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!

I deferred my oldest - birthday late September. Academically he would have been fine but socially he just wasn't ready. I have a friend who is a reading specialist with children between 12-15yo. I asked her opinion (because she is in the schools) and her first response was "I have known many, many parents who have done it and I have never heard anyone who said they regretted it. I have heard many parents say they wish they had held a child for an extra year in Kindergarten or before". We did and it was the right choice for us.

@Wisewordswouldhelp We've had 2 students in the last 3 years who deferred in primary and had to skip a year. Not making it up, it happened. Perhaps under the new rules the FE and safeguarding wouldn't be enough of an argument but it has happened.

[quote HercwasanEnemyofEducation]@Wisewordswouldhelp We've had 2 students in the last 3 years who deferred in primary and had to skip a year. Not making it up, it happened. Perhaps under the new rules the FE and safeguarding wouldn't be enough of an argument but it has happened.[/quote]
Yes but i say again...this is the first year summer borns will go onto secondary. So the children you are talking about weren't out of cohort because of that! They would have been out of cohort because they have an EHCP! Which is different rules/circumstance.

This whole conversation is about the summer born legislation....

I was a December birthday and I wasn't ready when I started the January after turning five. I doubt it would have been any worse if I'd started at four, children grow and develop with their peers, I actually needed to be in school to become ready for school. Should all birthdays be able to start a year later so there is a two year age range?

DS attended primary overseas, January start, May birthday with a July cut off, but all four year olds had the option of starting a year later, so an age range of four and a half to six. He was the youngest boy by five months in one class. It was overwhelmingly middle class children who were deferred, the most disadvantaged children were more likely to start on time. I think what England has (or had) is a much better system.

Our dd who is summer born and is due to start this September we would have liked to defere her. After speaking to our local council for admissions they said they could put it to the school of our choice and if they accept the delay than she could go into reception the following year however they couldn't guarantee her a place at that school next year. If she couldn't get a place with the school which had agreed to defer her she would have to apply for a different school which they don't have to honor the agreement. So basically she would miss reception and have to start in year 1 which is the opposite of what we want.
I don't understand how it's easier in some areas and very difficult in others. Why can't it be across the board.
I have no idea if her starting this year is going to be good for her or not and it's so worrying.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

To imply that parents only want deferral just so their summer born child isn’t the youngest in the year is really insulting.

Some April borns won't be ready.... Especially if they start becoming the "youngest".

Everyone has used stats about summer borns to justify their decisions. Not sure why it's rude to say you want to not be the youngest (which summer borns currently are).

I agree, I wasn't ready as a December born starting in January. Starting as a child who struggled socially with a younger cohort would have been much more detrimental than starting on time. I have seen what can happen overseas, with a 19 month age range in classes.

If it's about a child who may not be really ready then that doesn't necessarily mean they are better off in the wrong age group for their whole schooling. Or if it's about a child being the youngest, then you are just making the next youngest the youngest.

@kowari its not just about her being the youngest. Even if it was, why would I care about making the next child the youngest? They aren't my child 🤷‍♀️

My son is the youngest in his year group (late august) and I did think about deferring for a year. We didn’t and I don’t regret it - he has been fine both academically and socially. But each kid is different - worth speaking with the school to help you decide. Reception is quite a play based year so it isn’t as if they go straight into heavy academic stuff straight away, it might not be as bad as you fear.

[quote Bl00dyH3ll]@kowari its not just about her being the youngest. Even if it was, why would I care about making the next child the youngest? They aren't my child 🤷‍♀️[/quote]
Good point op. As long as your child is fine, who gives a shit about others. I absolutely detest the deferring system, think it's utterly, morally wrong.

My little one was a summer baby he was also delayed in his development.
I didn't delay his entry and I am glad I didn't.
I think him going to school actually helped him too.
He is ahead of his peers now.
I wouldn't defer.

@Demelza82

Hi OP, I deferred my late August son to start last September for not dissimilar reasons to you and it was the best decision we could have made. He is thriving in a way he simply wouldn't have been able to do without that deferred year.

You will get a lot of stupid advice, conjecture and opinion on this topic on this forum unfortunately as many are against it for no sensible reason so I'd suggest you head straight over to the Flexible School Admissions Facebook as they are fantastic and know everything!

