To think my summer born will be fine starting school in September 2020?

[worriedwinfred]

DS was born mid July. I'm just asking if I'm being unfair to expect that he will be ok to start school in the year group he is expected to start in rather than applying to delay for a year?
He's really confident and intelligent and I feel he will definitely be ready however i wouldn't want to send him if it's not the best decision. Does anyone have experience of sending summer born children to school the September after they turn 4?were they ok?

BarrenFieldofFucks out of interest was your daughter attending nursery before she turned 4? Genuinely interested as to what constitutes not being ready- my daughter is early August currently 20months, I was hoping her nursery days will help get her "ready".

My DT’s were born the first week in July and started school as scheduled. The problems at all. They were getting bored at preschool and couldn’t wait to start proper school.

Does that mean he will have just turned 4 or turned 5 before school? Where I live - not the UK kids-generally hAve to be at least 4 before the end of March in the year they will start but realistically most kids are 5 turning 6 in their first year of school.

I think it totally depends on the child, tbh.

My two were both born mid-summer. DD (nearly 14) is v. outgoing and was socially ready, but did struggle abit academically for a couple of years (she doesn't have the best concentration). She's fine now though and is in the top English and Maths groups.

DS (10) is quieter and born later, so we did delay him due to DD's academic struggles. It was unnecessary, he's v. academic and could easily manage in the older class. He also finds some of his classmates immature sometimes and has non-school friends who are 11 and 12.

So, we got it wrong with both of them! In the grand scheme of things, I don't think it's really hurting them though. DS will probably just be in the tops sets when he's older.

My youngest DS turned 3 in the July and started full time nursery (at the school) in the September. He was so ready for it, he needed that educational setting. He thrived and is now in y3 and is honestly one of the brightest pupils in the class, performing at greater depth in all key subjects so it certainly did him the world of good. Only you know your child though

I think its worth finding out what the school in question does if you defer. Ie if you defer a year do they go straight into year 1 and bypass reception? I never see the point of that, that would be the worst of both worlds because they won't have the cushion of learning the ropes in reception with their peers!

Obviously there's also the question of what you do with them for that year, if you work. I can't imagine a private nursery would take them once they are school age?

If you don’t have concerns, he’s very likely to be fine. I have a summer born who was also very ill as a baby so not physically robust and was concerned until a few months before he was due to start when he just seemed ready for it. He’s on year 4 now and I have no regrets as he’s very happy and doing very well. My oldest is the oldest in his year (September) and would have also been ready the previous year if he’d been born a few days earlier. He didn’t need the extra year, although he enjoys being the oldest!

My DS was born at 2am on 1 September! So those 2 hours mean a whole extra year waiting to go to school. I know I’m meant to be delighted about him being the oldest in his year but tbh I think he’ll be raring to go and I’ll have real trouble keeping him occupied. To him, play is already mostly about numbers and letters and I really don’t think that reception is a harsh environment that needs to be contrasted to “play”.

Ds has a late summer birthday, he came top of the class in his baseline assessments in reception, flew through his year 2 sats and is now on the schools gifted and talented register in year 6. I had been really concerned about him starting school as he seemed so small, but in reality, there were lots of other summer borns in his class and he did really well at school.

I have a ds starting in 2020 like your dc. I was told by friends 'never have an August born boy!' Because they will struggle. Actually he is a very bright two year old and we have no worries at all. My husband was also an August born boy and he was also fine and did very well. I think this summer baby thing is a bit unfounded . At school you may find that they can do half days till Christmas if they are struggling.

We have a mid-August boy and he is deferring; he will be going into reception year next year rather than this.

He's NT and where he should be on the EYFS framework. However, he's had a lot of changes in his short life so far; two relocations and a few changes in childcare provision. He's also very shy and takes a while to come out of his shell.

In addition, my husband grew up in a country where he didn't go to school until he was nearly 6. He's firmly of the opinion that we start education in this country far too early, and hates with a passion the formalised learning, meeting targets, etc. that goes on even at nursery. Whilst I'm not so fervent in my ideals as he is, I certainly agree to a degree with this. As he's highly intelligent and accomplished academically, starting school later clearly didn't harm him.

Our son goes to a private nursery 3 days a week and he will be staying there until he goes to school.

