August baby at a disadvantage to Sept baby?

[peachytacos]

AIBU to think that having a birthday in spring/summer won’t massively affect how successful your child is in school long term?

I completely understand in the first few years at school the difference is significant, as a year is such a large jump, but surely as they grow older it evens out?
I’m ttc no 2 and was speaking to my close friend about it today who told me its mean to ttc this month in case I end up with an August baby
She’s naturally very blunt and doesn’t mean anything nasty by it but she strongly feels that a baby born in August is at a massive disadvantage throughout. I know it’s highly unlikely to happen anyway but it’s made me think.

Thoughts/opinions please!

There is a massive difference between my dd (sunmer born) and the sept born children in her class. It does make me feel guilty for having a summer born, I wish she was an older one.

I'm a teacher, and an end of July baby, and I did just fine. In a class you can have the September children being top of the class and bottom. For the first few years you may notice a difference but it definitely all evens out.

It really does depend on the child. I was a winter born baby and have always excelled in English, averaged in everything else and struggled massively in maths (to such an extent that I took the lower grade paper as the 'normal' one was too hard for me). I am now in a very qualified professional role (and still avoid maths )

My eldest in a summer born baby. Third youngest in her class. She excels at reading and spelling (finds it a breeze compares to others much older) then is average across the board including maths which she finds easier than I did at her age. She's not struggling and although her concentration is poor this is her character not her age (has demonstrated poor concentration since being a baby and toddler)

My middle one is a spring baby and is average for everything I'd say, but has excellent concentration

My point above is our months of birth really do not give a standardised educational result.

Yes. It makes a massive impact and used to be used by DfE to rate schools.
August babies compared to September previous year:

Physically they tend to be smaller,
Emotionally are 11 months behind
They’ve had 11 months less in nursery
And more crucially when then turn of an age... learn to drive 11 months after some friends, and get left out of social events - bars & clubs etc

I have a late July girl. She did well academically at school, but emotionally I wish she was a year behind. She was upset when she was little about never having happy birthday sung at school. She couldn't have a glass of champagne at her prom, because she wasn't 18. They were all driving and getting their braces off months before her. She's done well and gone to uni, but I wish she was older and not applying when she wasn't even 18.

I am September born and when I went on a management course, 80% of the people there were autumn born. I was really surprised at that.

When i worked in nursery thru year 1, as well as knowing which children were SEN/EAL/PP, I often had a list of summer babies. A lot of the time, it didn't make a significant difference, but it was detected worth remembering which kids might be behind developmentally. Some August babies struggle (and some LEAs will let you hold them back to the following year), others thrive - I fondly remember one reception class that had both a September 1st and an August 31st in it - so both extremes. Yes, the youngest started at a disadvantage, but was eager to learn, and by the end of the year, they had both hit all their early learning goals and were more than ready for year one. Also my dad and grandad were both August babies, and neither seem too affected by it!

I wouldn't hold off on TTC because of it. Everything's unpredictable anyway, you could end up with a September due date and an August baby, for instance!

Statistically there is a disadvantage. My firstborn October baby took 18 months to conceive. My 30th August baby took one month. I didn't have the luxury of planning the month of birth.

My DD struggled until about the third term of year two. She had now caught up and overtaken her peers. She is a determined young lady who puts the effort in.

I do wonder if some of the Summer born disadvantages are just to having a later start to school. I am summer born and was not allowed to start school until Easter of reception year. It knocked my confidence as I hadn't realised the other kids started before me and just assumed they were cleverer and more confiden.

As an August baby (33 year old baby), I'm quite offended by some of these comments! It is surely down to each individual child?

I think if I'd have been trying for a while I wouldn't worry about it and go for it as I would any other month but if I hadn't been trying long or was just starting out I would skip it. There are quite a few disadvantages to being an august baby. Academically, last to drive,last to turn 18, birthday parties are impossible etc. However none of those things are the end of the world but having a September baby would be preferable. Though you have to hope they don't come early then and be an August baby.....

Wooly I am August 31st and there was a girl in my year who was September 1st.

It doesn't really "even out" as your child, to an extent, develops their personality around the persona of those early years. Eg, thinks of themselves not "good at" sport, not that smartest, etc. Lots of children also have a real fixation on getting older fast - inexplicable to us adults, sure, but nonetheless "a thing" - and that is only more pronounced in kids who are constantly being reminded that they're too young to do the things that their peers are.

It makes a massive difference. You can start them a year later if they are summer born which means they would be the oldest in the year, which would be worth doing.

We are lucky where we live that kids can drop down a year and lots of August born kids do that.

