Unfair to defer summer borns

[ifyoudont]

Dd was born late august, is the youngest in her year but instead of rest of her class being just under a year older than her , there’s 4 children who are nearly a year and a half older because they were born April -august the year above and deferred.

Somebody has to be the youngest and somebody the oldest but surely the fairest way is to keep the age difference within a year.

Dd is doing well academically and socially and only really struggling during playtime and PE as she is smaller. A boy in her class has early May birthday but because he was deferred instead of being 3+ months older than her is 15+ months older and the biggest and strongest in the class leading to several incidents where he has injured her.

A family member has a baby due in June and is already mentioned deferring them without knowing how advanced or behind they are going to be.

I definitely do think there are a few exceptions where it can be necessary but it seems to to be often done just because it can. Maybe there should be be stricter guidelines and some sort of test required?

AIBU? If so what am I missing?
I don’t hear people share this opinion often and haven’t shared it with family member

EXACTLY this. They aren’t being held back, or losing a year, they are being given back the year their peers all took for granted.

My child’s Montessori teacher told us that if children are getting bored at their preschool it’s because of a problem with their setting. Our child’s nursery had materials to teach children up to age 7 as all children differ in interest and ability so they were more than adept at catering for our child in the same way they do for September borns who leave nursery at 5.

I actually would say the problem presents its self more in key stage 1, especially year 1. The EYFS is much more about the whole child and is play based. The demands of ks1 are much more and often school require much more , I have seen many, particularly summer born boys really struggle with year 1.

@harrietm87

Except most schools won’t take them on the dot of 4.

The ECCE preschool scheme really determines when they start in Ireland. It’s not compulsory but the vast majority avail of it.

For example, a child born anytime in 2020 is eligible for preschool years in 23/24 and 24/25 and will then start school in Aug/Sept 25. So the range is typically 4 years 8 months to 5 years 8 months when starting school now.

Where we live it's slightly different but my youngest is the equivalent of a June baby but I've been told by one parent I should defer him so he can be the 'leader of the class' when he starts 🤮 We won't be doing that he's going to be in the year he should be in I'm not bothered about whether he's 'beating' the other kids but I'm pretty sure that's why alot of parents are doing it

No, I don’t think it’s about ‘beating’ other children @Aussierose2. For most parents it’s just about trying to do the best for your own child, trying to make sure they don’t struggle or fall behind. Trying to set them up to do well and be happy.

Would love you to link just one of these many studies ....

Is anyone actually allowed to defer a May/June born? SN excepted of course.
My Gds was born in late July, and dd did wonder whether to defer him, but nursery staff said he’d be fine, and he was - albeit a reluctant reader and writer for a while.

Seriously? You are incapable of googling? The time it took you to write that you could have done so.

I have googled. There are no studies that prove that deferred children don't negatively impact the non deferred summer borns.

Oh dear 😂

Just a simple link would do it. Go on...prove you're right.

I’d like you to prove that autumn borns do not negatively impact summer borns.

I’d also like you to explain why it works just fine in countries all over the world as May posters have said but can’t work in England.

Throwing children into a situation they are not developmentally ready for is cruel at best and potentially damaging.

We are in Scotland so the cut off is the 1st march not august/September time but DD would have been one of the youngest in her year as she is a January birthday. Due to moving house and COVID she ended up not starting nursery until she had just turned 4. Plus she was premature and could easily have been born in march and is physically small for her age. Had we not had the option to defer she would have had just got her settled in to nursery when she would have had to leave for school and she would have been one of the youngest and by far the smallest in the class. Deferral was the best thing for her. She is now average size for her class and she was socially ready when she went.

I agreed with you that deferring 6 months early is too big a cut off but for children born a month or 2 off the cut off with mitigating circumstances absolutely need to be able to.

I can't prove this. There are no studies that prove it. If Autumn borns do harm the prospects of summer borns then I would be interested to know why extending the age range in a class to include the summer borns from the previous academic year will help the summer borns that have stayed in year.

They do it in a Scotland who consistently have worse educational outcomes than the England. Where does it and has better outcomes?

Finally a comment with sense!!

The “my child is fine” line is always so strange to me because why would I want my child to just be “fine” when they could excel?

It’s also not just about starting school, it’s about taking SATS earlier than the rest of the year group, GCSES, A Levels and starting university. Why would I want my child to do that younger when they could have an extra year of life and then do it? Just like majority of the other children have had just because they were born in a different month.

I have two summer born children and they’ll both be starting school at 5 and we are very happy and set in our choice!

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-23435439.amp

https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/693137--happy-birthday-to-you-but-not-if-it-s-summertime.pdf

The official report is behind a paywall from what I can tell now however both those links sum up the report and the findings.

So your child was in a state nursery and you presumably don't need holiday care to cover the other 14 weeks of the year? Can't you see that you were in an exceptional position?
Deferring a year costs money for most and will be a consideration for some.

Why defer a year? This argument has been discussed several times and nothing will change. What date you change it to some child is going to be disadvantaged.
My daughter is late July and has always been the youngest in her friendship group. She has done marvellously. She didn't come out of her shell until year 2 but wasn't disadvantaged at all. All children develop at their own pace and it is up to us as parents to facilitate their social skills.

@Westernnightlight why do you keep chipping away at this when it’s not even relevant to the thread? The legal position is as I have stated it, twice now.

This doesn't answer the question I asked about whether children deferring detriments children that haven't deferred.

Whoever said it's about having another year to be a little kid and not have to go to school all day, YES ❤️ The more I read the more I'm convinced I want to defer late June baby 😅

The poster asking for ‘disproof’ of her assumption is embarrassing herself; don’t pander to it.

I just don't really understand why people are getting so pressed about it. It really rubs me the wrong way, this obsession with your child's place in the class and who is ahead of them etc. It's so ugly.

The cost of a child in a school nursery is the same as the cost of a child in school though? That’s the point I’m making. There is no extra cost.

The extra 14 weeks childcare I needed was the same as the extra 14 weeks childcare I would have needed if my child was in reception.