Opinions on p1 deferral

[tudorqueenie]

Hello! I would appreciate people’s opinion/input on school deferrals.

I think both deferring and not deferring has its pros and cons. I am talking about cases where there is no specific developmental reason for deferring (no speech delay, etc).

My daughter is turning 4 in January. Technically, she could start school in August 2026. She will be 4.5 at the time. I personally think it is quite a young age to be starting school, but I am fully aware that P1 and P2 are all very much play based. She only started nursery in April 2025, so she will have had little over a year’s worth of nursery input before she would start school.

Her speech/language is great, she is also bilingual and has no issues with either language. She is socially much more developed than I ever was (😂), and does well in social situations. She can write her own name down, and can read every letter. She would like to go to school, she often says that. My con for not going to school is that maybe quite a few of her friends are going and I don’t want her to feel left behind. But I do think an additional year at nursery would be good.

However… I would much prefer thst she is one of the eldest in her class, than one of the youngest. Also when it comes to the later years (going to high school, starting uni, etc) it is better to make those decisions when theyre a year older. Of course, I am mindful of children who have their periods before their peers and they can feel lonely.

Overall I am more for deferring, I think it is less risky and has more benefits. It is not an easy decision though and it does not feel straightforward.

Just wondered what people’s thoughts were on this, I am sure I am not alone with this dilemma. Many thanks in advance, much appreciated!

Given your description of her, I think she should go in August 2026. In my experience deferral is good for children who aren’t ready to start P1 yet: that extra year makes a massive difference in their ability to listen, learn, develop their fine motor skills, etc.

Why do you want her to be one of the older ones in the year at primary school?

If she wants to go, is ready to go, has friends who will start at the same time, I would send her. The P1 teachers will be skilled at teaching the children wherever they happen to be, academically and developmentally.

Thanks so much for this! I would prefer that she was in the older end of her class because it is better to potentially sail through than to struggle. But even if she wouldnt struggle - I worry about her being bullied by the older children in the class.
also, later down the line that one year difference counts a lot!
but maybe I am overthinking?

I'm assuming you're in Scotland - in which case I would always defer a January born child. With the change in deferral policy here so many more October/November/December kids are deferring and she could end up being 16 months younger than the oldest child in the class.

I deferred my very bright December DC and they've thrived going to school at 5.5. Socially they mix well with the others in class and still have some older friends outside of school as well.

We deferred our Feb born and don't regret it. She is P7 now and think being one of the oldest will be a big benefit for secondary.

I was the youngest in my year and hated it. At the start, all the kids nearly a year older than me were so much bigger and worldly wise compared to me.

All my friends would join clubs e.g Brownies, swimming club, youth club etc but I had to wait nearly a year after them and constantly felt left out and unable to join in when they were creating little friendship groups to work on brownie badges etc.

I would definitely defer, better to be the oldest not youngest.

Considering you can defer any child not yet 5 in Scotland, sending her this coming August could make her 16 months younger than others in the class. The next year she would be more towards the middle.
In addition, 2026 start would mean she finishes school at 17.5, whereas 2027 she would finish at 18.5.

As a teacher in Scotland, I would always recommend deferring a January birthday. It is much better for her to be excelling in p1 than just achieving the milestones. Younger children generally struggle with the social and emotional aspect of school and many struggle keeping up socially with those at the older end of the spectrum. Ive never heard a parent regretting deferral. You can't get these years back. Let her play and thrive

thank you all for the comments. Yes, sorry, I forgot to mention in my post that I’m in Scotland.
that is quite a big gap, 16 months, wow!

She actually sounds ready IMHO. Deferral has become popular, but it's not always the best option for bright and sociable children, which it sounds like your daughter is! Being older isn't always the advantage people perceive it as either. She will be young for Uni, if she wants to go, but it's very common to take a year out working between school and Uni these days - I'd say around 1/3rd DS year group are currently doing that. What do nursery think?

The thing about deferral is, nobody ever regrets it, but they do regret not taking the opportunity.

I would always defer a December, January or February born child. November and October would be question marks that I’d decide based on the child.

Just think however ready you think she is, there will be March-born (or deferrals) who were just as ready at 4.5, but are now 5.5…

I would also consider:

1. She will be hitting puberty later than the children (potentially) 16 months older
2. She will leave school at 17 and remain 17 for her first term of post-school life in the adult world.
3. in her final year, she will be mixing with 18 year olds, who will legally be allowed to do things she is not. Of course, there will be peer pressure either way, but it’s compounded by actually being illegal.