The reason that the youngest children are disadvantaged is because if the huge gulf in age between them and the oldest, even without deferral. Deferral just makes it worse -16m rather than 12m.
The reason the youngest children are disadvantaged is because some of them are just not socially or emotionally ready to start school and start formal education when they enter Year 1 at just turned five years old.
It isn’t about the gulf of difference of ages across the classroom, just simply that starting school at just turned 4 is detrimental.
Research shows that statistically summer born child fare worse in their education throughout the entirety of it, they are far likelier to be in the lower achieving groups, they are more likely to be diagnosed with behavioural difficulties and SEN and they are more likely to suffer from mental health problems through their teens.
People seem to think parents make this decision on whether they are ‘ready for reception’ or not, but it is so much more of a bigger picture than that - it’s thinking about the child’s education right through until they’re are 16+ and parents being aware of how disadvantaged they can be all the way up until that point and even further.
Deciding to defer a child is actually a really difficult decision to make for a lot of reasons because although in your heart you know it’s the best decision, something in your head is trying to convince you that it isn’t. Never mind all the negative opinions people like to give you when they learn what you’re doing. It really isn’t a decision that is taken lightly.
I first started speaking to school last November about wanting to defer my son (who would be due to start this August) and I was absolutely fraught for months and months as to whether it was the right thing to do.
I still had to apply for a 2021 place as you still have to go through the correct procedures and when I had an email last week to say my son had been allocated a place at my chosen school for this year it took me about 4 days to email them and decline the place because it’s such an inner battle, not knowing whether it’s the right decision to make or not. It’s quite a burden on my shoulders really.
It’s a total gamble as to whether it will pay off or not, parents just have to make what they think is the right decision.
Even if my son would have been going into a cohort full of summer borns I would still defer him for the same reasons I am now.
It’s got absolutely nothing to do with him being the eldest in the year, it’s simply about not wanting him to he disadvantaged throughout his education by starting at just turned 4 years old.
I’m part of a FB group for deferring school starts for summer born children and some of the battles the mothers go to in order to get an agreement from schools is beyond description. It can be a draining battle that goes on for months and months and months and these mothers wouldn’t be putting themselves through it unless they passionately believed starting school at 4 was not right for their child. It’s not a battle I think many would take on if it was purely just about them not wanting their child to be the youngest in the year.
The group has been a bit frantic over the last week, lots of mothers having wobbles about their decisions as they have to decline their child’s 2021 start because it really is a difficult decision to make, one full of stress, anxiety and doubt and I think for a lot of mothers who choose to defer, they will continue to have those feelings are various points during their child’s education.
Like I said, it’s a very difficult process for most mothers and a decision that is very emotionally challenging to make, but that’s how strongly some mothers feel about the issue.
I was very fortunate that both schools I approached for fully supportive because they acknowledge how disadvantaged some summer born children can be.
My life would certainly be a lot easier if I sent my son to school this year but I know in my heart that it would be the wrong decision.