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Has anyone tried to do this? I am thinking of keeping DD back a year and to start Kindy next year. She only makes the cut-off by 1 month. Intellectually she is ready, but emotionally and socially, she acts much younger. How would I get them to agree to do that? Should I try get a psychologist report? What type of psychologist would I see? Would it even work?
I have asked the local intake school and they said they won't do it. The dept. of Edu said it is up to the school.
Its totally up to you hun. Out of all my friends, most are sending their children at 5 turning 6 instead of 4 turning 5 like I have.
Alot of private schools now even cut them off at the end of March, so they prefer them to be 5 before March. Well most of the ones I've spoken to anyway.
HTH :)
I would think you would need an assessment done for the school to approve. I know in Qld it's not easy to do. I'm not sure what the WA rules are though. Maybe ring around to a couple of different schools and get their advice on it.
Sorry, probably not much help.
Around where I live it became a trend for a while for children who were going to be sent to the Catholic school to be held back a year so they were turning 7 in kindergarten which was far too old IMO but that trend seems to have passed now. It is up to you really. If you think that she is not ready, then there isn't a lot of point sending her because she may need to repeat a year kwim?
She is 3 yrs 8 mnths now and I think she is too young for Kindy but WA's cut-off says she must go. If she does, she will be 16 in year 10! If I keep her back a year, she will be 4yrs 8 months starting Kindy, with PrePrimary the next year and she will be 6 starting Year 1 instead of 5.:
Is WA Kindy the same as pre-school in NSW?
I had no problem at all starting my kids later in Qld... :dunno:
My DS began year 1 the year he turned 7, prep the year he turned 6 and preschool the year he turned 5..
The same with my younger girls... I personally think 3 is too early to begin kindy so I have kept my kids out... As I said earlier I was so passionate about this I accessed independent education for this amongst other reasons... HTH
when i asked the principle of DS school about how the decide whether a child is ready to go from pre-prep to prep he said this "i have ahd plenty of parents face that choice.. none of the ones that held their children back have regretted their decision, but plenty of the ones that insisted their children were ready have regretted their choice".
I'm lucky that our prep-prep has this fantastic teacher who comes is 3 afternoons a week specifically to look at prep readiness with the boys and developing and making sure their skills are up to scratch, and if not, i have no qualms holding DS back another year.
At the moment he will turn 5 just before prep starts, and finish year 12 just before he turns 18 (same as me, we are 10 days apart in bdays). But if he turns 18 just before he starts year 12 i don't think it will majorly inpact his life, but not doing well the whole way through school will.
Being a January bub, I turned 15 at the start of year 10 so I was one of the youngest in my class. I really think that you should make every effort to hold her back if you feel that strongly about it, but on the other hand there have been plenty of kids who at the start of a year seem quite young emotionally, but by the end of the year they are fine and have 'caught up' to their peers, and going to Kindy helps with all that kind of thing as well. So maybe that is one avenue to explore too, send her and if at the time when you have to decide to send her to school you can make a decision then if she is ready or not. It may even be easier to do it that way, because then you have the backing of her kindy teacher and her input on whether she thinks your DD is emotionally ready for school.
If I could turn the clock back I would have kept DD2 back a year. Her birthday is 28th Feb so was usually the youngest in the class. She never really struggled with her school work but socially was not ready.
When she finished VCE she was not ready to go to Uni. Five years later she started Uni, now in her third year and knows where she is going.
In Victoria is it not a problem to start kinder or prep later.
I just think it's crap that it isn't up to YOU.
xoxoxoxox
YEs I agree it sux that its not up to you =- it is up to the parents in Victoria.
In fact some of the schools I looked at imposed their own cut off and you had to be 5 by the end of Feb to start.
Others offer a prep-reception year for kids whose parents hold them back, which is like a combination of 4yo kinder and prep
Well, I have sent the principal a e-mailed letter detailing my reasons and asking him to allow my daughter to start a year later. I hope he can find it in his heart to give her a chance. I'm afraid that I don't have too much confidence in the male species when it comes to children and compassion IYKWIM? I will have to wait and see, in the meantime, I am praying.:pray:
I'm a bit confused... here we start with preschool, usually 3yo & 4yo, but this is optional. Compulsory schooling doesn't start until Kindergarten at 5yo. As someone earlier said, a lot of the kids are 5 already and turning 6 that year. My DS will be turning 5 in the March when he starts Kindy tho. I've wondered if he'll be too young, but already the preschool teachers are saying he'll be ready. Preschool is good for assessing their independence and social readiness for school.
How come they are saying she 'must go' at this young age tho? Surely it's not compulsory?
