To Decelerate School Entry

[Bl00dyH3ll]

My daughter was born 26th August due to start school September 2022. I just don't know what to do 🥺. She's small for her age and I worry that she will visibly be the youngest and struggle. Statistically speaking she's likely to be at a disadvantage, who wants to deliberately place their child at a disadvantage? A year is a huge difference! Children in her year group would have learned so many skills when she was being birthed, from words to walking! I can absolutely see the difference in a September/October baby from the previous year, yet no difference between her and October babies who are 2 months younger. As a summer baby, I was all good academically but fell short socially so I just feel she's likely to fall behind in one of these areas.

No developmental issues and is perfectly fine at nursery with children her age, aside from speech regression last March when the nursery closed and lockdown began she didn't say a word for 6 months, not even mummy but her speech is now spot on. I do worry about her ability to deal with change and pressure at this young age. Another concern is potential covid restrictions and I don't want her first year to be tarred by the current crap.

Gosh, why couldn't she have been born on her due date - 1st September!

My birthday is August 31st. I was fine at school, I never understand the angst about August birthdays.

@Onehotmess thanks, I just don't know what's for the best and regardless ill always wonder whatever the decision, if it was the right one.

@Waxonwaxoff0 you may have been fine but it isn't the same for all children.

I live in a state of Australia where it's not uncommon to defer. I was really unsure and so spoke to heaps of different people. Every single person I spoke to within the education system said that if you have any doubts, defer. So we did and it turned out to be the best decision we could have made. My daughter is so much more confident, her concentration and speech are better and she is super eager to learn.

Looking at children a couple of months older, they are toilet trained, have a better understanding and are more emotionally capable than her.

There’s not a huge difference developmentally and socially between an August born baby and May-July babies. It seems like it’s her personality that’s concerning you rather than her age. Most children, unless they have SEN, are toilet trained by the time they’re in nursery/Reception. Maybe the odd accident. Does she have SEN? This might be a deciding factor when asking the LAC if she can defer a year.

@PinkG0ld no she doesn't, there isn't a huge difference that's not what I meant - I just mean there is a difference in their capabilities.

www.gov.scot/publications/growing-up-scotland-early-experiences-primary-school/pages/4/ must admit I think the Scottish system where the cut off point is end Feb is much better, and any child born in January or February can automatically defer and have an extra year of nursery funding is much better. Children born September to December can also request deferral although that's not automatic.

I wish I could've held my summer kids back - long time ago, you weren't allowed - socially they struggled.

@ThornAmongstRoses

Everyone who is saying the child will be started in Year 1 and miss reception, or will have to go into secondary school with the right cohort age m, therefore miss a whole year of school, are incorrect.

That is not the case at all OP so don’t let these myths affect your decision.

That absolutely is the case for some education authorities.

Eg www.newham.gov.uk/schools-education/deferring-school-summer-born-children/5

My 18mo is toilet trained, I wouldn't be putting him in reception though. Children all develop differently, schools are used to this.

Research it and see what the situation would be with catching up or whether she can stay with her cohort until 18. That would make my decision.

Even now summer borns are the last to get their licence, get a job with over 18 requirements, there's a list of annoyances for being summer born my Year 13s could list!

I think you should treat the child as an individual rather than by their age group; don’t just delay because of age or academics or physical size. Do your kids have good social skills? Can they eat by themselves? Are they potty trained? All of those things are much, much better indicators for how well they will do at school.

The reason the 'someone has to be the youngest' gets raised a lot, is because it's true.

If I hypothetically kept my child 4 years behind, then I'm sure their results would be much better. By the end of reception at 8/9, they'd probably be reading and writing, and it would be great for them. They'd probably be more mature to take their GCSEs at 20 than 16 etc. But it's not fair to the others, and the deferred child would likely be bored.

In all honesty,I don't have a problem with late August children deferring, especially if their due dates were in September. But having the cut off in April, which would make those children 17m older than some in their class is crazy IMO. And I do think that the impact on the other children should be considered, though not necessarily the deciding factor.

For what it's worth, there are more late August birthdays than September birthdays in my child's class when she joins in September as a summer born.

It's also hard to believe when they are still 2, how they could possibly be ready for school in a year and a bit - but they change a lot between 3-4.

4pawsGood

Nowhere in that link or screenshot can I see where it states children cannot go into reception following deferral or that they will have to start secondary school in their right age cohort.

I agree it is not a given and parents do have to re-apply when it comes to secondary school but it is very, very rare that a secondary school can disallow it.

