Tell me about your August babies starting school

[ScrappyAndHungry]

Hello

I have a daughter age almost 3. She will start school next September having just turned 4. A few of the nursery mums have asked me if I'm planning to defer her into the year below as apparently being the oldest in the year has better outcomes than being one of the youngest.

But honestly this just hasn't occurred to me. She loves to learn and having had a look at the early years curriculum at the school I'm hoping she will go to, it looks like stuff she will absolutely love. Surely it can't be in her best interests to do 3 whole years of early years? She also always seems drawn to older children to play with.

Obviously I know things can change but I just wondered if deferring her is something I should strongly consider in the absence of any reason?

Would love to hear how your August babies got on starting school.

He was very little. And I thought he’d be lost. He didn’t like some things like the register or fruit at snack time, and I worried he wouldn’t keep up with the children nearly a year older.

it got better over time. Even at the end of the infants you could see that the autumn born children could run faster and jump further but the differences were more subtle. By the end of primary you wouldn’t notice.

He thrived in the end, and at secondary you just can’t tell the differences. Just predicted straight A* in his A Levels 😀

I agonised over this. My DD is end of August and was tiny when she started. But she was really excited and seemed ready. She was bright sociable. She did seem a bit lost in the first term and sometimes fell asleep while I was making her tea! But she was fine. Once she got to year 1 she really caught up in terms of confidence and now she's going into year 5 and you can't tell the difference, she is working at greater depth in reading and writing and is happy at school. They really are all different though and you have to do what's best. She does have a girl in her class who was deferred but is may born. If anything I think she stands out more as she is so obviously older than the others in the class - her class is heavily weighted with summer born children though, just the way it went.

We didn't do any after school clubs and I didn't push homework. My dtds were prematurely born on 30 August. One would nap on the way home from school, wake for dinner then go to bed the first term. They're in that 8 now and I'm glad we went with it. The one thing it impacted was their academic confidence. Being surrounded by older dc who can do stuff you can't will affect them but I reminded them they were younger and reassured them it'll come (and it did). In sats, both got higher than average results.

DS was so ready for school aged 4 and 2 weeks. He was a fluent reader of words in adult books, but couldn't understand them. He was very sociable too.

His school career yr 4 onwards saw him have few friends. Mostly because he hated football, which made him "odd". The older he got, the more I could see his ASC traits.

He did great in school, with 7s-9s in his GCSEs. He hated college, as there was no routine to his day and the tutors didn't tell him precisely what to do. So he has no A levels, as he dropped out.

He's now enjoying a minimum wage job that he has to be at for 8.30am every morning and where he knows exactly what he's doing.

I don't regret sending him to school when I did. Keeping him in nursery for another year would have been detrimental to him.

Not the same but my November baby was so desperate to go to school that we sent her to one with a January intake to placate her and her September born big sister was bored silly at home with me before starting. Trust your instincts!

I kept mine back and maintain it was the best thing I could have done for him

very similar to this.

my DS was tiny in age 2-3 school trousers (they start school at 3 in my welsh county but just 9-11.30 each day). At the end of infants you could still often see who were the autumn borns and summer borns by the difference in their physical skills but you couldn’t tell at all who was born when by end of key stage 2. As a teacher, I’ve noticed this in school too- academically and physically.

DS is now 11 and will be year 8 in sept. He’s the tallest boy in his year and despite being a bit behind in reading when he was year 1/2 is now above average in all his subjects. He loves high school and his friends. Some of them are almost 13 and he’s not even 12 but you wouldn’t know the difference.

I have a sept born DD too. She took years to properly settle down in school because she couldn’t sit still and listen and focus. (Covid disruption didn’t help but I suspect she’d still have had her issues). It’s taken her until year 4 to be able to sit and concentrate on work. She is also achieving well although I would say slightly lower than DS so being a sept baby hasn’t made that much difference academically. She is taller and faster though so it’s helped with sports day but I know that will even out pretty soon.

You can tell the difference at secondary, I could always spot a summer born, especially in the Yr 7/8 age groups.

One of my best friends was born on 31 August (in the evening too). She thrived at school and became a Senior Matron as an adult.

