weebossyboots

I'm a bit confused (nothing new there then!)

I know kids start Year 1 in NZ the day after their 5th birthday but how does this work when they move up to year 2 - as some on the kids will have been at school a lot longer than the others. Is Year 1 more like pre-school nursery in UK where the emphasis is on structured play?

The reason I ask is I have a 6 year old, starting primary 2 here at end of August but not sure which year to put her into in NZ in January - if she should re-do year 2 (not much point if it's the equivalent of primary one here) or if I put her into year 3 and risk her missing a huge chunk of her education?

Please help

And sorry if this has been asked a million time before!

garryhg

hi jacky g here

were in howick area and my 2 kids have just started school,daughter aged 13 and son who just turned 6 in march....
he would have been starting primary 2 this year back in scotland.........

went to the school and hes now been put in year 2......and coping fine with the work......

having said that this is mid term.....he only started school last monday......so he will be going into year 3 in february...........

i took in some of his work from school in scotland and the teacher seemed fine with it......

i think the hardest part would be slotting them in back home if you were going back to uk...............

daughter was going into 2nd year in scotland...........but age wise here is in year 8 at intermediate......which seems to be 1st year equivelant.......
she moves up to college in february..............but they don't finish school till there 18 here aparantly


told daughter this the other dayworth it just to see the look on her face

salmey

At our school they start on their 5th birthday and if this is before june they then continue on in to year two the following year. If their 5th is after June the following year they stay on in year 1. Otherwise some kids woild have a full year in year 1 and others only a few weeks.
Year 1 is certainly not like a pre-school.
My daughter is in year 3 and has just turned 8, your daughter being younger may have problems fitting in with older kids.
My wife is a secondary teacher and always comments on kids that have been moved up and then struggle later due to social problems with older kids who are more developed physically and socially.

Spacecake799

Hi,
Depending on when you arrive, stick with what year they would have been in in the UK. So therefore put your 6 yr old into yr 2. We arrived in November. My son had started yr 10 in Sept, daughter yr 8, youngest yr 3. There the exact years they started in Feb. If you move them up and the works harder (certainly when there older its different) they may find it hard to concentrate on harder work and making friends.
Carole

RobClubley

They definitely have a mix of ages in each class - Melanie has been teaching 7-9 year olds this time in her teaching experience (she's a trainee teacher)

planty

Our litttle girl has just started in New Entrants; her birthday is in July. Her class have a busy timetable - lots of reading, writing and maths, so very different from her kindie experience, but she is really enjoying it. My understanding is that the oldest children from the New Entrants class will move on to Y1 next February, but there may also be younger children who are also ready to make the transition. It very much depends on class sizes and the maturity/ needs of the children.
Debbie.

weebossyboots

Thank you everyone. Year 2 it is

weebossyboots

Colin in the middle

Im completly lost

All I know is that mid august next year we get rid of our little munchkin to school full time. Which really is doing my headin knowing that we both share the same Birth Date except she was born winter and I was born Summer

God I am going to miss her around the house all day long ............ not

Kiwiprincess

Probably a bit late for my response now seeing as this thread is a week old but someone may find it helpful. It is the result of commandeering my mother (who deals with this stuff all the time!) and getting some answers out of her.

1 July is the key date to remember.

The class year (eg year1, year 2 etc) is worked out from when your child would have started school if they were in NZ's schools from the start of their education.

Example - say your child was born on 5 August 2001. In NZ your child would have started school on 5 August 2006 as a wee 5 year old going into a new entrants class (year 0 - tho i am not sure that is the official term for it). The child then would have been in Year 1 at the start of the school year in 2007.

If born before 1 July they would generally just start school as soon as they are 5 but go straight into year 1 (rather than Year 0/new entrants)

And, just because i explain things quite badly, you may want to look at this website which actually explains it quite well!

http://www.teamup.co.nz/default.htm

weebossyboots

Thanks for that and you explained it very well - but it now confuses matters. My daughter was born on 8th May 01 so started school here (Scotland) in August 06 but would have started on 9th May 06 in NZ, thereby moving up to year 2 in NZ in Jan 07 and year 3 in Jan 08 but she is just starting primary 2 now. We are hoping to be in NZ for start of new school year 2008.

Is she going to be a freakishly old Year 2 in NZ? Or do I jump her to year 3? But that would just be silly right - so she'll be the old yin in year 2?

salmey

She would either be one of the oldest year 2 in the class or one of the youngest year 3, going by our local school. 1st july cut off varies from school to school many have different cut off dates. May come down to talking to the school you choose and how advanced your child is, won't be a major problem from what we have experienced the schools are very good.

uk+kiwi

I think you're right - she would now be in Year 2 in NZ, going into Year 3 in Feb 2008.

Since the cut off date is different in NZ, children can go from being old for their UK school year to young in NZ and vice versa, compared to their peers. But the system is the same in that there is a cut off date just like here but they start when they actually turn five, instead of either the year in which they turn five/term in which they turn five etc as happens in different parts of England. Not as familiar with Scotland myself.

smiler1

i will be moving to palmerston in september and have a child who's birthday is 8th may 2000 so what year will she be in? am i right in saying yr 3..... that is the yr she would have been going into in the uk this september if we were staying. if she goes into yr 3 will she be one of the youngest or one of the oldest in the class? please somebody help?

uk+kiwi

Yes currently NZ Year 3, move into Year 4 in Feb 2008.

Can't work out the old/young thing too well I'm afraid as I'm in the UK but have daughter born March 2000 and have just investigated her NZ school year. (Other daughter almost 6, born Sept 2001 would now be NZ Year 1, moving into Year 2 Feb 2008 in NZ if this helps anyone.)