No, it is not compulsory at all. It is only compulsory from Year 1. In WA they have Kindy, then Pre-Primary and then Year 1,2 etc. So they start Kindy in the year that they turn 4 and the cut-off is 30 June. So they can be 3 turning 4 by end June. If they choose not to go then they will start at Year 1. For me, I think she will have missed out on alot of learning and social development if she skips Kindy and PP. Even if she skips these and starts Year 1 in 3 years, she will be 16 turning 17 in her final year of school. I think this is too young to be making plans about uni or working or even to know what you want to do with your life.
Kindy is 2 days, some schools do 3 days a week. PP is 5 full days.
Aah ok... doing some math...
DS is in preschool this year.. turning 4 in March. Will be turning 5 in kindy. And turning 6 in year 1. So in Yr 12 he'll be turning 17. That's what I was (but I was in January). I turned 18 after finishing school.
I guess it's hard to predict their level of maturity at that age this far in advance. Personally at that age I don't think the age difference is that big a deal. 6 months can be a big difference in development for a 5yo, but at 17, give or take 6 months doesn't make that much difference IMO. Thinking back to my Yr12, I don't think you could pick those turning 17 from those turning 18. We were all pretty much on the same page in the same school year.
I would think the important thing would be to start them when they are ready, not worrying so much about the later years, cos if they're ready when they start, then they're likely to keep up with each year as it comes. JMO of course :)
Hmm. My neice is over that way. Her & my DD are 7 months apart in age. My neice turned 5 in November last year & my DD2 doesn't turn 5 til June.
My neice did I think it was pre prep last year? I'm thinking prep is the year before year one, equal to our kindy? They are both at that level this year, but my DD had nothing compulsery last year. ITMS.
I sent both my girls ealy because I believed they were ready. DD1 turned 5 in April & DD2 turns 5 in June. But both have needed that stimulation full time. Both are thriving in school. DD1 has finally stopped winging to me that the work is too easy & is enjoying it.
I also decided DD2 needed it for help with her speech problems. If she needs to repeat kindy thats ok, but to see the change & the effort she's putting into her speech just 2 or 3 weeks in is unbelievable.
I made my decision, which so far I believe was the best decision for my kids, as you should do. My friends with boys my DS's age all will turn 5 after March, so they're already thinking they'll be sending them the next year when they are 5 turning 6, even though its before the end of June.
I thought you didn't have to until they are 6. So that would mean she would have to be in school the year she turned 6. I am keeping my DD back and she will be in Kindergarten when she is 5 (turns 6 in April) so she will be 6 almost 7 in Year1. Socially she isn't ready.
I wish we had the option to choose for our kids. Why should someone else be able to dictate to us what we do with them! I am waiting for the principal's response to my letter and then I will see if I work myself up more.
BJRose, my daughter is definately not socially or emotionally ready. She has always been needy even when she was a baby. My DD2 is totally different though and I'm sure she will run into school!
Well I personally think you should keep her home & I think I would too. As far as the law goes a child legally has to be in school from 6 - 16 last I heard. So I'm assuming noone can force you to send her til she's 6 anyway.
Bjrose - I think the law varies by state. In wa if you don't go to preprimary you miss it altogether - you can't just delay everythring by a year the way we can invic and I think nsw.
Oh. Sorry. I know it all varies & is so confusing. I just figured the 6 - 16 would be Aust wide for some reason.
Sorry again :)
Dont apologise! Its very confusing.
I just looked up Education in Australia on wiki
For WA, the minimum age to start pre-primary is 4.6 -> so turning 5 by June 30 that year
The MAXIMUM age is 6.6 -> so turning 7 by June 30
If I was you Miss H I would get a copy of the relevant legislation in your state (start with your local member but you may just be ableto google it) becuase it sounds like you are well within your rights to keep her back 1 or even 2 years.
Thanks Pandora, I will do just that!
According to the WA education website:
So your DD will need to start Grade 1 in 2012, but Kindergarten & Pre-Primary are not compulsory.:
All young people, in Western Australia, in their 16th and 17th years must be in education, training or employment.
attendance at kindergarten and pre-primary is not compulsory
Early Childhood Education
That site has the information about the maximum age too - go down to the " Comparison of ages for entry into Programs in Australia " and for WA its the beginning of they year where the child will reach the age of 6y 6 months:
Going by the ages for the rest of the states (wher the year before Year One is compulsory) this is the max are for pre-primary entry
I found this on the Education dept. website in a policy document. Surely this means the principal cannot force her to attend when she is 3 and has to give her an opportunity to attend kindy from next year which will be the year she is turning 4 years and 6 months! Am I right?
Pre-compulsory and compulsory education period
The pre compulsory education period is:
1. from the beginning of the year in which the child reaches the age of 4 years and 6 months; and
2. until the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 5 years and 6 months.
