Deffering P1 with September Birthday - Scotland

[middleagedandinarage]

Help!! Although I know noone can make this decision for me. My DD is meant to be starting school in August (P1, we're Scotland) she will turn 5 two weeks after she starts. I had never even considered defering her with a september birthday so have only applied for school not another year at nursery. Firstly is it still an option to now defer her or do we have to go to school this year?
Secondly has anyone or is anyone defering their daughter with a September birthday?
My oldest is February birthday and we defered her, absolutley no regrets and i'm very pro deferal but kind of thought from december on I would 100% defer, earlier in the year I would only defer if there were concerns.
We have be concerns but I sometimes think she just feels so young (maybe that's in my head because she's my baby and because her sister was 5.5 when she started so she was older)
Arghhh, can't believe i'm doing this at this stage 🙈

Apologies for the typo in the title, can't edit!

I have DC with a Sept birthday and a Oct birthday. I didn't defer either of them and no regrets whatsoever.
Academically and socially they've both been grand. Youngest is now in P7 and he's bored out his brains and ready for high school so I'm very glad I didn't defer!

Ds1 is now sitting his Nat 5s and doing great. The only thing that might be an issue is that he'll only be 17 when finished S6, so that could be a problem for going off to uni and not being able to drink or get into pubs and clubs. I went to uni 16 as I didn't do S6, but age restrictions were far more lax in the 00s!

We deferred DC1 with a February birthday with no regrets. DC2 is a September birthday and did not defer. Now in P4 and again no regrets.

Personally if there is no additional needs I would not defer for September. They change so much in the run up to school so likely to seem more ready by August.

The earliest deferred child I ever taught was November as she had delayed language.

September seems extreme to me.

Thanks for your replies, this has absolutley been my thinking too, hence why I never applied for nursery.
It's because they've brought in these changes where you can now defer if they're not 5 when the term starts in August, without question and be gauranteed the extra year of funding. Essentially we're gradually moving to the way it's done in England where summer babies will be the youngest in the class and september october will be the oldest.

I would absolutely not defer a September child. I'm a primary teacher. In my school, it's pretty much unheard of, unless there is ASN.

I deferred my January child but she's neurodivergent. Plus, she would only get one year and one term at nursery, which I didn't feel was enough. A September child will get a lot more time at nursery and although they seem young to you, they will more than likely be ready.

Since the new deferral rules, it still pretty much seems like it's mostly January and February kids. Very unusual for deferrals outwith.

I deferred my November DC (no sen) and have no regrets. I’d defer a September DC too. That extra year of maturity won’t show throughout primary but will definitely be a bonus come high school imo.

I didn’t defer my November baby. She’s autistic and was a preemie so I had the option even though she’s 13 now but she was so ready for school and it was really the right decision. I am encouraging her to think about a year at college before Uni though as she’d be 17 otherwise. She was nowhere near the youngest (though aware that was a different time) but my son is in p5 and there are loads of kids who turned 9 during the school year - up through February.

I wouldn’t think twice about a September birthday unless there’s good reason.

This is what keeps going through my mind, almost am I being stupid not to give her this advantage 🙈

I think a September deferral would make them seem quite a lot older than lots of the other kids in their class as they’d be 6 shortly after starting school whereas some of their class mates would still be 4.
I think a September birthday is bang in the middle of school year which is ideal unless she has SEN. You don’t want to be the very first to hit puberty and lots of older girls in particular can take on a sort of mothering role of the younger ones. Plus she could leave school in 3rd year with no qualifications at all which although you hope she wouldn’t, it can’t be ruled out.

I have summer born kids, just few weeks older than yours and and they were more than ready for school.

If there are no additional needs I wouldn’t defer a Sept child, there’s no need.
What if they return to nursery and then seem like they’ve really outgrown it within a couple of months?
Whilst it’s always useful to be at the older end of the year I’d be concerned about being a lot older at the transitions. Many kids have outgrown primary school be second half of P7 and that could be amplified if the child is 12 for virtually whole of P7. Same at end of school career, you’re going to have an 18 yr old for whole of S6

My DS is September born. I think your DD would not find it the right balance in Secondary. Would easily be the oldest in the year, probably more mature. Will be 18 and still have almost a whole year of S6 to go. Don’t defer.

Something to think about is that it has an impact on sport, where they are grouped by age, not school year. So potentially could be playing outside of their school year or separated from school peers in sport.

For example my son plays a sport grouped by birth year and then deferred kids are in S1 but they play with the P7s as it's done on DoB. This is fair because it's dangerous to have kids with a much bigger physical advantage. However when it comes to school sport they don't always apply the birth-year rule and play within the school year so it puts the younger/non deferred children at the disadvantage as the notably physically smaller than children who can be 18months ahead of them

You mentioned your daughter is already in nursery is it school or a private nursery.
? Can you have a specific chat with the teacher / her worker if they think she is ready ? They will be experienced and should be able to flag up if there are any issues
/ they think she isn’t ready .

I have kids who had later birthdays and I was happy for them to start at age 4 . They weren’t the only ones and they coped reasonably well .Main issue seemed to be that they were a bit tired with having to concentrate / have learning for a longer day - as nursery whilst a learning environment too , had been more play time . They did settle in after the first term .

I personally wouldn’t defer for a September birthday , unless I was concerned with SEND or it had been flagged up by nursery .
There is a lot of focus put on transition from nursery to primary and she may be excited by going with her friends to the big school if she isn’t already at the nursery there . This is by no means make or break , as kids that age make lots of different friends and change best friends .

If she is reasonably bright and interested in learning at this stage ( not all are at this stage ) then she might also get bored with another year at nursery too .

As others have said if I had children born Jan / Feb I would have looked into possible deferring but not for earlier birthdays .

It is a big milestone for you and your child and it is understandable to have a wobble as they are still so small at that age . At my kids school there were a few kids that hadn’t been to nursery at all and they maybe struggled a bit with the social skills / noise but again settled in . Your daughter having already attended nursery will have already picked up a lot of the socialisation skills etc .
Good luck .

Thanks all for the replies. Definitley putting my mind at rest. Not sure if it's maybe a fade in our local area but it seems since the new changes came in re deferal, all november and december children I know are being defered and from others I've spoken to it seems she will certainly be one of the youngest (infact the youngest in her class that i'm aware of) if she goes this year.
There are no areas of concern and nursery say she's meeting all milestones, it's just the fact we essentially have the choice to either make her the oldest in her class by defering or make her the youngest by putting her this year

You can do a freedom of information request for the deferral rates in your council. I did that when we were deciding for DD2, and where we are, less than a quarter of Jan and Feb birthdays defer, and it goes down from there. By September, it's rare.

Personally, I would not defer a September born child where we are without a strong reason – there's a very good chance they'd be the oldest in the class by 4-6 months, which I think would be fine in early primary, but potentially tricky as they get older. And you're increasing the odds that she'll be one of the first to go through puberty, which I think makes it harder (and puberty is rough enough as it is!).

Is it always an advantage, though?
My sister was the oldest in her year, and it's all very well having that maturity, but it can make the immaturity of others in the class rather more annoying. She did an extra year in the sixth form (illness/change of subjects), so she was nearly 20 by the time she left.

I did defer my DD1 who is a Sept birth. She is now in secondary school. It was definitely for the best. An extra year of education will give her the best chance.

She was diagnosed autistic in the summer before P2. My gut instinct was on the money.