Delaying Start of School year Summer Born (DS)

[idontgivearatsass]

Hi

I am thinking of delaying the start of school by 1 term or possibly after he turns 5 so that will be by a year.

Does anyone have any advice on this? What are the pros and cons (if any)?

Is it better to do this in state school or pre-prep?

If not advised, I was thinking that I would start DS in a pre-prep at 2.5 or 3 so that by 4 he should be ready to settle down in Reception at either the same pre-prep or a good state school. The whole idea of doing the pre-prep early is because I understand that Reception can often be spent repeating what was done at pre-prep especially if we move him from outstanding pre-prep to good state. But my concern is whether starting him earlier might defeat the purpose!

My DS is energetic and playful and I don't see any sign of him settling down but bear in mind he is only 20 months old, so there is still time to watch his development :o

I know that there are the exceptions to the rule and summer born children can outperform the older children. But for now I am looking at those people who were cautious and have actually deferred entry and what that experience has been.

Please what are your ideas?

Many thanks

I would let it be for a while yet - at 20mo you can't know how he will be when aged 4.

My experience (from observation only - I haven't done this) is that it's very difficult in state to hold a child back a year without either massive (usually SN-related) reasons (a friend did manage this) or they start in Yr 1.

Roisin did do the latter with her DS2 and always posts that it was a good thing for him.

I have seen DC starting school a term after everyone else in the class because of their young age and it has never seemed to me, as a helper in the class, to be a good thing for them. But of course I am not their parent and thus don't know all the details.

Most of the arguments I've heard about delaying summer-borns are because the parents don't want them at school full-time. If he's going to be going to a pre-prep anyway, it may as well be in the right class.

The only problem delaying a year will be that he will miss all the work they do in reception and go straight into Yr1.

Thanks all.

Where: So does that mean he can be at pre-prep for 2 years and then transfer to state for reception? I guess the issue will be that the state school will not the keep a place open and we will be on a waiting list to move him. But at least he would have had a strong enough start to help him overcome the potential disadvantage he may/will be starting off with if he was playful in class of 30 as opposed to being playful in smaller class.

Does that make sense?

Or on the other hand my idea of starting off in pre-pre even if it is from 3-4 and going straight into reception at state should help as JeanBodel has observed.

Arrggghhh.

Someone else might ask why am I so keen to move him to a state school but we are watching our finances and it seems for now we either have to choose prep or independent/public but we may not be able to afford both. And so I am trying to work out the best time to invest my money with a summer born while investigating the schools in our area and other areas were we to move. Ideally if he can get going on state primary we will consider independent/public for secondary.

Is there not a state Playgroup/ preschool affiliated to the school? My dd (late aug) goes 3 days a week and will start reception in sept unless they tell me they have grave concerns. Dd2 is stil quite babyish, but having seen dd1 go through reception, I think she will be fine.

They mainly play in reception anyway, so that would be the best place for him I imagine. I think keep changing settings and expectations would be more confusing tbh.

Thanks for that Octopus. The schools in our catchment do not have a nursery. The one with a nursery is just outside of our catchment, they will take him for nursery and it is rated good but there is no guarantee that he will be awarded a place at reception :( . So I may need to move him anyway.

I have a late summer born DS, smallish to medium build, and just kept him in the normal cohort. No obvious disadvantage yet.

Sometimes it's just as good to not overthink it and go with the flow.

He's older btw, currently Y8.

Yellowtip thanks.

I was youngest in my class from primary to A levels and excelled at school but I want to avoid thinking my son will be a mini me and have a rude awakening! Plus I was only educated in the UK at university level so I don't want to underestimate the difference in school systems from what I know back 'home'.

But as you have rightly said I can over think and over cater. I want to help him and not hinder.

So let's see how he develops over next couple years. And I will certainly bear all your suggestions in mind

DS has had 2 years in pre prep and is due to start Year R in a state school this sep. The pre prep has been AMAZING and a great start for him. I may ask to do 1/2 day flexi school so he can have 1:1 tutoring in maths/phonics and a music lesson. I think this would be a great way of giving some extras which tbh the state school wont be able to give.

i dont know if this discussion is still going but i am currently in a battle to get m y son a reception place this september instead of a year 1 placement at school and is only 10 days over the cut off. he has social communicatio issues and delayed evelopment so i have repeaated nursery where he is on differentiaded leanring plans and interventions are in place to help him catch up with the other preschoolers who are techniclly a year below him and have all rights to apply for a reception place this september.
i am part of a campaign group on google groups "Campaign For More Flexible School Admissions For Summer Born Children" and we have a facebook page too.
we had a meeting yesterday up london with the Department for Education and what we have established is that 5 is the COMPULSARY school starting age and 4 years old is VOLUNTARY. there is a section in the admissions code which was updated feb 12 that states that reception class is mainly for 5 years olds and those turning 5. august born children turn 5 at no point during their time at school if admitted into reception at 4 years old so there is a LEGAL OBLIGATION to have them into reception in the term aftwer their 5th birthday.

also i can qoute from david laws that the admissions code is not prescriptive and common sense is expected of the local authority to not use it word for word but to apply admission arrangements in a case by case basis with the individual childs needs being put first.

i was given a copy of the new report into statistics hat the dep of Ed did that confirms that not just across the country, but internationally, summer born children on average perform worse than their autumn peers and although the gap in performance is almost closed by university age, the majority of the school key stages show a difference.

it would be extremely advantagous to your child to be admitted to reception in the following year and although your onwt be able to apply online due to entering incorrect date of birth, download and print and return by post an application stating why you are applying out of year and that just by sticking to the statatory starting age , your child should not miss a years worth of education.
is your school supportive? because ultimately it is at the head teachers discretion to allow a child to be out of thier year group in is/her school.

ALSO REGARDING SATS. these are NOT sat by age, but by completetion of the course leading up to them.
regardless of the age of your child, if they have only just finished year 6, whether they are in the right year, up a year or down a year for their age, that is when they sit their SATS. the only thing you cant do qith regard to sats is sit them , then repaet a school year then sit them again.
you only do them once but you do them when your new year group you are placed in does them not when the year group you are technically supposed to be in does them.

for more information please join our google group and facebook group