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 was told the same when considering it for my summer born son. This was 4 years ago and only really just becoming an option and the school said it would probably be ok by the time he applied for secondary but they couldn't guarantee that he would be allowed to stay back a year. It wasn't worth the risk and I'm actually very pleased he is with his normal year group now as a lot has changed in a few years.

Yes most likely
It was 28 years ago now and my memory is not that great but Yea, 4 for reception sounds more likely . I was 5 when I started Infants (Infants 1 back then) so got confused . I never attended a nursery

Hopefully this will be ironed out. It wasn’t an option when dd was little but I wouldn’t have deferred her. I think the starting point is to find out exactly what the current school is saying and hope this will be ironed out by secondary. What does the LA say? Can the school offer a place next year. If not would part time for your 4yo dn be an option? The idea being to work up to full time by the summer term, when your dn will be 5.

My response is to MummyoflittleDragon post
I thought it had copied her post to which I responded but it didn't.

I just saw that. Thanks. 👍

As a parent with a summer born, I must admit I do wonder how much better she would have done if I could have deferred her, but she would have hated that, even age 4. I think my friend would have done so with her ds. They’re both yr9 now and he’s fine in his year group, doing well in most subjects.

Please do look at the Facebook group flexible schooling for summer born children.

all the info is there.

we have our reception at CSA (age 5) agreement and although the letter does advise of the possibility secondary won’t accept it the guidance is clear - any change has to be in the child’s best interest and they have to prove it.

the first major cohort is going into secondary this year and next year so the pathway will be much clearer by the time it becomes a potential issue for them.

Some councils are more pro and some staunchly anti but definitely worth them looking at the group for advice and real experiences .

We have a very late August girl who we didn't feel was ready AT ALL for school, but in she went.

We didn't have an alternative childcare option and we'd already got Precious First Born Syndrome out of the way with our others. We weren't worried about it, just wondered how on earth she'd get on.

Luckily in Reception there are no expectations and it's very much an extension of nursery, and because she was already used to that environment she was absolutely fine!

At this age they carry on learning through play, they shouldn't get homework and if they do, it's optional (and if there was anything it isn't academic).

She just suddenly seemed to "grow up" around Year 1 which coincided with when they picked up pencils etc. Hold back a year if it's the right thing for all, but seriously, don't worry.

Selective schools with 11+ might not consider an out of year candidate.