Has anyone succeeded in getting their August baby to start Reception at five?

[FelizFuturaMama]

My daughter was born a week early on August, 27 and I am keen for her not to suffer the well documented disadvantages of being the youngest in the year. I want to delay her entry to school for a year, so that she starts reception when she is five rather than four. I know I can defer her starting but can't find any advice if I don't want her to miss a year of school. I would really appreciate guidance on how to go about requesting this from others who have been successful. I know this is much easier in the independent sector, but that would be a real stretch for us financially.

TheDoctrine, good point, I just asked about putting her name down to attend the school and they said to wait until she was two. It does seem rather early for reception, so perhaps it was pre-school, I will pop in to ask. It's a whole new world to me, I definitely need to do my research!

You will apply for her reception place in autumn 2014, I think. Where in aouth Manchester? I know people who have failed to do this in Trafford.

Feliz that sounds like preschool to me.

School is a different thing, you have to apply and then be allocated a place. There is no guarantee that you will get the one you want the most so you have to choose 3 options.

I have two boys, one born 29th August and therefore the youngest in his school year, the other born 6th September, and the oldest in his. Both are doing brilliantly at school. DS1 (the August birthday) was completely ready to start school at 4, and is now the best in his class at maths (baffles me, as I'm rubbish as maths!). DS2 had some speech problems so it worked out well for him to start school later; he had completed his speech therapy and was classed as "normal" by the time he strolled into school.

I guess my point is that an August birthday needn't be any kind of disadvantage, it's totally down to the child in question. DS1 thrived; had DS2 been born a week earlier, I may have pushed to delay his start purely because of his speech delay. But I wouldn't have known that until much closer to the time. Chill and see how it goes

Definitely worth waiting to see what stage your dd's at. I have a 26th August dd who's now in Year 3 and the youngest in her class. She's confident, thriving and one of the more able/advanced in her class in most areas. Being in the year below would have been disadvantageous to her.

"Things like admissions would be in chaos. It is bad enough in England as it is with a chronic shortage of school places in some areas - it would be even more stressful and less predicatable if some years there was a whole glut of people deciding to wait an extra year and blocking places for people in the year below who then couldn't get a place at all."

how do you figure a "block" tiggy? If I apply for a place in Sept. 2015 not 2014, a new 2014 place becomes permanently available to someone else. The net effect is neutral surely?

so Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Leeds
Bradford if special needs
certain private schools (though we found state more flexible than private)
Does anyone know about Northern Ireland?

Don't think Manchester though. Move to Leeds?

My godson was born 12 weeks early in august when he should have arrived at the end of october. My friend tried very hard to get him held backa year - he really wasn't ready at the time but there was no way that he could start reception with his 'due date' year group. He has struggled to keep up all through primary school :(

I didn't know they had to allow it - only that they could.

do you know where the bit of law is?

I would'nt worry about it. My twins are July babies, but were nearly 4 weeks early. They did seem tiny to be starting Reception, but are now in Yr 2 and are doing very well indeed - in top groups for literacy and maths, no smaller than others and perfectly able to hold their own socially. They are pretty much at the same level, with everything, as their cousin, who is also in Yr 2 but has an October birthday.

FWIW, DH and I are both August babies (19th & 30th respectively) and have both done pretty well educationally

wouldn't not would'nt

you could always home ed tell your happy with him going in with his year group, say at 7?

how interesting! thank you tiggytape

Admissions code 2.17 "Parents of gifted and talented children, or those who have experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill health, can seek places outside their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case...."

What were you quoting from tiggytape? It sounded like a commentary.

whoahhh, no sooner do you find a bit of law than the government consults on changing it.

Bliss are now campaigning and formulating a response to a consultation on what information is given to LEAs about when premature babies should start school.

go to www.bliss.org.uk

"Share your experiences of delaying or deferring your child's school place".

Ah, it seems someone in Essex LEA wrote

"There is no evidence that staying behind for an additional year leads to improved educational attainments; the argument that staying behind for an extra year will enable the child to ?catch up? has no validity."

This chap needs to meet my child's paediatrician, head, SALT, SENCO and teachers. If I say it, it's anecdote, but if they all said it, maybe it would count as "evidence"?

Anyway, great that Bliss are getting up a head of steam on this important issue.

And also amusing that I can see he's accidentally quoted some things I wrote when campaigning on this issue a few years ago :)

thanks Tiggytape - gosh - I'm a little shocked that the Government has announced there is "no evidence" when it is the Government itself that has failed to gather the evidence because Jim Rose dropped the ball so badly.

All the better that the government has now asked Bliss to gather evidence.

If health professionals were confident that their recommendations to year-defer wouldn't suck them into postcode-lottery politics with LEAs, I think that would be a huge step in the right direction. Sadly we can't expect most parents to have the support of heads because usually the head won't get to know the child until it is too late because they are already in reception, and repeating reception is a different kettle of fish from starting reception at 5.0.

I think health professionals are good at "looking for" suitable candidates - that's what they do all the time anyway. So they are in a good position to spot children who are challenged-but-could-well-catch-up-if-oldest-in-class. And that will include certain premature children, certain children with special needs but, I accept, only a subset of each.

should add that I still support greater parental choice as in Scotland but let's concentrate on the cases where it is considered most likely to make a really big difference first.......

In 2 English state schools (different counties) a resounding NO.

In 2 English Independent preps and now senior schools (in different counties), a resounding YES....it's the main reason why we moved over.

Similar experience to Fuzzymum1, my late August born ds (due September) is struggling a little. I'm sure he'll catch up, he's still only year one, but I don't feel he was ready to start school when he did and even now he gravitates towards the older reception children. I see him looking longingly into the reception playground on the way in to school. If I could have held him back I would have.

my ds and dd are 25 and 26th of august. neither has had problems academically. dd also fine socially. ds is under review for asd at present so has had a few problems but nothing that could have been better had he been held back a year. in fact i personally think they are lucky that they have so much knowledge compared to their friends from nursery who are a few days younger yet are nowhere near them academically. ds is year 2 dd reception

My DS is Y3 and is still struggling all round, he liked his play orientated infant school and very slowly getting used to his new junior school - its still too much for him, he is not ready to be so independent and grown up. I wonder when he gets over it?

Besides, many do fine but many, especially boys are too young and would benefit from having another year to get ready. The fact is that summer born children are at an overall disadvantage.