Few issues have such a long-term effect on the welfare of a child as the choice of the type of school to attend. The average child will spend about 13 years in school prior to college, often attending one type the entire time.
Reception is an entitlement rather than an obligation — a child need not be in school until compulsory school age, which for a summer-born child is the September after their fifth birthday. The delayed-entry request has no right of appeal, so it has to be made properly first time.
Temperament arrives with the child rather than being produced by upbringing, and what predicts how things go is the match between it and what is being asked — which is the adjustable part. Around a third of children fit none of the three familiar categories.
Parenting styles are not a scale from strict to soft but two independent dimensions — warmth and expectations — giving four combinations. One is associated with better outcomes, with limits that are usually left off.