Summer babies and secondary school - is this right??

[SAB50]

Hi!

I'm asking this on behalf of my brother. He and his wife have a four year old summer born dd, and were given the option by their local primary to keep her back a year rather than starting at just turned four last Sept. They took this option as in their opinion she wasn't quite ready for school at that point.

They've now applied to a different primary school for this coming September's reception intake. This school has informed them that although primaries offer the option of keeping kids back a year, it won't be accepted by most secondaries?? So the options appear to be - put her straight into year 1 in Sept, or skip year seven at secondary, neither of which sounds great!

I have literally never heard of this as an issue but have no direct experience. I thought keeping summer born kids back was a completely normal option and assumed they would then stay in that school year throughout their entire schooling.

For anyone who has done this, how was it dealt with at secondary?

Thanks in advance! They're panicking slightly now 😖

I have never heard of this! Totally illogical!

If I were them I'd contact the local secondaries and ask what their admissions policies are.

@Basilbrushgotfat that's what I thought! They will be contacting secondary schools to check - hopefully the new primary has just made a mistake...

This happens here, and I thought it was quite widespread. So yes delay a year and go straight into year 1.

Keeping summer borns back was very, very difficult until a few years ago. You could keep a 4 year old out of school but they'd be expected to start into Y1. I suspect this is just that neither primary nor secondary have much experience of these held back children going up yet. Definitely worth clarifying, but hopefully by the time your child gets to transition, it'll be a better trodden path.

It certainly used to be the case that GCSE stats were calculated on the exam results of "Y11 aged" children. I was out of year group so in the stats, I appeared as a 16 year old who got zero GCSEs. All the As I got in a different year counted for nothing. Hopefully this is no longer the case but it might partly explain why some schools might be reluctant to take children out of year group. A good school should if course put the interests of the child first...

Unfortunately it's possible that the secondary, especially if they are their own admissions authority (as most are now, as they are academies) to refuse to take a child out of year, as they have no legal compulsion to accept the out of year decision made by the primary yet. It is however clear that the Govt intention is that the child stay with the new year group-

www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission/admission-of-summer-born-children-advice-for-local-authorities-and-school-admission-authorities

"In September 2015, we committed to amend the school admissions code so that summer born children can automatically be admitted to a reception class at the age of 5 where that is what their parents want, and can remain with the cohort with which they are admitted throughout their education. We remain committed to making that change when a legislative opportunity is available."

and

www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission/statement-for-local-authorities-schools-and-admission-authorities-on-the-admission-of-summer-born-children-to-school-from-gavin-williamson-secretar

"Admission authorities should take into account the fact that the child has been educated in a different year group to that point and, unless there are sound educational reasons to do otherwise, the assumption should be that the child remains outside of their normal year group."

Until the Govt actually legislate for this, there is scope for the secondary to decide that the child move years. I would hope that by the time your niece gets to secondary, they will have passed the relevant legislation, but they are showing no signs at the moment.

One thing to do would be, as advised above, to check with local secondaries about their current policies.

Ah really? That's rubbish. The original primary said that she could start in reception - didn't mention anything about then having to skip year 7!

Going straight into year 1 without reception to ease them in seems to kind of negate the positives of keeping them back... Niece is a very 'young' 4 still 😔

The secondary school would have to prove its in the best interests of the child to make them skip year 7 which they obviously won’t be able to do easily and so she should be able to stay with her adopted cohort all the way through.

Deferring has become more popular recently and so the first cohorts of deferred summer borns are challenging secondary schools now. By the time their dd is at the stage it should be much smoother. There is a great Facebook group full of advice and appeals etc- get them to search for it, it’s called something like flexible admissions for summer borns.

It can really vary by LA what their policy is. I know the LA where I worked are very flexible about it and there's no problem, I know someone who delayed their DS. The LA were I live however, are very inflexible - I've been told only exceptional cases with significant SEN get approved, most would have to do exactly what you say and go straight into year 1.

