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.

My DD1 has an end of August birthday,we sent her in the school year for her age and she thrived, she would have been bored and unchallenged staying at nursery/home for another year. Our twin DDs were end of July babies and also went in the school year they were meant to be in, no problems whatsoever. Sometimes it's best to go with what the standard position is (ie the year they are meant to go) but you know your child best

I've never heard of doing reception twice and think it would be a really bad idea. How would they feel when all their friends move up to year 1 and they are kept back? What happens if they have made good friends who will then leave them? What if they think it's because they are not clever or it is something they have done. I wouldn't

Mine started just after her 4th birthday and loved school from the start and hasn't had any issues, she's in Y3 now and doing really really well. Loves to learn.

We put my daughter in school at 5, not 4. She has absolutely loved reception and has had the stamina and dexterity to embrace the learning and has made lots of friends.

the reason I delayed entry, was because she would have had less early years nursery experience and her older brother had loved nursery, for no other reason.

i also read that studies had showed that self esteem was markedly in summer born girls who started school at 4 than those who started at 5, when observed at 8 and 11 years old, and this for me was a deal breaker.

so if I were you I’d think again about putting your child in at just turned 4.

My August born was not ready for school at 4 and 2 weeks I felt but back in the day you had no choice. It was start reception at 4 or go straight in to year 1. I wrote to mp about it and she took it on and I like to think i have something to do with the changes that have been made!
Anyway he was fine. Loved school. Got quite tired and the teachers commented a few times that he was 'sensitive ' and I pointed out that actually he was just very young.
He got all 7-9 in his gcses and As in his A levels and is now at a Russell group uni. He has lots of friends and is very mature so it worked for him!

My nephew is a late August baby, he was not deferred and is doing great in school, he was just ready to go.

I'm a July baby and deferring wasn't a thing then but also never had any problems, I think I would have been very bored if I had stayed home another year.

I think leave your decision until the last moment and decide based on your child and if he seems ready or not. Schools know they're going to have a range of different ages and abilities and they do adapt work and tasks based on ability

Only you know your child. It’s not just about being academically bright or willing, but being ready emotionally socially and emotionally.
it’s also not about whether they can handle reception, it’s about whether they can handle year 1 having just turned 5 etc.
we are delaying our reception start for our summer born.
Ask yourself this, if they had been born a few days later on September 1, would you ever think about starting them at school early? Would you worry about them being bored etc?

She is advanced for her age - she’s my second child and has been desperate to catch up with her big brother. She’s also autumn born so has a double advantage.

My point is that your only just turned 4 yo may well be in a class with children who are almost a year older and also ahead for their age.

There will always be a range of ages and abilities in any primary class of course but if I had it in my power to ensure my child wasn’t at a disadvantage I’d take it. My DC1 is May born and the difference between him and his autumn born friends is striking. I do think it is more of a disadvantage for boys than girls though.

My DD is 18 next month - I wanted to hold her back - she seemed so tiny and I wanted another year at home with her - but it wasn’t an option 14 years ago - she was absolutely ready for school and thrived as the youngest academically - she’s just finished her A levels and has a place at medical school (fingers crossed - grades permitting!) The issues have really only been now she’s older - when all her friends turned 18 before her but honestly that’s really it 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have 2 August babies. Very different personalities. Both started school at just turned 4 and they have both thrived. Pre-school from 3 definitely helped. They are now in year 1 and year 3 - both above average in reading, 1 above average in maths and both where they should be in writing. It took a while for DD to make proper friends, she flirted about everyone but now has a little group and a best friend. DS has a best friend.

That should say flitted- not flirted!

As a teacher you can spot the autumn borns a mile off. I'd say until mid secondary. But at KS1 it's almost like having 2 separate classes in most subjects- autumn borns need more support. But that being said some kids have to be in the youngest group and yes it is definitely a disadvantage- have a Google there's lots if studies- but as adults you can't tell. The primary years in particular can be rough though.

I deferred mine. Best choice we made.