The inflexibility of the British school system really doesn't allow for children maturing at different rates.

Statistically Summer babies are disadvantaged education wise.

However, from my own experience (I am August born) I was academically advanced compared to my peers,received a scholarship, came out over all with the highest GCSEs in my (very posh private) school, etc. I will note that was socially (lots of them were in sexual relationships when I was not due to my social awkwardness) behind my peers though.

I have an August born DD and am also a teacher.

IME, summer born boys struggle more than girls early on, but again, this is anecdotal.

I do worry a little about my daughter being physically and emotionally ready for school, but it is what it is and as long as she is supported at her own level I’ll have no issues.

I also think of it another way. If you have a child that struggles a little bit and is Summer born, there is a high chance that this is because they are far younger both physically and emotionally than their Sept born peers.

What I’d find more difficult to justify is having a Sept born child who is struggling in some areas or is just doing “okay.”

I have a September and a late July. The difference is enormous. The late July has struggled at school in ways the September could never imagine.

If I had my time again I'd wait and have another September born.

I'm born in Feb but skipped reception (did 6m reception and then joined Y1 for the end of the year), I never suffered from the age difference with classmates and was average/good for the rest of my studies so I really don't think a child may be at a disadvantage because of a couple months difference.
Anyway, comparing an August born with a Sept born ignores the fact that it will also be compared against July/June/May... pupils which is fair enough, it is not like the whole class will be 11m older.

I'm not boasting but I have an August baby (very end of August if that makes any difference) and she is an absolute little smart arse.
She's excelling at school and I have no concerns about her whatsoever.
My mum says she is exactly like I was in primary school (I was top of the class for everything until bullies calling me a swot in year 9 finally cracked me and I became a little shit because I thought it was cool)
My DD started reception at the tender age of 4 and 2 weeks - and has never struggled

My late aug should have been sept baby has just started school. She is doing really well and i am very proud of her. She was definately not right to keep back. S we will just get on with it.

On a population level, so like on average, yes, it makes a significant difference. That, however, has no bearing on whether it will make a difference for your individual child though, so I wouldn't say it's 'cruel'. I am an October baby (which in the U.S. where I grew up and went to school is the equivalent of an August baby). I was always by far the youngest in my year. I left for university at 17 (when most of my peers were 18 or even 19 by first year). I was also consistently the top in my class and was literally the top graduate (valedictorian) in my high school. It didn't affect me at all, but I was also very mature for my age and fairly academically gifted. I'm also a girl, of course. I think the negative effects are much more noticeable for boys than girls. So yes, on average, it makes a considerable difference. That doesn't mean though that it will absolutely make any difference for your individual child though.

Some of the most successful people I know were born in August, including my boss (birthday 31st August).
I'm a May baby and although my sister (November) did better at school, we got the same at uni (2.1) and I've overtaken her spectacularly career-wise.
I agree with the teacher above who says it all evens out later. I suspect sometimes parents are making excuses for a child who is just a bit dim or slow.

DD was early and born in late August instead of beginning of September. I'm glad she was. She'd be bored out of her mind in year 3 this year. But really the most important is to have a healthy baby, whatever time of year it is born. I'm surprised people plan so much in advance and even think about these things when TTC. Lighten up people!

My baby was born 31st August this year, we missed the cutoff by an hour. My baby also has congenital brain abnormalities and we do not know what this will mean for them developmentally and intellectually yet. I want to defer entry to school but have been told it's not allowed in this area and even if by some miracle they did allow it he would have to start in year 1 and skip reception all together. I've also been told that secondary school may say he would have to skip year 7 and that seems very wrong. I have a friend with a summer born child who started school this year, he is not emotionally or socially ready and first was getting sore from not being able to wipe himself properly after going to toilet and is now withholding his faeces all day at school.

For people also saying about delayed entry for summer borns, this is true, but be aware that they then enter school at Y1 and not Reception.

IMO, it is far better to just get them in and experiencing the foundations of learning in a play-based context. Surely starting schooling in an (often) more structured KS1 environment isn’t doing them any greater a favour?

I also have a September boy (very early Sept, eldest in his year group). He is not astoundingly bright (not stupid by any means though) but being a year older than some of his peers has given him a huge advantage, he has sailed through school on good marks so far (Y4 now). He hasn’t struggled with anything and exceeds expectations easily. He is also very tall (Wears age 12 trousers at 9!).

Similar seems to be proving true of October born DD. (Y1).

But also, I wouldn’t delay TTC - you never know which month you’ll conceive or if that baby will arrive on time!