British school system (and Hermione's age)

[A.E.B.Bevan at open.ac.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 28961

Colleagues Ive been looking up Schools entry requirements for many 
Local Education Authorities (LEAs)across the UK (there are dozens 
each with slightly different rules).

The rules that apply to Hogwarts appear to be English not Scottish 
where a different school year is in force.

First point to make is that age at entry is normally determined when 
a child goes to primary ( =grade) school. At the end of primary 
school the child would transfer to the appropriate secondary ( =high) 
school at the start of the next academic year (September) without 
further age tests.  (Ignore questions as to authorities that run a 
three school First-Middle-Secondary system with transfer at 12 and 
ignore questions as to what happens to children moving between 
authorites).

However Hogwarts seems to be the start of formal Wizards schooling so 
we need to apply the 'age at first entry' rule at this point, using 
11 as the key age instead of 5.

Basically if an LEA runs a one entry class a year system then all 
children who reach the legal age in the school year starting with the 
first day of the school year (First September or whatever) can enter 
school at that first September date. So for entry on 1 September 1991 
all children born between 1 September 1991 and 31 August 1992 would 
enter school. To emphasise the key is whether the 11th birthday comes 
up AFTER the start date and before a later cut-off date.

September born children would be the oldest in the class (just turned 
11) and July/August born children the youngest as they would not 
reach their 11th birthday until the end of the school year.

In the British Muggleverse this system is usually modified by 
allowing summer-born children (Those born in the summer holidays 
after the end of the school teaching year) to enter school in the 
entry class before the calendar date.

So entry on 1 September 1991 would be all children turning 11 in the 
period 1 September 1991 to (say) 1 July 1992  plus all children who 
became 11 in July and August 1991. Children becoming 11 in July and 
August 1992 would enter school on 1 September 1992.

If the unmodified system was in force in Hogwarts Harry would have 
gone to school a year earlier than he did. But he did not. So it 
seems Hogwarts is applying the modified (Summer born exemption) 
system.

Therefore Harry (July born) is a few weeks older than  Hermione 
(September born).

I think this makes sense...

Lets see if JKR actually sticks to this in OOP or whenever!

Edis Bevan