Late August DD, after one year in nursery started Reception last year. Had a discussion with school about it. She our second DD, potty trained herself before she was two (copying her older sister we think), and is very chatty.

just finished reception as youngest int he year, and passed all the foundation EYFS markers for maths/English etc. Has a best friend a little group of friends she loves.

sports day she still looked tiny. She will celebrate her 5th birthday four days before her best friend will celebrate his 6th birthday.

we are happy that we didn’t keep her back a year, but she is a second born girl with an older sister.

it’s a difficult decision for any August born child’s parents to make! Only you know your child, though your nursery teacher can probably support your thought process.

Mine has just finished school. Being an August born has never held her back at all. She was clearly ready for school from that first drop off in Reception. I noticed absolutely no difference between her and her brother (January born) in terms of being school-ready.

My daughters class has 19 pupils and 5 of them have July birthdays. (she was meant to be an august baby but came early)
She is just finishing reception and loves it.
Her nursery days were 2.5 school days and it was a big jump for her to go to 5 days. Even now by Friday she is ready for the break!
But academically wise she is ahead in reading and writing.
She was slightly more behind socially but she has caught up now.
She was well aware of children
staying in nursery and who was going into reception. She wouldn't have liked to stay behind.

I'm an August baby. And I was fine till - a levels.
I passed but had to retake to get good grades.
I think that was my school rather than an August baby. Honestly August babies rock

@ScrappyAndHungry some schools let you defer a term or two.

Apparently our local authority allows you to defer a year, but then enter year 1 with your chronological cohort. I wouldn't want her to miss reception. Most of the primaries are academies though so it is the headteachers decision whether to allow a child to join the year below their correct age. I've emailed our preferred school to see if they have a stance on it. Still not sure but I'm interested on gathering all the facts as we have to start applying early next year.

Basically saying reception is pointless then? That's a very outdated view.

A blanket ban like that is illegal in England, so cannot be the case. The school admissions code is very clear about all this. Have a look at the 'flexible school admissions for summer borns' Facebook group if you're on FB.

DD was late August. No option to defer.
She napped at lunchtime right up until the day she started reception. Settled in well, learned well, came home each night an absolute exhausted wreck. Found year 1 really hard.
Now she's in Y9, she does well academically, is settled. Y7 was exhausting for her though - long commute on the tube, long days.
I think she would have been better deferred, but all in all it's been fine.

I sent mine and have absolutely no regrets at all. She would have been bored witless staying on at nursery. School was just right for her, and she has thrived. You have to do what's right for your child and your circumstances. There is no point comparing a confident, school-ready child who would otherwise remain full-time in a mediocre nursery, to someone else's premature child who has developmental delays and would otherwise be living an idyllic life centred around their needs at home. Also, deferral isn't something you just get to opt into easily. Schools will usually say they don't do this without a compelling reason - someone has to be the youngest and Reception teachers are aware of the spread of ages in their class.

Some people on MN get very defensive about this topic and accuse people like me of sharing our experience in order to assuage our guilt for having sent our school age children to school like most people do. Ignore them (I do; that's why I haven't read this thread - it happens every time). Their attitude speaks for itself.

I know a few primary teachers (secondary teacher myself- you really can’t tell the difference by them!) and they say skills like dressing themselves, putting shoes on the right feet, recognising their name on a peg, being fully toilet trained, are far more useful to reception teachers than reading, counting etc! Also the summer born ‘disadvantage’ is true at a population (or large sample) level, but there’s no statistical evidence that starting school later actually makes a positive difference to outcomes.

My DS and I were both summer babies, but also with ASD which left us a little behind. The early start was a disaster for me, salvaged by moving to the Scottish system where I instantly became one of the eldest. My son never caught up in the English system and is now home schooled.

I think the fact that you feel your DC is ready for school is probably the most important thing. You know here better than anyone.

My DS was four and a week when he started, it was half days until Easter back then and there wasn’t the option to defer for the year. He could have missed reception and joined in year one but that didn’t seem the answer.
Academically he did well, the teacher sent home all the year one words for the Christmas holidays and the year two words at Easter.
However what he found hard was things like dressing for PE so I’d really recommend you work on things like that.
After about 18 months being the youngest wasn’t as noticible.
He is mid 20’s now and because of his birthday he finished his masters when he was still 21. He did really well in his GCSE’s and A levels and always had lots of nice friends at school.