The compulsory education period is defined as:
* From 1 January 2008 until 31 December 2013:
1. from the beginning of the year in which the child reaches the age of 6 years and 6 months; and
2. until:
* the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 17; or
* the child satisfies the minimum requirements for graduation from secondary school established under the Curriculum Council Act 1997, whichever happens first.
* From 1 January 2014:
1. from the beginning of the year in which the child reaches the age of 6 years and 6 months; and
2. until:
* the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 17 years and 6 months;
* the child satisfies the minimum requirements for graduation from secondary school established under the Curriculum Council Act 1997; or
* the child reaches the age of 18, whichever happens first.
This is the letter that I wrote to the principal yesterday. I have not received a reply yet. What do you think? Hopefully he sees it my way.
Good day Mr. ***
I live in the intake area for your school at *****. My daughter was born on 30 May 2006 and thus should be attending Kindergarten from 2010. I felt she was not ready at 3 years old for this but she did start at Success Primary at the beginning of this term until this Tuesday. (We are building a house in your area which will be ready for occupation in 4 weeks).
In the four weeks at the school, we have had numerous problems and even met with the principal and teacher to try and find a solution. My daughter would cry terribly when I was driving her to school and continue until after I had left. She would cry during the day as well. It got to the point at home that that was the only thing she would speak about over and over - "I don't want to go to school Mommy". I did reassure her and was positive and do all the things that I am supposed to. She contined to be miserable and even refused to eat before or during school coming home starving. She refuses to interact with the children. They all seem to be on a level above her socially and she sat on her own or followed the teachers around at lunch and recess. I eventually pulled her out this Tuesday as she is not ready for Kindergarten.
I am saying this not as an over-protective mother, but as a mother looking after the best interests of her child. She is a very sensitive child, reserved and scared in alot of situations. She needs time to mature enough to be able to cope with Kindy and the subsequent years. She is currently 3 years old, turning 4 at the end of May and so only just makes the cut-off according to WA Education rules. There are so many children in her class who one can see are ready for school but they are 4 turning 5.
I have contacted the Education Department who have told me that it is up to the individual school as to whether they will allow a pupil to start a year later. I am asking you to please allow my daughter to apply for Kindy 2011 at your school. I have been told by friends to rather attend a private school as they can allow this. I believe that the State has the best interests of the child at heart and will not force my daughter into something which will be to her detriment. I do not want to break her spirit or destroy her confidence by forcing her into a stiuation which she is ultimately too immature for.
I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
Heather Warren
Hi Miss-H. I can't help with the legal requirements for WA, but I wanted to encourage you to stick with your guns & hold your dd back. I have taught kindy for years, and have (sadly) failed to convince many parents that it's better to hold a child back than to start them early, and have seen so much evidence that it is better for the child. I have never heard of a parent who has been unhappy about this decision (at both the kindy end of things & the high school end of things), but I have (sadly) heard many parents regret later not holding their child back (but it was too late).
In Scandinavia, chn don't start formal schooling til nearly 8 and they have the absolute best literacy rates in the world. I taught in England for a while where chn generally start 6-12 mo younger than in Australia & it broke my heart. I taught kids who were real strugglers, and it just put them further behind, right from the start.
If it was my child, I'd hold them back, so I just wanted to give you my personal opinion from my experience. I hope this is encouraging for you! Good luck.
I received a reply from the moron principal. I am so bleeding mad! He basically said no and that all children settle down after a while and went on and on about his huge waiting lists for his school as if he is telling me that he doesn't need my child! I have calmly answered him but if it doesn't go my way, I will need help to fight this I think.:wall:
He's a fool. Keep her back xoxoxo
Well, it seems I'm the fool as the Dept says that the maximum age to enter Year 1 is the beginning of the year in which they turn 6 years and 6 months. She will be 5 years and 7 months when she enters and will be 6 yrs 6 mnths in December that year so he has every right to refuse my daughter. Basically I'm screwed and she has to go now or not until Year 1 where she will be way behind everyone else. I feel so deflated!
I'd ring them again. If they have given you the right information then their website is wrong. What month does she turn six in?
If you don't get anywhere with the principal then I would take it up with the education department.
She turns six on 30 May so she makes it by a month! The websit was right, I was just not calculating correctly. Mommy brain!
I found a good way to judge whether a child is ready...its got nothing to do with their intellectual ability - thats why they're going to school. The School principal at my DD's school suggested to us last year, to think about how your child would react if they discovered at school they had forgotton their lunch. What would they do? Cry, go without, go tell a teacher...... I know now, today, my 4 year old would probably cry. Yet in 12 months time, when shes ready for kindergarten, i would hope she would have the initiative, to tell the teacher. I found this a good (yet simple) way to judge a childs readiness....
My child would just go without!