What months are best to conceive for child to be mature for school start?

[sumorwin]

We're planning to conceive. I've read about the implications of giving birth to summer versus winter babies in terms of the child's readiness to start school. Can MN please explain how the UK education system works (I was raised in another country) and what months are considered best for giving birth from the school readiness perspective.
Thank you.

Any month as all children are different. I am late summer born and always thrived in school.

Kids start school in the September after they turn 4.
So if they're born Sept-Dec they're the oldest in the year. Jun-Aug would be the youngest for example.

But school readiness is very dependant on the child. My son was born in October so therefore one of the oldest and really took time to settle in to reception.
My friends little boy is a July baby so therefore had only just turned 4 when he started and he settled straight in and has thrived, very mature for his age.

All total unique to the child.

My three September,January and July….made absolutely no difference. I am August and again I can never remember it being a disadvantage.

I don’t think it makes a huge difference.
My eldest daughter is summer born and always thrived. My youngest daughter is autumn and it feels like forever for her to go to Damn school and costs more in childcare.

Whilst it doesn’t make a huge difference necessarily, there are no guarantees. Oh, and our DS was due end of Oct and arrived in Aug

Answers above are for England, and I think Wales.
Scotland has different cut offs.
NI I have no idea.

England and Wales they start a 4 in September. So June, July, August, are the youngest. Scotland and NI are different.

You can opt for a summer born child to start reception when they’re compulsory school aged.

September born children are the oldest in the year group and August the younger, unless there are summer born children who are starting reception at compulsory school aged and they will be the oldest in the class.

Government analysis of their own data shows on average summer born children have poorer outcomes all the way up to and including A levels.

Summer born children is a weird topic on MN, like formula v bottle feeding and cot v cosleeping lots of people have hard-lines and think because something worked for them then people who have chosen a different option are wrong.

Actually there's loads of evidence summer born children are disadvantaged at school. They're even less likely to play professional sports.

When you conceive isn’t often a choice though is it? You can’t really call it a parenting choice

what were they going to do? Abort? And hope they got a BFP in December instead?

it gets people’s backs up because many people are very lucky to get those two pink lines full stop, without people assuming your longed for July baby is definitely going to be much more dense than a planned September baby.

Whilst it's nice to think you can plan ahead, it's actually quite a privilege to be able to get what you would wish for with pregnancy. If you are unlucky enough to still be ttcing in 9,10,11 months time, the month the future baby is due becomes so unimportant.

I know very successful summer born adults. I personally don't know any summer borns who aren't at least in good jobs and have happy lives.

Are the school odds stacked against summer babies? - BBC News

If you want a baby have a baby.
Don't worry about things like schools yet.
Governments are constantly messing around with school systems and term dates so you have no idea what it will be like in 5 years time.
It could of all changed and the "cut off" dates are totally different.
Just have a baby 👶

That’s not what I’m saying at all. The government now recognises that August born child who starts school at 4 years and 1 months is at a disadvantage in comparison to a September born child who would be 5 years old. Parents now have the choice to send their summer born child to reception when they’re 5 years old so they’re not at a disadvantage.

The choice is yours, you can send your summer born child to reception when they’ve just turned 4 or at compulsory school age a year later. That bit is the parental choice.

BTW September is the most common birth month in the UK. Like many Mum’s I have lost several pregnancies and couldn’t choose the month my child was born. I do know many parents that have been lucky and have been able to choose September babies.

I have a child born in August and a child born in September. Both similarly bright, adapted to school okay and about the same. The only difference is that the one who started school at just turned four was knackered for about the first term, whereas the one who started at just turned five wasn't tired out by it at all.

I work in reception and 90% kids needing interventions with phonics were born in July and August.
However my own child is also a Summer born and is top of her class. You never know on an individual level.

January / now would mean an October due date

I'm a early September baby, I have 2 siblings born mid October and our youngest is August.

It's become very evident to me that summer is the most convenient time to have a baby (if you are fortunate to be able to decide). My DC arrived in Mid May, and 2nd is due in July.

The idea that Autumn/Winter babies have an advantage is a strange fallacy imo. My youngest sibling got straight As and currently attends a Russell Group university.

Summer burns enter and leave the school system sooner. When I got my A-levels I was almost 19, my youngest siblings hadn't yet turned 18.

None of this matters though.

I have 4 dc, 2 autumn burns, 1 August baby & a late spring baby. My August baby who was tiny, spent time in nicu started school at just turned 4. She is way smarter than her siblings and way ahead academically in her class (she is set higher level stuff now). Summer borns are not always not school ready, it depends on the child. If you want to try for a baby, I don’t think it really matters when. It’ll happen when it happens.

Thanks to everyone for the explanations and advice. Very helpful.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/14/what-happened-to-allowing-children-born-in-summer-to-start-school-later

Not everyone's birth goes to plan - I was due last week of September, I was born mid august! It's never disadvantaged me to be honest, I could read before starting school even though I was youngest in my class

You'd pretty much have to avoid a September due date in case the baby is a bit early, so aiming for October onwards would mean trying to conceive after your first period that starts on or after December 26. So from now.

September is a popular birth month due to what people are doing 9 months previously!

I have an October , Jan and July born.
I would actually say my Jan born has is best (apart from a crap birthday to celebrate) she is in the middle of the year. My eldest had to wait too long and is sometimes I feel held back a bit by his class, being bright and easily bored. My youngest definitely went too young. He was still napping before he went and would fall asleep in the afternoon. He is better now and luckily bright and achieving. My Jan born went I feel at just the right time for her.