Summer Birthdays and Attainment?

[Kendodd]

What to do? DD2 is only in reception, she has an end of August birthday. Is lower attainment throughout her school career inevitable? Is anything being done to address this?

Interestingly her big sister is in Y2, they have different 'tables' for different ability levels. All the children, apart from one, on the top table are September birthdays.

Kendod, Reception is far too early to extrapolate anything at all in terms of 'througout school careers'.

My dd's best friend is August born, and has been fairly middling in attainment throughout KS1 - but is catching up now, half way through KS2. Her mother worries about disadvantage too, but it really does get less obvious as time goes on.

Also, in a good school, your daughter's progress will count far more than anything else - education is not a competition (though tell that to MN ).

Historically summer born children started school one or two terms after their older classmates so they were playing catch up from their first moment in school.

I am very dubious about any " advantage " being gained by making a child who is barely past 4 years old go to school with peers who are five plus as being any way of improving their outcomes.

I dont think they catch up as aresult of being put into that cut and thrust. They get bullied more often I think.

I do think there is an argument for waiting until all children are older ( ie rising 7) before putting them into education. I think that the maturity at that age and the readiness for understanding rules makes it a time when immaturities and other issues which are clearly age defined.

Of course that doesnt suit an economic stiuation where parents need to park their kids off at far too young an age in school babysitting but thats another issue

Hmmmm interesting, thanks
I deeply regret not deferring ds1s entry :(

I know you were bullied as a child jabed but it is much less common than your experience would suggest.

Even if school starting age was changed to rising 7 there will always be that age gap of almost a year in any class.

In my present class one of the most confident and able child is a boy with an August 31st birthday ... not only has he caught up but he has left some of his older classmates standing and IMHE this isn't unusual.

I am hopeful that by year 7 it will not be obvious that he has a summer b day

Badvoc, it is my opinion and experience that by 7 many issues are sorted. However, I do not think the " gap" is fully closed before 12 or 13 - and even then maybe not so in many instances.

I do think a later start helps. Kids do compare and they do ask why someone elsedoesbetter than they do, and too often at a young age, it is simply an age related matter, nothing to to with any academic or future potential.

I have an August boy and he is further ahead than other kids in his year because he has a big brother. Some kids will fit the trends, others won't. Try to focus on your child's strengths and weaknesses rather than her birth date.

If you are concerned about your child's reading, writing, numbers then there are plenty of activities you can do at home.

Have you spoken to the teacher about your concerns? We get a sheet of ideas once a term for things to do at home to encourage our dc's based on what they are doing at school.

jabed you have stated numerous times you were bullied as a child so how is repeating that fact making things up?

I have Sept born DD1 who is to table and May born DD2 who is middling. Second born is v trombonist.down to wearing boys underpants etc.running swimming are het things,getting her to read is a struggle.I think they are equally bright in terms of raw material so I think Sept does count for something but not everything

I was not bulliedasa five year old - thats stretching things lady!

Where did I say you were bullied at five years of age jabed?

perhaps all your teachers were like you jabed ... and for the record I was not implying any such thing.

and as to your son I suggested that as a normal four year old his fine and gross motor skills might need some fun activities to improve his handwriting as you posted his teacher had raised concerns. If you can't see the difference I pity you.

What an absolutely grim view of special needs. My son still at 13 has handwriting problems. He is not 'subnormal' he just has some specific difficulties. Just yuck really.

Mrs I was curious about the rationale for not staggering. I was very glad that my ds started school a term later (May birthday) he found school hard enough when he started and from the point of view of confidence would probably have done better starting school like dd at very nearly five.

You said his teacher was concerned that he wasn't using enough pressure when writing and I suggested monkey bars and wheelbarrow walking and a 2b pencil so he could make a satisfying mark with less pressure ... you took offence.
If I remember you accused me of having a vested interest

Ronaldo - my DS, as an exceptionally able 4 / 5 year old in Reception, had trouble with fine (not gross) motor skills.

He benfitted hugely both from fun activities to improve these as well as techniques that allowed him to record his complex maths work in a larger form.

All children, however able, have slkills which they may need to develop - whether they be academic, social, motor - and any good teacher not only identifies the srengths (in my DS's case, his academic skills) but also looks at ways to improve areas which are not so strong. 'Special Needs' doesn't come into it - it is just good teaching. Poor fine motor skills imply absolutely nothing ab out a child's intellectual capabilities - though sttengthening a child's fine motor skills can improve their ability to represent their intellectual activity in a legible written form....

I said ( and it wasnt on MN as I recall) that the teacher had made a comment to my DW which we couldnt understand as it did not appear to be the case at home and asked for some advice.

I guess you stung me for asking the latter.

teacherwith2kids, what happened in my DS'scasewasthat his ( so called) teacher hadmade an error and it later came out she had confused him with another DC. In fact she didnt even have any idea who my DS was when we got round to questioning the matter.

However, that never stops some people does it?

As a mum to be, expecting Ds3 end of August, this thread makes depressing reading. I am worrying a lot about this. My DH says that I need to consider our DS will be advantaged in so many ways, we live in a decent area, with parents who care about education, not in poverty etc. So to be blunt, all the other 'disadvantage' factors aren't there. It's still worrying me though.