Parenting advice - start child in school at 4 or 5?

Just to give another slant on it... I started in National School at 3, I wasn't 4 until the following May. I don't believe that it ever hampered my progress or caused any major problems. I think its really horses for courses - some children will be able for it and others won't.

I had several older siblings so perhaps this was a factor in me being able for the 'rough & tumble' of school life ?? They were always around to look out for me and step in when required!!

Without sounding cliched I think it entirely depends on the child. I turned 4 in June and started school that Sept and thrived, but I think maybe it was more common to start school that age back then. My bf's child started school at 4, did great for the first year or two and is now really struggling, it's clear it wasn't the right decision for that child.

Overall, unless the child is already very clearly too advanced for playschool (not just the ability to keep up with the others) I think the safest decision is to wait until 5. Just an opinion!

I feel that this is one subject that only the parent can decide. Only you really know your child and how they cope in particular siutations.
My eldest child a boy went to school in Sept. and was five later that month. My second was a girl who started school in Sept and was 4 in the Octobert after..... In some ways my daughter was more ready. She went through primary with no problems due to her age. There was transition year in her school so she was 17 when she did her Leaving Cert. I am talking about the 1980's when times and children were different lots of children stated school at 4 then. I have seen children who start at 5 having problems. Go with your gut feeling lots of people will say its too young but they do not know your child like you do.

I would leave her until starting at 5 ............and she will start secondary at 13 ............and can still do transition year and finish at 18

My daughter will be 4 in November 2009. She will start school in September 2010, 2 months before her 5th birhtday.

My 1 year old son will also commence his schooling when he is 5.

A big factor for me as a father is that I want my kids to be 'street wise' so they will have an advantage over other kids, however slight, when they enter the educational system.

Just my opinion, I'm the mother of four adult children, we decided to wait until they were 5yrs old to send them to school. Birthdays were April, May, June and August. They were not ready emotionally or psychologically to start at 4. Fortunately we had an excellent Montessori school locally and sent them for two and a half hours each morning. They were in a group of ten children to one adult.
I think we are the only country in Europe who start our children in formal education at 4/5 yrs old in classes of at least 30, which sometimes canlead to crowd control at best.I would be more concerned for the emotional development of the child, if this is upset the academic progress and confidence building will suffer. Children of this age are not ready to sit still and silent for the best part of four and a half hours.They need lots of free and imaginative play.
They may also be overwhelmed by such a large group of children, (as my 5 yr old daughter was) and perhaps teacher not having the time to listen to what ever is most urgent for them to express and get a response to at that moment.
My suggestion would be postpone primary school and place her in a good Play/Montessori group for a couple of hours each morning. Plenty of time for formal education. Best of luck.

I agree with the posters who say it depends on the child. I begged my mother to send me to school at 4 and it was the right thing for me. Didn't have the option to do transition year so I was 17 when I did my leaving and 20 when I got my degree. I then took a year off to decide what I should do next and I was only 21 when I went back to do a Masters.

Age was never an issue for me and I didn't struggle at school at all. But then again I was able to read at 3. However my next sister was just a month short of 5 when she started school and she could have done with waiting another year. OP only you know if your child is ready but if she really wants to go then that has to count for something too.

I think it really does depend on the child but to add my 2 cents:
I was an August baby who went to school at 4. Growing up I was aware I was one of the youngest in my class but I never felt academically or emotionally behind. I know now my parents feel they should have waited and asked every year if I should be held back but teachers never felt it was necessary. My school had an optional transition year program which my parents insisted I do. This was the only time I wished I'd gone to school at 5 - as without exception all my friends skipped 4th year. However, I now believe that it was 100% the right decision for me and I went into 5th year prepared.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

I think we are the only country in Europe who start our children in formal education at 4/5 yrs old in classes of at least 30

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i am starting to think so, too. other countries have classes of 20-23 (max) and kids start school with 5/ 6/ 7 years of age. in these countries it is down to the month the child was born and a development test with what age the child starts school at.

My oldest child is an August baby too & we sent her the month after she turned 5. I really feel that it was the best thing for her. I myself was sent to school 3 weeks before I turned 4 & was always the youngest in the class the whole way through & it definitely influenced my decision to wait for my child. I don't think she would have had any great difficulty with the academic work but I felt emotionally that extra year helped to develop her self confidence.

Many schools only take children who have turned 4 before April of that year into Junior Infants & any teacher I have ever spoken to has said it is better to wait until the child is older.

I would ask the school what their advice is, and also what the average age will be in the class she will be in. The school my kids are in always advocates turning 4 before May when they are starting school.