I've seen a Facebook group for delayed admissions of summer borns recommended here before. I've never looked at it, but it might be somewhere you can get advice for your LA?

Just to add sports don't follow this, for example in football they have to play in their correct age group, school competitions etc are done on age not yet group.

Sorry by LA where I worked I mean the LA my work is situated in, so where lots of my co-workers live - not that I worked for them!

@Forestdweller11 actually, as per other posts, you can delay and start reception a year later, not just go straight into year 1.

The law (?) only changed in 2015 so it’s only recently that secondary schools have had to deal with it. I’ve delayed my dc1 (currently in year 1) and I’m hoping by the time they reach secondary it won’t be such an issue

Op, there's an excellent summer born Facebook group you can join. I was intending to hold my children back and got the ok from the local authority but then changed my mind last minute as I got a school I couldn't say no to.

Thank you so much everyone! Really helpful (if not 100% reassuring haha). They're going to speak to local secondaries after work today so hopefully that'll shed some light...

Apologies, yes as Elphaba says, they must look at individual circumstances and cannot have a blanket "no" policy - I may have come across as unduly pessimistic! It would be hard for them to justify moving a child, especially if the parents and Head of primary are united against it. The admissions code says -

"Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the
circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned.. This will include taking account of the parent’s views; information about the
child’s academic, social, and emotional development; where relevant, their
medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have
previously been educated out of their normal age group"

However, the legal position at the moment is that they can refuse.

I also have a deferred Y1 (could be a Y2). Our LA had an automatic approval for summer-born deferral following the 2015 amendment so there is a cohort of children ahead of us, I am assuming the secondaries will have sorted themselves out by the time we get there!

We have a summer born and the secondary thing was one of the reasons why we didn't hold him back a year. If you hold them back into Reception, secondary head teachers can ask them to move up "in year", so out of Year 5 into Year 7. It is well known as an issue when you're looking to hold back summer born DC I'm afraid.

Private secondary schools are likely to be more accommodating if that's an option for your DB but I'd agree with this school for state secondaries.

The law (?) only changed in 2015 so it’s only recently that secondary schools have had to deal with it. I’ve delayed my dc1 (currently in year 1) and I’m hoping by the time they reach secondary it won’t be such an issue

The problem is, the law hasn't actually changed yet, just the Govt saying (as i linked above) that they intend to do so. At the moment, schools must take into account individual circumstances, and it's clear from the intended legislation that the intention is to make delaying summer borns a legal requirement should parents request it. So many LAs and admissions authorities now do automatically allow such applications, in anticipation of the law change. However, not all do, and some are harder to persuade than others.

This means, as PP have observed, there are more and more delayed summer borns coming through the system, and it will start to be a bigger issue pretty soon if secondaries continue to take divergent approaches, unless the Govt pass the legislation!

Thanks - this is their first dd so they basically just relied on what the original school told them rather than doing their own research. Lesson learned!

Private absolutely not an option unfortunately.

no you stay in the sane cohort a voluntary aided secondary school could technically refuse to admit out of year but that would be very unusual.

It looks like whatever the secondary tells them on the hoof today, it should be possible for them to go into Y7 but it may be a fight.

My daughter is a Summer born (last day of August) and was the youngest in her class and her Year all through
Never heard of the system you describe as my daughter joined Nursery age 4, Reception age 5 (only just) and started Year 7 with the rest of the classmates who went to the same secondary .

Hi op we were in a similar dilemma with our summer born dd, we felt she was too young and wanted to defer for a year. Speaking with our council and infant school they both could not guarantee getting her a place in reception the following year meaning she would have to go straight into y1. Also the skipping the year in secondary school was mentioned aswell. Very frustrating and we ended up sending her to school that year as we didn't want her pushed into y1the following year as felt it would be too harsh. The risk of having to have her skip as year when she's established friendship groups ect seemed awful. The only thing I can suggest is get youur brother to run it by his council aswell as the school.

Sorry i missed the part where they have already contacted the council

Don’t you mean reception only just age 4?