Deferring school start

[Twigglett1]

Has anyone deferred the school start date for their little people?

My AS is due to start primary next September and, for a variety of reasons, isn't ready and will be unable to cope. We're currently applying for an EHCP.

I'm considering deferring him until 2024. The schools I have spoken to agree with this but the health visitor and his disability support worker have said that they don't agree and that it will cause problems later.

The problem being they think he'll be made to skip a year in future.

Has anyone who has done this, or chosen not to, able share their experiences please.

Presumably, he's summer born? I know plenty of people who have deferred entry for their summer born DC, some with very little reason apart from being young for their year. When they started school they joined reception, not Year 1. I also know a few children who did reception according to their age and then stayed back to do it again, including one whose mother wished they had deferred but it didn't cross her mind at the time. From what I know there is never a point where they have to rejoin the year group relating to their chronological age. The government document here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921255/Guidance_for_parents_September_2020.pdf even says that if they continue with their new cohort to year 10 they are then under no obligation to do year 11 as they can legally leave school at the end of year 10. If it were my child I would choose to defer, but my DS is isn't summer born.

This is the part of the document above that refers to moving back to their own age year group:
Once a child has been admitted to a school, it is for the head teacher to decide how best to educate them. This may, on occasion, include deciding that a child should be moved to higher or lower age group, including moving a child who has been admitted out of their normal age group, into their normal age group. This decision should only be made where there are sound educational reasons to do so and in consultation with the child’s parents.

I can see why a Head might recommend moving a child back to their age group if the child ultimately turns out to be a high flyer in the younger year group, but it does say that there needs to be sound educational reasons, and it's in consultation with the parents. In the event that a school did strong-arm you to move him back with his age group and he really was better suited to the younger group he's become a part, of it shouldn't be hard to find another school to take him into the younger year group. And as a post-looked after child he gets priority admission so you can absolutely shop around.

If they are young in year then I would defer.

If they aren't and already have enough needs as to need an EHCP, then you may have to think about what their likely trajectory is.
Will they cope in mainstream throughout primary if a year below, or is it more likely that by y2/y3 they will have moved across to a Special School?

Normally if you defer start these days you get it in writing they can stay deferred throughout their schooling.

I suggest you also ask this on the main Primary board and the SEN one. You wouldn't need to declare his adopted status if you didn't want to. There are certainly threads on Primary re the deferring process.

(My DDs went through mainstream but DD2 has ended up with an EHCP for college).

Hi both

Thank you.

He's a middle of July baby, which is one of the reasons for me looking to delay but he also has additional needs which means he would really struggle in a school. I know a year is a long time but I have to make the decision now. Its very frustrating actually.

I've posted on the SN children board and got mixed views.

I'd defer.
He's young in year, and adopted even before any SN. They should agree to keep him out of year group - things are more clear these days.

In a year's time, with an EHCP you'll be in a better place to know where he will fit best and what his needs are.

Is he in nursery at all at the moment, and are they supporting him well?

Both my DDs would have been better off a year below, but DD1 was already in y3 when we adopted her, and DD2 was autumn born.

Hi my son was a September baby and was placed in March with us when he was 5, as he was deafblind we made the decision to not send him to school until the September. It was frowned upon by a social worker but most people in authority felt he should feel settled in his new home first.I am so glad we deferred. You know your child best. Just had another thought our AD a June baby with Down Syndrome went to mainstream school a year late (head master’s request, massive intake) she was fine and took her GCSE’s at the correct time, ok just took 3 and not A* but she did them!

Due to his trauma and possibly his SEN (depending on his diagnosis), he will most likely be less mature than his chronological age which would make him better suited for a younger age group.

Both of mine are in the year below (one with SEN, one academically strong) and it works so much better than when they were in their year group. They are teenagers now and it was definitely the right decision for us.

I don’t think I would ever listen to a health visitor on an important decision like that. I know that sounds harsh and I know a lot of health visitors do really good work. But I don’t know why your health visitor is giving you a strong opinion like that, I wouldn’t have thought they are very clued up on how it works later down the line. It sounds like you have good reason to defer and as the parent it’s your decision. Sometimes as a parent of a child with addition needs you have to block out what certain professionals say. I say that as a parent who has listened in the past while my gut was telling me something else and I’ve regretted listening because I knew they were wrong.

I deferred my August born DD, she’s currently in reception. Best decision! she would not have been able to cope as well as she has if she started last year. There is a July boy in her class who really hasn’t coped, his parents have been called in 3 times in the first half term.

As long as she’s in primary school she won’t be moved up a year. I have heard of high schools doing this. I’ve had informal chats with 2 heads of year at the high school we will likely go to, they haven’t had to deal with a referral case in a while but have said they suspect there maybe a few cases with covid in the coming years. They were very supportive of not moving her up, but I need to make formal enquiries with the school.

My plan is that if she dose need to be moved up a year then we will work with the school to transition her gradually while she’s in primary school. Luckily the school she’s in is very flexible and already has mixed year groups so this will be easy for us to do.

I think if you know he will have to be moved up then you can put measures in place to help the transition.

Do it- defer. We did, no regrets.
You can immediately discount anyone who has in their advice 'but they'll have to go straight into year one!' or "but they'll have to miss a year later on!' This tells you they don't know about this topic, and you should ignore them.
When school leaving age meant they could leave education, then deferring could mean they left school in year 10. This is still possible, but legally they need to be in some sort of training until 18, which if they don't have level 2 English and Maths will include that. It's just not a concern.
If you child is summer born, as well as the additional challenges of adoption etc, just defer. One of the best things we've done for AC.

DD did primary in a country where you have to pass each grade or repeat. So she was already being educated 'out of age', had various additional support needs, was born mid-August a month premature...

She went into year 8 when we moved back to the UK, although strictly on age she should have been year 9. The school didn't have a problem with it - it made so much sense it was a bit of a non-issue.

The only way it could impact is in funding for the final academic year, when she is already 18 at the start of the year. But as she has an EHCP she can stay in secondary education until 25, from what I understand.

The cut off is "over 19", not 18, at least in England, so no concerns over the final year of school (as even a year out of cohort, they'd be starting age 18, even if they turn 19 during the year.

Most level 3 type education is free until 24.

There are no downsides to deferring- if you child is deferred, and gets to school and socially and educationally fits with the year of their age, you can move them up. If you child is not deferred, you can't then opt to move them down. Deferring gives complete flexibility, and you come only do it now.

I think the only thing to bare in mind is that it's nearly a year until next September. He could come on a lot in this time. I'm not sure how it works but could you apply and then defer if you still don't feel that he's ready nearer the time? The only thing I'd say either way though is that people rarely regret holding their child back. I think there's little evidence really that it'd do him any harm. Go with your mum instinct. You know him best x

Thank you everyone for the advice. We are going to defer him. The way I see it, I have two years to get him ready to be in a school environment.

We've found a school where he can go to the nursery attached so we'll also transition him into that before he starts reception so it's not all such a big change from his current nursery.

@Cheeseandcrackers86 unfortunately the ridiculous system means I have to make a decision by January. A whole 9 months before! I get that they need time to process but I do wish there were exceptions for this type of thing!

Definitely defer, it's getting more and more common and I haven't heard of it causing any problems with secondary admissions etc.