Hermione's/Harry's birthday - the break off point for Hogwarts

[Hollydaze]

No: HPFGUIDX 29823

In California the cut off is December 
> 1st. Everyone who turns 5 after that date must start school the 
> following year.  I would imagine the rule is similar in England.

Yes but this is a British school, not an American one and by law, in 
most schools (those that don't have nurserys attached) the cut off 
date is that you must be 4 but September the 1st (the starting date 
of Hogwarts you may notice - which is why I feel it has the same cut 
off point) and therefore celebrate your 5th birthday in the first 
year you are at school. 

This follows all the way up to the end of senior school, where you 
start Junior school (year 3) when you are 7, and celebrate your 8th 
birthday DURING that year (again with the break off being Aug 
31st/sep 1st) and then you go to Senior school (year 7 - Harry's 1st 
year) at age 11, celebrating your 12th Birthday during that year. You 
leave at 16 or 18 (you only actually leave school on the 31st of 
August in your last year of school that is when you are taken off 
your school register, so year 11, if you leave at 16, -which you 
can't do at Hogwrats as far as we know,- and year 13 if you stay 
on, ) This is what Harry actually does, it is just that his age is 
one book behind the age he should be in that year. For example, when 
he is 11 in book 1 he would actually still be in muggle year six and 
not in a year for Hogwarts. When he celebrates his 12th birthday in 
book two he would still be in Hogwarts year 1, Muggle year 7. When he 
celebrates his 13th birthday in book 3, he would still be in Hogwarts 
year 2 and Muggle year 8.
(I hope someone cna perhaps convert these into American grades 
becuase I do not know what they would be for the years I have 
mentioned Sorry)

I know that some people say that Hogwarts is Scottish and that it is 
magical, it is different. But origonally JK never knew that her books 
would get this big, she probably only expected them to sell in 
britain where everything is the same accross the country in terms of 
cut off dates and she also used to be a teacher, therefore think she 
based the Hogwarts schooling system on the one found in Britain so 
she would not have considered that Americans and coutries with other 
school systems would not neccessarily understand the British school 
system. Every child in Britain know the cut off date and why they are 
in the year they are in so it would not be a problem. (no offense 
intended)

Basically it would make sense to base it on something that her 
readers understand and at that time her only readers were BRITISH! 
She woulnd't then go and change it for the American readers etc, 
especailly as every town/state in America seems to have different 
split dates.

I hope that makes sense!

HOLLYDAZE!!!