My DD2 has a January birthday

I delayed sending her to nursery in August for a year, so she was 4 and a half when she started there

Five and a half starting school in the August.

She's an adult now, and has done just fine, there were never any issues with her not starting P1 til she was five and a half

I was fine at school as a summer born BUT I really wish I had delayed start for my youngest she will be 5 in July and although physically ready, emotionally she is still young and having just had a meeting at school to show us what's expected for their year 1 start in September she really isn't ready. She will be starting year one behind educationally already!. Reception is far more than play, our kids are expected to be on stage 6 reading books or higher for starting year one, clear and neat writing as well. I have older children with Sen so am used to advocating for them but I hope she dosnt become disheartened.

It's important to remember that even tho your child us a summer baby they won't be in a class where tbe majority are almost a year older which is a common misconception. Many will also be spring and summer babys so developmentally at tbe same stage as your child. In my son's class the majority where born March onwards with a few born Sept_Feb. Your child won't be in a class with older children, your child will be with their own age group.

I'm in Scotland and it's pretty common to defer Jan/Feb Birthdays. Dd was born early in January and she has thrived with the extra year in nursery. We found as a year group that it was the move to a bigger and different school that was where things really showed the difference. Dd was the first of her friend's to turn 18 and she left school at 18 instead of 17. She would have been expected to sit exams at 15 instead of 16.

My friend regrets not deferring her eldest as she deferred her youngest and sees the differences.

But it's different in England and I would check that they don't miss out on reception etc.

Both of mine were late August and now at secondary and y5. They've done well so far, the older is at a selective secondary. I think it probably helped that they were used to the routine of. Full time nursery from the age of one as reception didn't seem like too much of a change from their preschool routine.

I second the question above, what does defer actually mean in this case? For my DD it would have meant going straight into year 1, i.e. simply missing the reception year, which is hardly likely to have been helpful.

There was a whole thread on this not long ago, in which many claimed you had a right to put your child into a later year (make them one of the oldest in their class instead of the youngest) but my local authority literature still stated otherwise, when I checked.

Mine are both summer born girls and excelling. The older boys are probably the ones who struggle the most in her class in terms of behaviour and lack of engagement. I don't believe in the clamour to defer to get an advantage unless there's a real need. It seems like cheating.

Petty, if you have a summerborn you have the right to request reception start at compulsory school age, which is the term after they turn 5. So a full towards after they would normally start. Legally the admissions authority have to consider each request based on the best interest of each child. They cannot have a blanket policy, although many local authorities still do. Many of these have been successfully challenged recently. They cannot insist on evidence of developmental delay etc.

To the OP you know your child best. I have delayed my summerborn boy, he will start in September in reception at 5 years and 12 days. He was not ready last year, he would have struggled massively. I know that as his mum. If you don’t have those concerns then go with your gut.

*full year

It's fine to send him. Mine is mid-August born and I was worried about it. Now in year 4 at junior school and is doing well, in top groups for most things, has lots of friends and enjoys going to school. I would say though, that she was a little behind the others in previous years, both academically and socially. However, year 4 seems to have been the making of her, it's like the age gap is now starting to level itself out.

If you think he is ready then send him. My 4 year old missed out on 2018 entry by a month and is well over ready and is now bored and driving me insane! If he is ready send him if not then hold off.

I would also though check not just about whether you would start reception or year 1 but also what happens at the secondary stage as I know several people where the child has had to skip year 6 to be in with the right aged peers.

My DD was born the same July as your DS OP. I'll be sending her. I am July born too and did well at school and one of the high achievers. I am putting her in for the full 30 hours pre school this September (she doesn't need it as I only work 2 days) to prepare her.

I'm a teacher and, honestly, you really can't tell which children are summer born and which are not. There are, of course, some children born in July/August that struggle with school but equally there are children born in September who face the same struggles. Help him with personal things like being able to get himself changed for PE etc and he will be absolutely fine...he will just be incredibly tired to start with! Good luck to you both.

I think it really depends on the child. My summer born will be due to start in sept 2020. I think she’s more than ready. She can count, starting to get interested in letters and is very social and can concentrate. She’s also tall and physically strong so she won’t look little. I think she’d be bored with an extra year at nursery but It does worry me though that some of her peers will have an extra year. That difference is huge at that age so I don’t want her confidence to be knocked if others are further ahead.