School cut-off date WAS:Riddle and Grindelwald in 1945

[Ali]

No: HPFGUIDX 109589

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "karenlyall666" 
<karen.lyall at b...> wrote:

> I've been lurking for a while having a lot on my mind what with 
the wedding less than three weeks away,  but anyway...

Good Luck!

> I'm not aware if this system has changed or not, but it would 
appear, from my experience that Scottish school year intakes from 
January 1st to December 31st.  If (like myself) a child would turn 5 
in the 1981 calender year then they would all be in the same year. >

Ali responds:

In most of the arguments involving Hermione's age, it has generally 
been assumed that JKR followed the English school system rather than 
the Scottish system, although I think that the number of NEWTs to be 
studied does sound more like Scottish Highers than A'Levels (or 
certainly A'Levels when JKR took them!)

I choose to believe that JKR followed the English system because she 
spent 5 years laying out the books outline which all I happened I 
think prior to her teaching in Scotland - at that stage her 
experience was based around the English system. I'm supported in my 
argument by the fact that the Hogwart's year begins on September 1st 
rather than in mid-August as happens in Scottish schools plus, the 7 
year secondary school follows the English exam/school system.

The other problem with following the Scottish system is that 
Angelina Johnson would be in a different year to the Weasley Twins 
as her birthday is in October and their's is on April Fool's Day.

Truthfully, the only canon linked to Hermione's age is Dumbledore 
calling Harry and Hermione two 13 year old wizards. But, other canon 
evidence seems to point away from a school cutoff point much later 
than the English one. People have argued that Halloween is the 
cutoff, which could work or that Hermione has been advanced a year. 
Again, this is a possibility and something which JKR might argue 
given Hermione's talent.

Despite the fact that I used to argue at ever possible opportunity 
that Hermione was older than Harry - to conform to English school 
procedure, I now think it's another of these topics which JKR simply 
didn't think all the way through. She may well have meant Hermione 
to be younger than Harry, but I simply don't think that she did all 
the number crunching to make it all consistent. 

Ali