School Acceptance for Gr1 2012 - hows that going?

Blue - totally stressful. The wait is the killer.

I am doing school applications for my 2 year old daughter now as I need her to be in a school in January 2012. She is at home at the moment and she needs to get out and be with kids doing stuff.

I have applied at 3 schools for my LG for Grade 1 for next year, and will only know by September/October. I think it's crazy for them to make you wait that late, as I am also not in their direct feeder areas, but we will see what happens! As you say, very stressful!

My only suggestion or advise is if you are considering keeping a child back, try to do it before Grade 1.

There does not seem to be a social stigma attached to it among peers if done before, but I have noticed when a child is kept back in the higher grades it definitely is a source of "embarrassment" for them, and does make it more difficult for them to adjust.


The only negative I have experienced with Connor being kept back, is that the kids play in the age range for sport.

So all his friends (for instance) say are in Rugby u/8 where he is in Rugby u/9 which means he is playing with kids a grade higher than he is and usually a lot larger than he is. This part gets a bit tricky, as he wants to do sport with his friends and that is not always possible.

We get around it by asking that he practice with his friends, but plays matches with his age group. Or something to that effect.

thankyou so much reluctant mom.. it really does make me feel beter knowing that we are not alone in the decision of him repeating grade r. intellectually he does well , but i think emotionally he would battle.. but thanks you have given me some pointers to think about.

vickyvdw - my son has his birthday on the 10 December each year (he was a c-section baby, so in reality he might well have been a 25 December or after baby).

So I face (or have faced the same as you.)

The short answer is a child goes to Grade 1 in the year they turn 7, no matter when in the year, it can be on the 31 December of that year.

To explain my situation which might help you (or not):-

The added issue for my son is he had dreadful ENT issues until he was around 3, so that also impacted on his speech development and other issues.

When he was in Grade 0 (the one before Grade R) I realised there were some issues and I had him take speech therapy and OT to try to catch up with the other kids.

But by the time he got to Grade R I realised that I was pushing him when he was not socially and emotionally ready, and to a large degree was always 6 months behind intellectually with his class mates.

I had him re-assessed in Grade R around June and again in August, and the ST and the OT agreed that it would be better to hold him back.

The school then brought in an external/independent assessor to assess him scholastically and emotionally and she agreed to support my recommendation to hold him back.

Connor repeated Grade R.

I was emotionally bereft as for what ever reason I thought it was this huge thing and I was so unsure that what I was doing was for the best.

It turned out it was.

He was not ready.

He is much better suited to his age range now.

He excels in his work, does not fall behind, and does not have to miss playtime to catch up on work because he is struggling.

Socially is he far better suited, and is not permanently the "follower" with much bigger and older boys as the leaders.

I am really happy that I kept him behind, but I threw everything at it to ensure that I was making a good decision.

The school (he was at CBC at the time) was very supportive. They did not push, they did not suggest, they did offer me support both with helping him and when I made my decision to keep him back.

If you are unsure, first implement "assistance" - in the form of an OT assessment of chat to his teacher about his progress and how he fits in with his peers.

Every child is different, and some kids born late in the year are fine without being kept back.

<my son has a friend who was born on the 20 December and was not kept back - he is tiny in comparison to his peers, but is not struggling in any way>

my son is currently in grade R he should be going to school next year , but i am worried as her turns 6 only now in december 9 2011 . so a lot of ppl are saying her should only start grade 1 in 2013 ... how does it work when are they supposed to start.. as ive been told he is emotional and a little bit immature?

2012!! Damn you must know I am having a frazzled day if I get the year wrong!!

I am already stressing about Isabubbles - she has been on a waiting list since early last year

---

at this rate 2012 she will still be at home!