I had a relatively straightforward time going through the process but it is rather a postcode lottery. Good luck OP in whatever decision you make

This this this ^

@Thisnamewasnttaken123

My little one was a summer baby he was also delayed in his development. I didn't delay his entry and I am glad I didn't. I think him going to school actually helped him too. He is ahead of his peers now. I wouldn't defer.

This is our hope for Dd1. I agree with both sides so am really conflicted...

If she wasn't so confident and didn't like going to nursery so much we would certainly defer, but it might be a really positive move for her to progress with some slightly older kids....the worry is she'll feel overwhelmed.

Definitely going to talk to the school about everything, there's a few 'stay and play' sessions next month so I suppose that will be the tell on what she thinks initially.

Difficult...

You may still be able to defer what term they start in their own school year group. I started my youngest (May born) in Jan rather than Sept when she started school to give her an extra term at nursery. Never regretted it. The nursery had a qualified teacher and she was ahead academically when she started in Jan due to the one to one work she did with her.

I have an August born daughter. She struggled for the first year but being the youngest actually had more of an impact at GCSE and college age. She wasn’t quite ready to concentrate and take the exams seriously but was fine the following year for college exams where she’d grown up a year and she was the last of her peer group to start driving lessons. Her friends had already got cars by time she even started.

Good point op. As long as your child is fine, who gives a shit about others. I absolutely detest the deferring system, think it's utterly, morally wrong.
I agree. How long before we see bright middle class April born five year olds in classes with disadvantaged August born four year olds? That is what I have seen overseas where children could be deferred simply because they would have been in the younger half of the class, not because they were born very premature or had a developmental delay, bright middle class children.

We could solve all of these problems by children starting school later in this country. 4 is absurdly little and it is unsurprising that there are children who have just turned 4 who are not school-ready. Sending a child who is not school-ready to school is just setting them up to struggle and have negative school associations. Yes, some 4 year olds will do fine but that doesn't change the fact that some won't cope. It benefits no one (including the other children) to have a child who is not coping in the class.

Or we could just have a first year of school that is developmentally appropriate for four year olds? A later starting age would further disadvantage children from chaotic homes.

Obviously depends on the individual child. Both mine are September born. My daughter was ready to go the year before had she have just made August I would not have worried at all.

My son I would have deferred. He is a very tall child (123cms - he’s 6 in September) but wasn’t ready socially or academically

where children could be deferred simply because they would have been in the younger half of the class, not because they were born very premature or had a developmental delay, bright middle class children.

How many times does it have to be explained that it isn’t about being the youngest in the year it’s about the fact that some children are not socially, emotionally, academically ready to cope with school at just turned 4 years old.

Do you really think it would in Government legislation that Summer Borns can defer for solely that reason unless research had actually proved there is a detrimental impact of starting school at just turned four, both from educational and social angles, that can then last for the duration of their schooling?

How can it be immoral to stop these children from being at such a disadvantage from the start? Why is it immoral to want these children to be able thrive in the same way Autumn, Winter and Spring born children can?

A good school, who value the individual and meet their needs through a strong early years curriculum, will be adapting to support him.

Is this the right school? Have you discussed the curriculum, daily,plans, time outside, free flow provision...with staff?

@LazenbyLane I don't really get a choice. I don't drive so a school out of catchment or isn't reasonably close by isn't an option. I am going to see the heads at both schools to talk about it. I am 99% sure I will be deferring her.

Is this the right school? Have you discussed the curriculum, daily,plans, time outside, free flow provision...with staff?

That's what I'm intending to do- the brief conversations I've had with Dds school sound promising, I think it helped that her nursery are very much about 'school readiness' and organised play which doesn't sound too dissimilar - the hours are obviously longer but apart from that.....?

It is worrying that it might be the wrong decision, but she's always loved going to nursery, she's excited about school (atm).

She's definitely going to be the youngest in her year, it does feel weird that as she will only have turned 4 less than a week before she starts while some children will be turning 5 - plus that if she wasn't slightly prem this would all be happening next year.

'Why would I be concerned about how other children cope?'

Because it makes for a nicer society if we care about others and not just ourselves.

Just to add my opinion as a Reception teacher.

I have a 30th of August little girl in my class and you wouldn't know it. Maybe academically she is a little behind the Slightly older children but she is the sweetest little girl who tries her very best. Socially she is absolutely amazing, like the little mum of our class.

As teachers we obviously understand the 'summer born' children and change our approach to them accordingly. In our data we make allowances for them and it is something that is taken into consideration when our results are looked at.

But only you know your child and what is best for them, follow your gut x