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My son starts school in just 6 sleeps. He is so ready. Whether or not I'm ready remains to be seen next Thursday, but he's good to go. Finn was 5 last August, making him 5 and 5 months at the start of school. Lots of people asked me if he would be attending Early Starters or kindergarten last year, but I didn't want him to go into a 5 day a week institutionalised program. It's such a long day when you are little- even when you are older, those long hot January afternoons can drag...
My Dad who has been a teacher for over 30 years, is often asked by friends and family on his opinion of when kids should start school. His wise words are "If in doubt, you will never regret holding them back." And he's right. If a child isn't school-ready, they will suffer socially and emotionally. They will be stressed and may become wary of school as a whole, damaging their perception of learning and education and giving them a bad attitude towards it all. Not your ideal introduction to the next 13 or so years of your childs life! But give them an extra year of tender loving care with a loved one, a dash of pre-school and lots of free play, and they have the chance to mature and better adapt to the school environment.
I know it's a decision that everyone has to make for themselves and their children, and it can be hard, weighing up all the factors that impact upon the decision. But I think my Dad's wise words ring true. I know it has worked for us.

hey jodiemac,

I also held my boy back and it has really worked out well for him. He was a quiet, small boy so the extra year at home just helped him grow into school a little more. He was a March baby - the ones you never know about.

I was also a March baby and back then it was usual to start at age 4. I was always one of the youngest in my class but it didn't really bother me. I was a good student so that wasn't a problem. It was kind of annoying on Schoolies week at the end of Year 12 though when I was still underage and all of my friends to go to nightclubs. Don't know if anyone remembers the old paper licenses that didn't have photos on them? Well I borrowed one from my older cousin - I am ashamed to say that it got me in to the Beer Garden every night (although my knees were shaking the entire time )! Hopefully neither of my kids will have to do that.

I know there has been a bit of stuff in the papers about staggering starting ages for Kinder like they do in New Zealand. I'd love to know if that works - I can't help but think of the teacher having classes at various stages of the curriculum but I guess there's a way around it - it seems to work elsewhere.

I really do think that, at the end of the day the parents know their kid best and each kid is unique. Trust your instinct and do what you think works for your child.

They have staggered start dates in South Australia too. A child starts school when they turn 5... seems like an interesting concept. I think there is too much confusion here in NSW. In my son's class there is a huge age gap between the oldest and youngest in the class - 18 months plus. My son started when he was 5, an early January birthday and is one of the youngest in the class...which is crazy as children can attend school if they turn 5 before the end of July. Time for the education authorities to rethink policies and make it easier for all parents!
Also while we are at it...let's push the State government to give us access to free preschool. It happens in South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and WA. Preschools with flexible hours, so children of working parents can attend as well.

This is a dilemma for me. My son is a January baby so I will be sending him when he is just five, or just six. I had always assumed I would hold him back, as seems to be the trend, but his speech therapist has warned that his boredom during that extra year may lead to behavioural issues. He is not a small child, he's tall for his age, very outgoing, very energetic and would be fine academically (I presume, although it's hard to say right now as he's only 3.5). However, I worry that if I send him when he is five he will be in school with children who are a whole year older. I really wish there was a mid-year intake!!

Hey FairyDust, you might find this article from the Sydney Morning Herald from earlier this year interesting.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/youngest ... -9e6y.html

"...shows that children who started school within the traditional age range of 4½ to 5½ performed better in literacy and numeracy tests and were more motivated than students who started school up to a year later or those who had repeated a grade"

If you have access to a Uni library you can read the whole research paper too.

(If the link doesn't work, just copy and paste into a browser)

Thank you!! This is very helpful. My little fellow is getting grommets next week so I am hoping this will bring his speech up to speed. It's so hard to know what to do but I suppose if he is writing his name, recognising letters and all that jazz, there's no real reason to hold him back.