She ran in without a backwards glance. Struggled initially with spellings and reading but is now ahead of many of her peers.
She’s a social butterfly friends with everyone, still the smallest in her class. It was absolutely the right decision to send her. She would have hated another year at preschool. Working ahead in maths and on track for everything else. Now y4

Depends on the child. There’s a little one starting with DD this year, he’s 4 in late Aug, DD is 5 early Sept.

This poor little lad can only say a few words and looks like a rabbit in the headlights at transition days. My DD can write her full name, address and do subtraction. This little boy can’t put his own shoes on or write any letters. It just doesn’t seem fair on him.

But some late summer borns are absolutely fine. The range is huge.

I’d be in the deferral camp though personally, I think 5 feels too young really. I’d prefer it was later for everyone.

The smartest children currently in our Year 5 cohort are summer born, predominantly July and August.

I think it evens out. I don’t think you can tell in secondary but in general, if there’s a scraggler you may assume they’re summer born though.

I think you should go each child dependent. Everyone is different, go by your own.

I was summer born, Oxbridge educated, state schools only, perfect grades. Most people I know in my high powered job are summer (May to August).

Therell be noticeable differences in the younger years but it’ll even out eventually. I’d be wary of keeping a child back if they’re socially on track, it can hinder them holding them back - that has the most negative impact

Despite being July born myself, and reasonably academically successful, I kept Aug born DC back as they were v delayed and needed an EHCP sorting. My June born DC I didn't keep back and they are doing really well, keeping up with their peers and no issues socially (yet!)

My late August born dd was so ready to start school and loved it. She's slways done really well, and has just got two firsts and a 2:1 in her end of first year exams at a really good uni.

My DS is a late August birthday, he started school at the normal time. He was always fine academically but was a bit socially and physically Immature when he started. He did absolutely fine and I never regretted not deferring. He finished secondary with a great set of A levels and is now at a good Uni and doing well.

My DD born 31 August, smashed her GCSEs last year, got the top mark in English of her 290 cohort. Currently doing A Levels and looking at university next year.

We live in an area with an awful secondary school, so she had to do an entrance exam.to a selective school at the age of 10 and fortunately got in.

Remember everyone is different, children progress at different speeds.

I have a summer baby, they started reception at the age of 5. They've just turned 6 and have been thriving at school. I'm so glad I didn't send them a year earlier. I know the jump to year one will be significant so I'm glad my child has that extra time and maturity to deal with it better than they otherwise would have.

I appreciate every child is different though.

I have 2 late August babies, one did really well no problems the other one is repeating reception class and has struggled hugely.

My July born son was a little behind when he started, I could see it in his speech compared to his peers, but he loved going. He is year 2 now and has been getting the highest marks in his class for maths and grammar so I don't think it has affected him at all really. It's worth remembering the class birthdays will be spread out through the whole year- lots of the kids in the class will also be summer born and close in age.

Yes. You should strongly consider deferral. Many summer born children are school ready...until they actually start and the jump from reception to year one is very challenging.

Do some research and once you can see the statistical population level data on outcomes then decide. But please ignore the individual level anecdata of Mumsnet.

Deferring my summer born OP. The only "reason" is because of the research about it not benefiting summer borns to start at just turned 4.

The flexible school admissions for summer borns is an extremely helpful fb group which is worth checking out.

My ds was Aug born. There was never any doubt that my ds would go at 4. From very early on, he used to stand outside the primary school, looking through the railings and say 'why can't I go, Mummy?' 🙂

He's always loved it. He's waiting for GCSE results now and on track for good grades.

If your dd is keen to go, she'll flourish.

DS2 was only just 4 and he is the youngest of our 3 DC so the youngest at home. DH and I were worried about him going to school. He was very young for his age and quite babyish at times. We considered deferring but let him go . He has been fine. He found it very tiring and had a period at first where he had a sleep some afternoons (!) in his classroom, but he settled well and has grown up. He is still a bit antsy at times and struggles with concentration and listening but DH is very calm with him and spends lots of time with him helping him with those things. So does DS 1 who is 9 and a half and very patient with him. I can see lots of progress and he's such a sweet little boy most of the time. He still isn't five but some of his friends in his class are almost 6.

Depends on your child. I was a very late August baby and my mum kept me at home until Easter. She said I was bright but too young for school. Between the September when I could have started and Easter when I did - she taught me to read and write. I started school able to read and write, unlike my new/older friends who had been at school since September.