The timeline on the DVD *confirms* canon;

[David]

No: HPFGUIDX 55995

Barb wrote:

> Given that most Muggle-born families we hear of (Hermione's, 
Lily's, 
> Justin's, Colin's) are rather pleased to have a magical person in 
> the family, if it means that student foregoing a year of Muggle 
> school and starting Hogwarts instead, I hardly think they're going 
> to complain.  As the Hogwarts education doesn't seem to follow 
> logically on a Muggle education anyway, the parents might think 
that 
> it's of little importance whether their child goes through another 
> year of English grammar, History, Maths, etc. when he or she could 
> be learning to repot mandrakes. <g>  

Can I just chime in here in support of Barb's excellent summary.

While it is true that Hogwarts follows many of the patterns of 
English (not Scottish) secondary education, there is evidently very 
little connection between Hogwarts and actual Muggle schools.  That 
seems to me to be completely consistent with the wizarding attitude 
to the Muggle world generally.

The letters go out far too late to help Muggle parents who will by 
then have gone through nearly a year of heartache trying to get 
their child to the right school (JKR signals she is aware of this by 
mentioning Stonewall High and Smeltings), and there is no apparent 
support for Muggleborn children in finding Diagon Alley, Platform 9 
3/4 etc.

So it seems entirely consistent that McGonagall, relying only on the 
Quill, would pay no attention whatsoever to the current educational 
attainment of future Hogwarts pupils.  If Hermione is only in Year 5 
of a Muggle school (Harry would have been in Year 6 at the beginning 
of PS), that is of no consequence.  The Quill says it's time, so to 
Hogwarts she goes.

It follows that the rigidity of English school cutoff dates is in 
fact completely irrelevant to discussions of Hermione's age unless 
it can be shown Hogwarts itself conforms to them.

> Rather than being Flinty, JKR taking the trouble to 
> confirm Hermione's birth year at this time seems, as someone else 
> pointed out, more like her going out of her way to have Krum being 
> taught to pronounce 'Hermione' in GoF.  She's probably so sick of 
> being asked she wanted to give a concrete answer once and for all, 
> in hopes that the fandom could just move on.

Ah, so she has yet to learn that the words 'fandom' and 'move on' 
are incompatible?  Poor thing.

David