretty familiar when they start.