If they say no they have to provide a written statement of why they think it is in the child’s best interests to miss an entire school year and I can’t imagine any school finding a justification for that.

I work as an education advisor for a charity supporting multiple birth children and this is our most common refferal as lots are born prematurely and so are in the 'wrong year' id in to it and ask the school. The posters who are saying she will have to miss a year later are incorrect (was the case but hasn't been for ages) and the vast majority of kids don't need to go straight in to year 1 what you are asking for is a reception start at CSA or compulsory school age. I'd look on your councils website and see what they say and I second the FB group mentioned earlier.

All of those things are much, much better indicators for how well they will do at school.

They are good indicators of how well a child will transition into the Early Years class.

They are not indicators of how well that child will socially and academically cope with entering formal education in Year 1 when they have just turned 5.

@Babyboomtastic

The reason the 'someone has to be the youngest' gets raised a lot, is because it's true.

If I hypothetically kept my child 4 years behind, then I'm sure their results would be much better. By the end of reception at 8/9, they'd probably be reading and writing, and it would be great for them. They'd probably be more mature to take their GCSEs at 20 than 16 etc. But it's not fair to the others, and the deferred child would likely be bored.

In all honesty,I don't have a problem with late August children deferring, especially if their due dates were in September. But having the cut off in April, which would make those children 17m older than some in their class is crazy IMO. And I do think that the impact on the other children should be considered, though not necessarily the deciding factor.

For what it's worth, there are more late August birthdays than September birthdays in my child's class when she joins in September as a summer born.

It's also hard to believe when they are still 2, how they could possibly be ready for school in a year and a bit - but they change a lot between 3-4.

I agree with this and safeguarding (especially in secondary) means many local authorities do move delayed start summer born kids to their correct year by year 6-7. Need to also point out ‘delayed starts’ don’t matter for 11+ and other age appropriate private school exams - so if that’s the goal then parents could well be majorly disadvantaging their kids.

I agree with this and safeguarding (especially in secondary) means many local authorities do move delayed start summer born kids to their correct year by year 6-7.

Where are you getting this from?

Changing a child’s year group when going into secondary really, really isn’t the norm.

When I spoke to the LEA about deferring my son they said that although you have to reapply for the ‘out of cohort’ school place when going up to Secondary, he has never known of a school decline it.

Consider you aren’t allowed to take a child out of school for two weeks for a holiday because of the assumed detrimental impact it has on that child’s education, how on earth can they say that missing an entire school year is fine?

Having two late August DC the first thing that I would say is don't panic!!

When considering whether to defer my eldest (30th August) we were guided by her Preschool key worker as well as our parental instincts. She was extremely shy although very tall and we did think about deferring. BUT her key worker agreed that for her, going up to school with her friends (who she had known since aged 2, was invaluable for her security and confidence and she was absolutely right. DD is in Yr10 now and doing well academically and is actually one of the most emotionally mature of her friends.

Of course there is evidence about summer borns being disadvantaged and of course we all want the best for our children. It's also very hard to judge whether we made the right decision as we have no randomised control when it comes to our children.

I think if summer borns have the right support at home and school they can thrive. Obviously this was all pre Covid and I'm sure that this has made a decision all the more difficult.

Good luck with your decision.

I think you know your child best, OP. Some summer kids will be fine, others will not. There are plenty of July kids who probably would have benefited from another year and lots of Sept kids who probably would have managed earlier. But with the disruption of Covid still likely, what is the rush? You have to what is best for your situation. Good luck whatever you decide.

She'll still be the youngest in Year 1, having missed out on all the building blocks of Reception, including friendship groups.
How is this giving her an advantage?
I have a late summer born, he hasn't been disadvantaged in the slightest.

She'll still be the youngest in Year 1, having missed out on all the building blocks of Reception, including friendship groups.
How is this giving her an advantage?

They can still start in reception following their their deferral. They don’t have to go straight into Year 1.

I was born at the end of August and was always the youngest in my year, especially as I then went on to go to Grammar school a year early - some of my friends who had been kept back a year were very nearly 3 years older than me. OI never had an difficulties. The only time I felt left out was when some of my older friends were learning to drive and I was only 15. I'm still very good friends with the girl who was the oldest in the year so it didn't do any harm that I could see.
As someone has said above there will be other children in the class just afew weeks older than yours, so no big problem.

Op in the situation as you describe it this makes very good sense.
My children are at the other end of formal education. I wish I had had the chance with one of them to defer.

Op has said her child will go into reception.