Some anecdotal evidence about summer borns

[duchesse]

My daughter (27th July) will be starting senior school in September aged just 11yr 1 month. She went for her induction day at the pretty selective school she will be attending, during which one of the activities involved the girls sorting themselves out into age order.

My daughter was the youngest of the 34, by nearly 6 weeks (the next youngest was June 15th, with one other earlier in June). The point is that there are hardly any girls born in the summer term. Anecodotal evidence that summer borns tend not to do as well academically even by the end of primary school, or mere statistical blip?

I have an August DS who has always struggled a little (he would be fine if he was in the year below) and a March DS who knows no letter apart from A in exams. But they are different characters and one of the friends of my August born DS was born on the 31st August and has always been top of the year academically. The Independent has an article about a report on August born children produced by the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

Lingle, how did your husband start school in USA at age 5.5 with a July birthday? They only do September intakes, or how did he manage to get such a delayed start in January?

Hi Alardi,

I don't know! He was in New Jersey in the 1970s if that helps? But he's July, our DS2 is August, and MIL and I worked out that even if DS2 is "held back" by a year he'll still start younger than his own father did. In husband's day there was no "reception" there was some kind of kindergarten but she says that was basically playing in sandpits - no academic stuff.
My MIL says different States in the US have different months as cutoff dates - but that's now I think (she teaches special ed so aware of the situation at least reasonably recently) not as it was when husband was a child.

V interesting article thanks Lilymaid. Upsetting, but nothing I didn't know. Just have to hope Bradford doesn't take away my right to choose in the next few months. Meanwhile, plans for new car/better house are on hold until we find out if we are going to be forced into the private system.

DS2 said "hello Gemma" today to much celebration. He's supposed to be at school in 13 months. It's completely absurd.