To be shocked deferring by a year has become this common?

This! My youngest is 21st August and just started Recwption - youngest in his class and I couldn't entertain the notion of him not starting school for another year!

A couple of my sons friends were held back, and then had to be pushed forward (i.e. do yrs 5 and 6 in just 1 year) as the secondaries the parents wanted to send them too wouldn't take them otherwise.

Not sure it particularly helped them from what I saw - they were physically bigger and more mature than all their class mates so stood out a lot by the time they were all in year 3. And their last year was a real struggle to get them to where they needed to be academically before leaving yr 6, with tutors after school etc. But then they are not my child so there will be factors I won't be aware of.

Unless there are sn or a child is delayed developmentally then I really don't agree with deferring. Someone in the class has to be the youngest...

I wonder if this is a middle class thing... can't bear the idea of their child not being the best in the class at various things...they basically want to gain an advantage amongst their peers.

My late August baby has been completely fine starting school.

My child's birthday is end of August. I wholeheartedly regret their school entry not being deferred for a host of reasons. They were 11 months younger than several class mates

My ds is 31 August, we're in Scotland so he's right in the middle of the cohort but in England I'd have deferred because he's physically small for his age anyway, so to be in a class where he's also the youngest would have made sports and even just physical play quite disheartening. It's already quite hard to be the smallest boy in the class even if he is academically near the top of the class.

It’s not common where I am at all, only for exceptional circumstances and the head teacher has the final say once school places have gone out. We are in a 3 tier system though (England) and it’s a real bun fight over school places for reception so I suspect that has a lot to do with it.

I didn't defer but my DD really struggled with school in the earlier years and I wish I had known this was a possibility.

DD1 was 2 months prem and should have been a September baby. She was 4 and 6 weeks when she started school. DD2 (full term) was 4 and 2 weeks at the start of reception.

They transitioned very easily from day nursery to school. I honestly don’t think being young for their year held them back over their school career.

There are lots of factors in school readiness besides age.

Not sure what data. I grew up in a place where it was common to skip and year and to be held back a year or two. Up to four years ago gap but relative academic parity.
Much easier to handle slightly differing maturity levels (which exist anyway) versus academic abyss.

It's really discouraged round here but I suspect that's because most schools are very small village schools with intakes of about 10-18 kids per year, and classes are often two year groups. So my DD is just 4 and has just started school but her class is mixed Yr R and Yr 1. It's probably more manageable for small schools to manage the very young ones vs in bigger intake schools.

@fourelementary Ah yes, I do remember reading something about that! When DD1 was deferred you could apply for Nov/Dec babies and it was at council's discretion, but think that's changed to what you say now.

DD2 is June so don't have to make the decision for her but absolutely would do the same again and defer her if she had been born in the winter months!

I wish we had deferred our August born a decade ago when she started but we were told she'd have to skip Reception and go straight into Y1 when she did start, and we felt that would've been more detrimental to her in the long run. She definitely wasn't emotionally ready though.

It’s pretty common here. There’s a very little one in DD’s class that absolutely should have been deferred IMO, he has to have a 1-2-1 and can’t join in a lot of the activities as he just can’t manage. Some of his issues aren’t going to disappear in 12 months as I imagine he has some learning differences but he looks absolutely bewildered. He was 4 the day before school started at the end of Aug.

Conversely though, my DD would absolutely have managed if she had gone last year, she’s an early September born and was completely bored by nursery this last year as could already read etc so it’s more about the child and less about age.

I’m sure in the long run any disadvantages for yours will balance out @Killiam.

It’s now an option to defer up to August-born birthdays in Scotland (or fife anyway) without any issues arising- no real disadvantages to starting school later tbh so it’s a good thing in my book!

Have a teenage DD and a little DD, both Jan born (as PP have said, cut off is different in Scotland). Didn’t defer for DD1 and while the age difference wasn’t noticeable in primary, it does make a big difference in secondary. Will definitely defer for DD2.

I’m pretty sure that’s not a perception. It has data to back it up unfortunately.

Nothing to be shocked about. It’s an option for parents so it doesn’t surprise me that some do take it. Just turned 4yo is very young to be starting school and the impact of being summer born on school performance is well known.

That’s not a judgement upon you for sending your child to school at just turned four - the majority do.

I just find it funny how people get quite het up over families who decide to buck the trend, because it’s the way things have always been done.

I know a small handful of parents who actually timed their pregnancies to have the oldest child in their year group....with an eye on GCSEs and A Levels and university admissions!

I wish we had had the option!
DS is 31st August! Academically he was always fine, 7/8/9’s at GCSE and A/B at A level, but he always struggled a bit otherwise, being smaller for Rugby teams, not able to drive till well after his friends, generally slightly always a bit behind his peers at general life I suppose! But someone has got to be youngest…

The only children I’ve heard of round here whose summer borns were deferred were due to additional learning needs. The school and the LA make it very clear deferment is only for exceptional circumstances such as additional needs or prematurity that meant if they were not premature they would have gone into the year below. I have two July babies and a December baby, December baby still in nursery, eldest settled in absolutely fine, middle started in September and whilst he is in his own world the majority of the time, also appears to be settling well. Out of the two, if I was to defer it would be my middle child as he does feel younger than some of his peers in some ways and exists largely in his own realm, but so far he’s been fine!

We had to delay because medical issues would have made it very difficult to start with her cohort. The difference her being nearly 5.5 rather than 4.5 when starting has been staggering. She's eager to learn, goes in happily, there's no resistance to the learning aspects. She's 'ready' now. That's not why we deferred, but it's been a nice bonus.

I would certainly delay a July or August born now based on that, though I appreciate it widens the gap for the class and that's not ideal. I've seen how of the August borns have struggled with my eldest and I'd rather not put them through that unless I really needed to.

This depends on the area. Don’t tend to see it in 11+ / selective school areas as it disadvantages pupils. In your case I’d be worried that having children over 12 months older than yours in the same class will negatively impact your age appropriate child and request a clear plan about how the school is going to handle this.

My son is a late august born and started at 4. He’s in year 2 now and very average/not behind at all. He is also tall for his age and very mature so fits in well!
He also couldn’t write his name or do much more than count to 20. At the end of year 1 he was still doing his phonics and reading at reception level but has smashed this first few weeks and has jumped up to where he should be.

Dd born mid July would definitely have benefitted from another year of nursery. She wasn't ready for school at just turned 4 and I wish it had been an option back then.