paulainspain

Hi all, I was wondering as our eldest boy is due to start Year 6 in January in Brisbane but he is only in Yr 4 at the moment. Because of the different school year dates it means he will miss Yr 5 completely , has anyone else had this dilema, if so have the children coped well or have you kept them back. Would appreciate any advice. Many thanks. Paula

NickyC

Just because the Years have the same numbers (UK/Oz) doesn't mean they're the same!

In the UK, doesn't school start with Reception and then go through Year 1, 2 etc? In which case your child is in his fifth year of school now.

In QLD, school starts with Year 1 - so by the time a child starts Year 6 they've also done five years of school.

Consequently your child will have done exactly the same number of years at school as all the other kids in his year when he gets to the QLD school. He certainly won't be skipping a year.

As long as your child is in the same year as the other kids of his age, what does it matter what the Years are called?

paulainspain

No it doesnt matter what the years are called!!! Obviously I am looking for advice and great if the year 5 UK is the same as Year 6 in Oz then of course I haven nothing to worry about, as I said I would appreciate advice. It was me who was getting in a tizzy thinking that Year 6 would be the same as UK Year 6, in Spain we do not have a year 6 they go to secondary after Year 5. Obviously I am in a confused state.

What_a_life

Hello, I too have a question about school. My daughter was born aug 4 2003,I am unsure when she will be due to start primary school. we are moving to nsw, any help would be much appreciated
Thank you Deb

acbh2

Hi Paula,

Don't worry to much about it I was confused about this to at first still am slightly but from what I gather it won't matter about what year your children are in now. They will be put in with their age group. Remember however that in Oz they don't start school until the yr they turn six (not sure in spain )

It's possible that your child may end up staying in the same yr an extra couple of months depending on if the school yr differs between spain and Oz.

e.g. in scotland the school year is from august to june but in Oz its from Feb to December (in Queensland anyway). So my son will effectively stay another 6 months at the same level, as he will need to stay in that yr until december this yr not june

Confusing I know but hopes this helps a bit. Tried to keep it simple

Andreaxx

acbh2

They start school in the year they turn 6 I believe Deb. My daughter is 5 this december and will start school in feb 2008 as she will be 6 in 2008, making her one of the younger ones.

This would mean your daughter is due to start in Feb 2009 as she will turn 6 in August of that yr.

Andreaxx

What_a_life

Thank you very much,
2009 seems a very very very long way off . Was hoping was going to be a bit sooner Never mind,at least I know now,so wont be a shock when I get there

earlneath

We arrived in Feb and visited 5 different schools. Our 7 year-old daughter was in a very academically-focussed private school in the UK (too much so in our view) after doing her reception year in a normal middle-of-the road state primary. Here we were told that both academically and socially she would fit in fine with kids who were a year older than her. The school we liked most brought her in for a day, split half and half between the year group that is her own age and a group one year older. After that they gave us the option of putting her in either group as she would fit both fine. It has been a hard decision for us but we have decided to put here in with kids of the same age, because she won't be missing out on anything in the long run and she will only have her childhood once so putting her up a year would almost be like taking a year away from her childhood. Moreover I think being with kids the same age will make things easier on the sports front, and on the social front when she gets a bit older. Fortunately the school we chose does have an individual differences programme so that she can continue to be stretched. We will get to review the decision at the end of the next term in any case. She starts after the easter break.

paulainspain

Thanks for that, the school years here in Spain run from September to June but the birth date for the years run from Jan to Dec, meaning my youngest son is in Year 2 when in the UK he would be in Year 3, have I lost you yet??? As you can see I needed a little advice, I'm pleased to know they will be in the same class as their peers. Paula

paulainspain

What a helpful school to give you the choice and to give your daughter the chance to try each group. I agree to keep them with the same age group, your right they're only children for such a short time! Hope she enjoys it after the Easter break. Paula

NickyC

That's not necessarily correct. Each state has different rules.

For example, in NSW, a child can start school in the Jan/Feb as long as they are 5 before 31st July of that year - so they can be anywhere between 4.5 and 5.5 when they first start.

What_a_life

I thought it was hard to understand the primary school intake here. Where I live the children start primary in either Sept, or Jan,depending on their age. My son started in Jan, my daughter would start in Jan next year if we were staying, but even now I STILL do not understand how they come to those decisions
Always was a div at maths

acbh2

Yes so as the posters daughter won't be 5 until august she won't start that year!

sme

Mine went "back" 2 school years . Its quite difficult explaining it to a 6 and 8 year old why they went from yrs 4 and 2 in the UK to yrs 2 and Pre-primary in WA. I think they have understood it now

Ginger3710

Yes, in NSW the child has to turn 5 by 31 July of the year they are in kindergarten. If you want your child to be older rather than younger in their year, then the rule is they have to start school in the year they turn 6, ie the eldest a child can be in kindergarten is turning 6 on 1st January of the kindergarten year.