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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Summer born boy

113 replies

summertimeover · 11/08/2016 13:31

Ok so I am probably being unreasonable... But aggagagagahaghhh.

Just met up with a friend who has a September born DD. I have a v late Summer born DS. They have both just completed their first year in reception. My friend just said "that age and sex are irrelevant when discussing childrens' progress in the first few years at school"

I was a bit... thinking my little boy hates colouring and is 10 months younger than your daughter... He is obviously not going to be doing as much/as well. She seems to think they have both been in school for the same length of time, so to blame age is an excuse...

OP posts:

PinguForPresident · 12/08/2016 15:48

You have plenty of time then. I did it all in a hurry at the time we were applying for him to go to school at the "normal" age. I'd say join and get info this year, have everything ready to go the moment it reaches the time you'd normally be applying for his school place. my LEA considered applications for delay at various points throughout the school year, so the wait could be long or short depending on whether they had a meeting scheduled soon or if you'd just missed one. It may be different now as it should be a case of just submitting your forms and getting a letter saying agreed!

Good luck!

MrsKoala · 12/08/2016 21:58

Just looking at this website and the comments seem like it's not as straightforward. Many are saying they are being told hey cannot defer even with 6 week premature children born on 31st August :(

Finger x, i can do it.

1Catherine1 · 13/08/2016 23:09

I looked at deferring entry out of interest a while back, I was looking to see if my mother should have done it for me so I wouldn't have spent so many years feeling stupid. It really isn't easy and once you have deferred entry, my LEA like to slot you in where you would have been anyway. So, rather than starting in reception, starting in Year 1. Or doing a short time in reception then finishing that year in year 1. Either way, you haven't really achieved anything.

There is a really simple reason that the LEA do this. As a secondary school teacher (with additional responsibilities) I found out that some children we work hard with don't count for our results. This is because of their age. Those that get deferred entry don't count towards our league tables, in some cases this has prevented these children getting intervention as their grades do not matter to the school. (Disclaimer: This is not my view, it is the view of the school)

Statelychangers · 14/08/2016 11:01

Catherine the law changed a little while back so you can now truly defer for a year so that your summer born is 5 when they enter reception. When my ds was 4 I could only defer starting school for a year and he would have started at 5 but go straight into year one. Not much advantage in that!

RedHelenB · 14/08/2016 11:10

Be interesting to see what the research shows on summer borns now that they all start school at the same time, bearing in mind that they haven't they done ks2 SATS.

Statelychangers · 14/08/2016 11:19

Helen I'm sure the info is there already in other countries where parents have been given the choice to determine the start date for their children. I know Australia for one, has a fairly flexible start date.

jellybeans · 14/08/2016 11:19

I have 3 summer born. Girl was g&t and achieved all A* at gcse. Always exceeded expectations. And 2 boys who always struggled and we're behind for quite a while. At high school they are just catching up with some subjects. It made a massive difference and there is evidence to show this.

I think if the child was prem, a twin, has SEN or is a boy the risks are higher.

Goodgriefisitginfizzoclock · 14/08/2016 11:27

I think it does make a difference Dd1 has just finished A levels July birthday so when (if)she goes to uni she will be just 18 she can do a three year degree finish in May and still won't be 21! For this reason she will probably defer as not ready to leave home. Dd2 November born have never felt we were playing catch up in her education. Fwiw my birthday 31st August, have never caught up 😭

cavatron · 14/08/2016 11:29

My DS was born on 31st August. He starts school in Sept. I'm also a teacher, and am more than aware of the gulf between him and some children in his class who'll turn 5 within a few weeks of him turning 4. Of course it impacts their ability to learn - they've got almost a year on him! However, I'm doing my best for him at home (within reason). He shows no interest in colouring/drawing and has poor fine motor skills. I honestly don't care and don't push it with him. It'll come in time.

The best thing you can do? Read. Bedtime stories, signs when out and about, letters around the home etc. Writing stems from reading - it'll come :)

Statelychangers · 14/08/2016 11:36

On a positive note, dh was summer born. Mil said he was an unremarkable student at primary but through secondary things changed, despite it being a bog standard comp, he gradually moved his way up through the sets, till he was top of the school in all his subjects. He's been the only student in the history of the school to gain a place at Oxbridge taking his A levels when he had just turned 17 - they took them early for a year - bad experiment...,, all the other kids failed. Dh took a year out of education because he knew at 17, he was too young for Uni! He was never pushed or given any additonal support - he just developed and matured at his own pace.

toobreathless · 14/08/2016 11:40

I have a summer born DD. Just finished reception.

She is very able, exceeding expectations.

I prefer her month of birth to be totally disregarded. I don't think it helps pigeon holing her and I want expectations to be as high for her winter born peers because she is capable. The most able children from each class here did extension type work one morning a month in a separate group. I want her to be able to access these sorts of opportunities.

So from my perspective it does DD no favours labelling her summer born. But she is just one child (obviously)

Pythonesque · 14/08/2016 12:19

I have a summer born son, academically able - but it has been interesting where hiccoughs have occurred. When he started school he was convinced reading was too hard for him and it took a while to get through the block - though once convinced he could do it he was flying. Now having just done year 6 I'm seeing another minor hump that could be partly a maturity issue, where his written work is not yet displaying the more complex reasoning skills the teachers are looking for. On the other hand, like his (ironically autumn born) older sister, he's a relatively early developer and from that perspective I am very glad that he is not old in the year below! [don't know if his voice will last next year let alone the 2 he could be in his choir for]

sexyfish · 14/08/2016 12:22

She's talking nonsense. Don't worry!

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