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!

@GreyhoundG1rl no, she can start reception after deferring.

In my local area and catchment for schools (a small village) there aren't many summer born children, I know of 3 in my daughters correct cohort, none of which are born in August or July.

The nursery are also having her skip ar room so she can 'catch up' with her peers ready for school so she will have missed all the learning of skills that taught in the other room and I just feel its too much pressure for her 🥺. Her concentration span is awful and I think she'll struggle with the more structured environment in the bigger room.

It's very normal in Scotland by the way.

The nursery are also having her skip ar room so she can 'catch up' with her peers ready for school so she will have missed all the learning of skills that taught in the other room

I had this.

My childminder said she was having to really push through the developmental stages with my son to get him to a point where he could meet the expected capabilities of starting school.

She explained it as though she was having to skip the usual stages of learning through play because there “wasn’t time” for him to do it his own pace because of the looming school start date. It made me feel really sad.

She said if she had a summer born she would absolutely defer them for this reason. If a child needs to be pushed to do something then it just shows they aren’t developmentally ready for it.

She is fully behind my decision to send him to reception next year as opposed to this year.

You have to do whats right for you OP.

FWIW I have an early august daughter who started preschool at the local school last year (i.e. she had just turned 3 when she started). She was desperate to go and lots of her friends were going so we sent her in. It was school hours (8:30-3:15 5 days a week term time) with 2 days of after school club too and the preschool teacher told me when discussing reception recently that its virtually the same structure so the transition won't be hugely noticeable for her. She has thrived, come on so much. She can write her name and is reading pretty well. She is however fairly confident and always been able to keep up with her peers. It makes me think by 4 (even if just 4) your child should be ok with reception though! It's very play based and shorter days than a lot of day nursery children are used to. I had a friend who was kept back a year due to childhood illness so he was a year older and he was always so embaressed by it and hated being in the 'wrong' year. It also made things difficult with clubs eg he wasn't allowed on the U11s football team with his friends. All things to think about!

Biggest regret if my life that we didn’t defer late July born DS. He’s struggled from day one - academically and emotionally. Now hates school with a passion as is always behind and needing to be dragged along.

I would seek advice from preschool to see what they think OP. I was considering deferring my DD who turned 4 on 30 August but preschool felt she was ready to start school and she's doing really well, is one of the tallest, most mature and in the top groups academically. Even though she's missed a lot of school and nursery due to covid. They did support a friends application to defer their DS and that was absolutely the right decision for him.

I am amazed how many are successfully deferring into the year below. My slightly prem child is currently in the wrong year group. I wasnt aware I could hold them back a year and it makes me so angry this was not widely advertised. I did query it with one teacher who told me they would likly only hold back a child for developmental reasons - from reading the replies it seems being summer born is reason enough (?). It's a shame we can not re-assess this at the end of reception becase with the pandemic cutting nursery short (and with some schools not having a nursery option anyway), how would you even know what is the right thing to do? Does anyone know whether it is possible to move down a year if it all goes wrong?

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

This is not my experience.

I did query it with one teacher who told me they would likly only hold back a child for developmental reasons - from reading the replies it seems being summer born is reason enough (?).

Yes this is correct. It used to be that deferral would only be considered if the child had physical, social or developmental problems that may impede on going to school, but now, being Summer Born is reason enough.

To my knowledge, once the child is in the system they can’t be ‘moved down’ to repeat reception again if they struggled the first time around. However this may be school dependent so you would need to approach them or your LEA to discuss this.

To my knowledge, once the child is in the system they can’t be ‘moved down’ to repeat reception again if they struggled the first time around.

This is another concern for me. I won't be able to just keep her back if it all goes tits up and I decided not to defer. I would be told I should have deferred.

I get asked questions like this a lot in Ireland, where our kids can start school from anywhere between ages 4-6. I've never seen a child yet that was too old for school but I've seen plenty that started too young. Defer your child if you can.

There are so many variables that only you can decide whether it’s right for your child to defer.

It wasn’t an option when my dds started school and most of the summer born children seemed to do just fine all through primary. It was a small, relaxed primary with mixed year group classes anyway, so maybe that made a difference.

Ive only ever met one kid who I’ve thought should really have been deferred. She was born at 10 to midnight on the 31st of august and was simply not ready for school. All her friends from preschool were in the school year below (my dd2 was one of them) and she struggled hugely for the first few years of primary. All the other summer borns however seem to have got on absolutely fine, yes they may have had a slight academic advantage if they had been deferred, but it wasn’t a big deal (most of dd1s year seemed to be summer born).

The other thing to maybe consider is that by the end of primary school they are very much outgrowing it and start to become bored, especially the kids born earlier in the school year. What suits at 4 may not suit at 11 or 16.

Where I don't like the choice to defer, is the fact that at the end of school, you've now (potentially) got a male who is 16 months older than a female in the same class, ie 17 to her 15.