I have a 6 yr old, birthday in June, who started school when she was 5. There is a girl in her class a full year younger, and the difference between them socially is huge. I think it is easier for kids to cope with school, especially if there is a big class size, if they start when they are a little older.

Depends on the child, but I'd always favour sending a child that is comfortable going to school at age 4.

Younger children have a much greater capacity to learn and adapt to new situations than older children. This is to do with the physical make-up of a young childs brain. As they get older, their brains set and learning is at a slower pace. The difference between a 4 and 5 year old is huge.

A straw poll of people I know (not scientific) seems to suggest that those that went to school younger seem to have better long term academic results. I myself went to school at barely 4. A couple of years later there was an issue in the school over numbers and a bunch of kids were jumped a year i.e they skipped 1st class - those that were most advanced. Interestingly, most of these kids were barely 4 when they started and all also ended up in the top half of the class in the year they were jumped up into, though 2 years younger than most kids. I put this down to the physical capacity to adapt and learn more at a younger age.

Sending a kid to school at 5 means they will likely be 6 before the end of junior infants. This is far too old to be in junior infants for most kids. Kids can also be cruel with one another. In a kids world, kids who can do things at a younger age than their peers are looked up to by their peers and those who are older are looked down upon.

You will also see a big jump in development of a kid when they start school. Kids who seem a bit overwhelmed during the first few days of term will soon settle down and become confident in their new surroundings within a few weeks. They will mature a lot in a short time.

Our education system is set up for a kid to start school at 4 years of age. Unless their are good reasons (which there can be in many cases), then kids should go to school at 4.

Myself and OH both went to school at 4 and both feel we benefited from this approach. Certainly I was always in the top of classes. We also feel we would have been bored stiff by being older in the 'baby' classes.
It also meant that we felt no pressure to know exactly what we wanted to do in second/third level and felt we could travel/explore at our own pace. Being one of the youngest and having a teenage attitude in 5th & 6th year, I cannot imagine how I would have felt being 18 in school. Sounds awful to me.

We have twin June babies now and intend on sending them to school at 4 and a bit too.

Thanks for all the replies - I haven't been back since as my little "angel" broke the screen on my laptop :mad::mad::mad:.

Pretty much all of what you've been saying has been going through our heads for the past while, so we haven't got much closer to a decision. I lean more towards starting her, but Mrs 26 seems more inclined to hold her back.

I think maybe the next step is to have a closer look at the assessment that was done (apparently a number of children were deemed not to be ready). If it deals with the social and emotional rather than just intellectual and motor skills, I'd swing towards sending her.

I believe there are places available in the school she will be going to, so I think we'll book a place just in case.


Anyway, thanks to all for sharing your experiences. It will help us.

I would wait until she is 5. Childhood is valuable. From my point of view why would you send the child at 4 if there was any prospect of her struggling to keep up with her classmates, either in Junior Infants or in later years. Childhood should be as carefree as possible and you want your child to be able to sail through school, an extra year will give her this edge. Involve your child in loads of extra-curricular activities in the meantime to keep her occupied and interested. Also, she can continue with all her extra-curricular activities when she starts school, as hopefully the extra year will mean school won't be as taxing on her.

Best of luck

Nothing to contribute save, thank *** I've no children - because the posts here are so divided. I had never realised this could be an issue.

OP - you'll make the best decision that best suits your child now - go with your gut - you know your child

My Daughter has just turned 4 (August), I want her to attend the same school as my Son who is 2 years older than her. It is an Irish Speaking school. Over the last couple of years the school have been desperate for numbers, due to all the cut backs they need more pupils to make up the student teacher ratio. I was told that she could start in Sep 09, so I planned for it. Now it seems that they have too many pupils starting so they are prioritizing by age and she may not get in now.

I do have a place for her in another school and was thinking of sending her there for the year and then moving her to the Gaelscoil, where she would repeat junior infants. I have called the Dept of Education and they advised that Children are no longer ALLOWED repeat years in primary school - does anyone know if this is true as I have had mixed reactions to this. PPS numbers are given to the schools now, so is this how its tracked? I really dont want to mess up her place at the Irish School, but I need her to start school this year.

i would wait until the child is 5. I sent my daughter at 4(she was 4 since April). I found that she was the youngess in the class and i decided to let her repeat junior infants. I can say it was the best decision i ever made. That extra year makes an awful difference. If you are not 100% happy about sending your child at 4, then don't. I know of other children you are sent at 4 with no regrets, but i knew deep down i should not have sent her til she was 5. I do think it can come against them in secondary school as they are that bit too young leaving school.
best of luck