Summer born children starting school at CSA - secondary school

[SecondhandTable]

Sorry, wasn't sure how to create a brief title or where to put this.

My DC is summer born and we are considering delaying their primary school entry to the following year admission when they will reach CSA. Our LA has a policy where that will be accepted without the need to provide evidence in support or anything. I've been looking into this more and whilst I think primary won't be a problem, I'm concerned about secondary schools. As the LA acceptance only applies to community schools I think they're called? So not faith schools, academies etc. Not a problem for us locally at primary school however most the secondary schools around us are faith schools or academies. Does anyone have any (I guess anecdotal) experience of how easily people in similar situations have found it for their kids to continue on into secondary school as part of their cohort? Or professionals who work in this area - do schools usually allow children to continue with their cohort or are schools often unhappy about it and just refuse?

Schools can just refuse and basically this is a risk you are taking. Not as a blanket policy (that's not permitted) but they may require exceptional reasons which may or may not include education to date.

It's the same if you move house and need to move school.

Can you find out what the prevailing policy is in your area at present?

Would you be happy for your Dc to skip Y6 (and SATS!) to go to secondary with age cohort?

Have you already arranged their initial reception entry btw? Most areas are much more welcoming of this than before, but not all. Because the school year is set for all those of that age, and some will only admit out-of-cohort if the DC falls well short of normal age-related level - which doesn't mean comparing August to the previous September, but August to all other Augusts.

Reception won't be a problem as I live in an area where the LA policy is automatically accepting summer borns to start primary at CSA. So it definitely won't be refused at any of the LA-run schools and all of the primary schools we'd be applying to are LA-run. Therefore equally if they continue on to an LA-run secondary school they would be guaranteed to remain in their cohort. The problem is that most of the secondary schools nearby are not LA-run.

Of course I wouldn't want them to miss a year of schooling (not that I'd be bothered about missing SATS at all), and I dont see how any school could claim it would be in the best interests of the child to miss a year of their schooling in that way, which is what I thought was the test for refusing them to stay in their cohort?

Can I ask, if you work in the area, why are so many schools (and LAs, I suppose, just not ours) so opposed to children starting in reception at CSA? I really don't understand?

Have a look at the Facebook group Flexible School Admission for Summer Born Children. Lots of people asking this same question. Basically the admission authority would have to prove that it was in the child’s best interests to skip a year of education, which would be very hard to argue, so secondary isn’t much of a concern.

Agree with Arosadra’s post above. Have a look at the Facebook page, lots of likeminded parents. When it comes to secondary school you have to apply for a school place again and ask for you dc to be educated out of cohort, however they have to take your individual child’s best interests into account, and if they have been educated out of cohort throughout primary it would be difficult for the admissions authority to argue that it’s in their best interests to skip a year.

Around here, the schools wouldn't accept. Worse because there are also selective and if that had been appropriate wouldn't be eligible.

Fwiw, I had deferral agreement. Opted to not do this and though its hard as lo is with children born 2nd September, my lo is holding their own with my support.

As I've said, our council automatically agree any requests for reception CSA starts and would continue to keep child in that cohort if they went on to one of their schools for secondary. However most of the secondary schools aren't 'council' schools. I agree though I can't see a situation where it would ever be in a child's best interests to skip year 6 for example. Has this actually ever happened? How could it? For example I was labelled G&T at school and did very well (winter born), nobody ever suggested it would be in my best interests to skip year 6 and go into year 8 even though academically I'm sure I would have managed fine - socially, definitely wouldn't have though.

Sorry, I meant skip year 6 and go straight into year 7, or skip year 7 and go into year 8.

@SecondhandTable

As I've said, our council automatically agree any requests for reception CSA starts and would continue to keep child in that cohort if they went on to one of their schools for secondary. However most of the secondary schools aren't 'council' schools. I agree though I can't see a situation where it would ever be in a child's best interests to skip year 6 for example. Has this actually ever happened? How could it? For example I was labelled G&T at school and did very well (winter born), nobody ever suggested it would be in my best interests to skip year 6 and go into year 8 even though academically I'm sure I would have managed fine - socially, definitely wouldn't have though.

Yes, there are examples of where a child has been made to miss a year group. 😔

I think there was a change a few years ago that has meant significantly more children have had the option to start "late". The first yeargroups since that policy change will only be getting to upper primary now I think, so I suspect that secondary schools' policies on the matter are going to be more widely tested in the next few years. I have to assume it will be sorted out sensibly by the time any child starting school now gets to secondary age.

(coi Oct born daughter who I would have loved to have started school early, July born son who I am very glad was young in his year; but have always been interested in the issues of when is the right time for a child to start school).

The government have said they're committed to making it a legal right that children educated out of cohort are automatically entitled to remain with their adopted cohort throughout. Add that to the face they'd have to be able to argue that it's in the kid's best interest to skip a year and I think you can be reasonably certain they'll be able to stay in cohort.

I think the change to legislation was recent so no CSA summerborns would be near secondary age yet to set a precedent.

My CSA summer born should be going into year three next year..it was a bit of a faff but I eventually got agreement to stay in cohort.

The burden of proof is on education to proves it's in the childs best interest to loose a year
In reality how can they ever do so if they also issue fines and decline all term time holidays?

I did say with glee to current head that if year two is throw away could I take dd out for a year to travel the world as basically, if they can miss a year, why not?

I didn't realise it was an option until a few years ago when I enquired about out of year group placement with a secondary school when returning from abroad with DC a year above where they should be. They took the view then that DC's case would have to be run by the governor's but because of summer borns being delayed in some cases now there was just more flexibility in the system than there used to be. Could you contact some secondaries in the area and see what they say if they were faced with the issue now. It seems completely illogical to delay primary start only to have a problem when it comes to secondary.

I could contact secondary schools, but I am not sure how useful it would be given the long gap between applying for primary school and applying for secondary school. And things could change. I would hope only for the better, and I am hopeful of the legislative change PP mentioned, but it has been about 5 years since the govt mentioned legislating and still nothing.

Can I ask, something someone mentioned to me is funding for sixth form. I know a number of my peers whilst we were in sixth form (less than 10 yrs ago) essentially did A-Levels over 3 years and left at 19 due to various resits. It was relatively common at that time and a number of my friends did this. Someone suggested to me that due to funding this would not be possible for a summer born child starting reception at CSA - is that correct? That all kids need to be booted out at 19 so no room for repeating a yr of sixth form?

@SecondhandTable

I could contact secondary schools, but I am not sure how useful it would be given the long gap between applying for primary school and applying for secondary school. And things could change. I would hope only for the better, and I am hopeful of the legislative change PP mentioned, but it has been about 5 years since the govt mentioned legislating and still nothing.

Can I ask, something someone mentioned to me is funding for sixth form. I know a number of my peers whilst we were in sixth form (less than 10 yrs ago) essentially did A-Levels over 3 years and left at 19 due to various resits. It was relatively common at that time and a number of my friends did this. Someone suggested to me that due to funding this would not be possible for a summer born child starting reception at CSA - is that correct? That all kids need to be booted out at 19 so no room for repeating a yr of sixth form?

No, they're entitled to a specific number of years of education rather than education up to a specific age. I don't think resits are really the done thing any more though are they? Changes in the exam process etc.

The gov recently reiterated their intention to change the legislation but I do think we all need to be writing to our MPs to give them a kick up the backside.