In Matilda, did Matilda begin school as a First Grader or in Kindergarten?

We need to understand how the education system in England
is different from the education system in the United States. In the US, you guys start
in Pre-Kinder, and then go into Kindergarten, then Grade 1 and so on. In the UK, our
first year of school which is equivalent to Pre-Kinder is called Reception. Then we go
into Year 1, which is the equivalent of Kindergarten. Our Year 2 is therefore the
equivalent of Grade 1 in the American system.

Now, if we
look at the novel, in the chapter entitled "Miss Honey," we are told that Matilda,
although she starts school a little late, is put into the bottom
class:

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Naturally Matilda was put in the bottom class,
where there were eighteen other small boys and girls about the same age as
her.

This indicates that
Matilda was put into the Reception class, which is the equivalent of Pre-Kinder in the
American system.