@ThornAmongstRoses

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 thought you were saying it would never happen, I’m just saying it could and to be aware. Just on the secondary aspect, OP already said it would be a deferral to reception. But again, not all schools will do this, some just delay to Yr1.

@queenofwobbles

I am amazed how many are successfully deferring into the year below. My slightly prem child is currently in the wrong year group. I wasnt aware I could hold them back a year and it makes me so angry this was not widely advertised. I did query it with one teacher who told me they would likly only hold back a child for developmental reasons - from reading the replies it seems being summer born is reason enough (?). It's a shame we can not re-assess this at the end of reception becase with the pandemic cutting nursery short (and with some schools not having a nursery option anyway), how would you even know what is the right thing to do? Does anyone know whether it is possible to move down a year if it all goes wrong?

At this point it would be up to the headteacher and if there was space. They may be open to it especially after the disruption of the last year. I’d look at your local council and find out if they’re one of the easier ones to start summerborns in reception that could help. You could also ask for advice from the flexible school admissions for summerborns Facebook group.

I would absolutely consider deferring but with the caveat that children can progress in fits and starts and suddenly have spurts of progress - so not being ready now doesn’t mean things can’t change quite quickly.

My DC1 is summer born - 31 August. Couldn’t be younger for his year if he tried. We decided after much agonising to start him immediately after turning four, mainly because none of our local schools would support delayed entry into reception - one might have done but it would have required a battle. We were also concerned he had outgrown his childcare setting and that he might well end up bored if he stayed.

In hindsight, I think we made a mistake. It would have been short term pain for longer term gain. He copes fine academically and is doing well but he has struggled hugely with the transition to Year 1 this year and the push from play-based to more academic learning. His first two years have been heavily disrupted by Covid. He struggles with the behavioural expectations - he complies but then has meltdowns at home. If I had my time again, I’d defer. Someone has to be the youngest but he will always be the youngest and it’s been hard for him.

Firstly please check out the fb page everyone has mentioned, it really helped me.
Secondly ignore some of the rubbish written on here! I have no idea why people don't google summer born legislation and check their facts before they write whatever pops into their heads!

In theory a secondary school could try to put a child back in their original year group but only if it is in the childs best interest. How could a school say yr 7 isn't necessary!! I spoke to all the secondary schools where i live and the HTs all said it would be madness to remove a child from their adopted cohort and they would be happy for the child to continue in adopted cohort throughout their schooling.

How could a school say yr 7 isn't necessary!!
Of course they don't. That's why the year change happens at primary school. Before Year 6.

Of course I am going to compare her to those older there are going to be far more Sept-Mar babies than Apr-Aug. Well September to March is 7 months of the year, so there would be more children on average born in those months than the remaining 5. My class at primary was skewed towards the younger end, at least a quarter of the class was July and August, so an older August baby would have really stood out.

I have a late August born - now in year 7.
When she started school she was not allowed to defer and then join reception, so the kids impacted by the ruling change which allows this have not yet reached the secondary transfer age - something to be aware of.

I debated with dd whether to give her more time - for her has she would have had to catch up it wouldn't have been right. Would I do it now absolutely without a doubt. She has and is still struggling. She has "other issues" but is still mainstream. She struggles with maturity, concentration and lots of other issues. Would she have been better a year older - yes I believe she would.

How could a school say yr 7 isn't necessary!! Of course they don't. That's why the year change happens at primary school. Before Year 6.

It really doesn’t. Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with the legislation and policies on school admissions of summer born children before making such sweeping statements.

Even some schools and teachers think this is what happens - but it isn’t.

If your county allow you do it. A lot let you defer and still for reception. I have never done it as my ares wouldn’t let me and my DS played catch up all year and is still playing catch up. He was born end of August but wasn’t due until September. He would fall asleep on teachers lap and she would carry him out to me. I hated sending him. He lost confidence too as he struggled. If it is right for your DC then go for it. On saying that a lot of DC are ready for it. My DD was also August but she was ready at Two !!! Just got to look at your child and see what’s best.

@Highfivemum yes my LA do allow it, you just have explain reasons. I just feel like she could do with another year. At the same time I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

@queenofwobbles

I am amazed how many are successfully deferring into the year below. My slightly prem child is currently in the wrong year group. I wasnt aware I could hold them back a year and it makes me so angry this was not widely advertised. I did query it with one teacher who told me they would likly only hold back a child for developmental reasons - from reading the replies it seems being summer born is reason enough (?). It's a shame we can not re-assess this at the end of reception becase with the pandemic cutting nursery short (and with some schools not having a nursery option anyway), how would you even know what is the right thing to do? Does anyone know whether it is possible to move down a year if it all goes wrong?

Hi queen of wobble my friends son is summer born, he had struggled with reception for social and behavioural reasons. She spoke to the school about repeating reception, they refused, she found another school who were willing for him to do reception again. She is very happy with her decision and he is thriving! There is lots of information you could gather before going to headteacher on preemie's www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4459/early_education_setback_for_summer_premature_births Also it's worth contacting Bliss the premature baby charity as they will be able to advise.