Guest post: “A later start can be the best thing for many children.”

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My summer-born daughter Olivia is the oldest child in her school year.

Nearly four years ago I told Mumsnet all about our ‘fight’ to start her in reception at age five.

Olivia is now in Year 3 and enjoying school.

But other parents up and down the country are still fighting for the same right, with their children being made to start at age 4 or enter Year 1 at age 5.

This is despite assurances from the Schools Minister Nick Gibb in 2015, that ‘summer-born children can be admitted to the reception class at the age of five if it is in line with their parents’ wishes’, and the promise ‘to ensure that those children are able to remain with that cohort as they progress through school, including through to secondary school.’

A later start can be the best thing for many children. Olivia enjoyed her reception year, but the jump to Year 1 was a bit of a shock and she found some of Year 2 hard. I’m so glad she had that extra year of development behind her to face those challenges.

No one could pick Olivia out in a crowd; she fits in perfectly well with her class cohort and is thriving in Year 3.

Despite all the warnings that she’d be ‘on the wrong register’, be ‘the odd one out’ or ‘have to take her SATs a year early’, we haven’t encountered any problems along the way (although she did receive a birthday card with the wrong age on one year, but that’s about as tricky as it’s got!).

Olivia even thanks me for what I did.

I have always talked about it openly (and proudly) and explained my reasons to her. She tells me that she couldn’t imagine being in Year 4 right now. ‘I’m right where I belong, mummy,’ she says.

The truth is, Olivia knows more about the law than some staff who work in admission departments, and even some school heads. She often corrects adults who tell her she ‘should’ be in Year 4, saying, ‘I could be in Year 4, not should.’

Of course, every child is different. That’s why choice and flexibility is so important (but only if it’s fair for all). Some summer-born children will enjoy school from age four and do very well, while others won’t. Whatever choice parents make should be without judgement.

Every time I read about the summer-born issue it ends in confused debate, so I wanted to finish by debunking a few myths and ensuring everyone knows the facts.

What is the law? Do you know your rights?

The School Admissions Code requires councils to provide schooling for all children in the September following their fourth birthday, but a child does not reach compulsory school age until the term following their fifth birthday.

So, for a summer-born child (defined as born April 1st - August 31st), that’s a whole year later than when they could first enter school.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Summer-born children are still the only group of children who don’t have automatic right of access to reception at that point (compulsory school age); parents can only request that their child starts in reception.

Some admission authorities have a policy of automatically agreeing all requests while others will only consider requests if parents present very strong evidence of special educational needs or developmental delay.

It’s important to know that it’s your decision when your child starts school, whether prior to compulsory school age or at compulsory school age.

The admission authority for the school has to make a year group decision based on the best interests of your child at that point (i.e. compulsory school age). The discussion should not be about ‘school readiness’ or how they can meet your child’s needs at age four.

The question an admission authority must answer is: ‘What is in this child’s best interests at compulsory school age, reception or Year 1?’ It must then clearly explain the reasons for its decision.

Incredibly, it has been nearly four years since Nick Gibb’s assurances and promises, and in that time many children have been forced to miss reception or start school before their parents wanted them to.

There needs to be a consistent approach across the country, and soon.

For further information regarding the admission of summer-born children, please see the Summer Born Campaign website and join its Facebook group.

Rosie will be returning to the post on Wednesday 22nd May to answer some user questions

Kitsandkits, that makes sense and I think if the option to defer was for children say born in the summer holidays or those who were prem or had Sen no one would bat an eyelid, it's just the 16/17 months older April/may borns that seem to be a bit odd to me

Because the disadvantage is mainly caused by the relative age effect, not an absolute age effect. The problem is being the youngest ones in that group. Countries where children start school later still show the relative age effect.
I absolutely agree that all children should start school later, but it wouldn’t ameliorate the summer born effect.

I wish this had been the rule 20 years ago. I fought for my August Son to stay at Playgroup another year as he was only just 4. I Was told yes he can delay but will then start in Year 1 next year. He played catch up from day 1 and it does effect kids confidence. I had same problem with three of my other children all July and August Birthdays. Only one of my Children born in Feb seemed to be ready.
I knew a lady who had all her 3 daughters in Sept, all planned so they were the oldest. I thought she was mad but with hindsight she was right.
What happens to the children when they get to High School though. Do they have to sit GCSE early. ?

Highfivemum they stay in that cohort all the way through school so do their GCSEs the year they turn 17 instead of the year they turn 16.

Thanks sunshine6. Four of my five children all sat or are due to sit theirs at 15! I wish again I had the chance I would have jumped at it

Highfivemum we have done it with our 6th & youngest and so so many people with older & grown up children have said the exact same thing as you. We had one of our older boys struggle from year 5 right the way through until he finished and I couldn’t bear the thought of another one struggling and losing all motivation & enthusiasm for learning.

Will the children feel embarrassed for having been kept back a year as they get older? Not the late August children obviously but I feel it may seem odd for an April born child to have been moved between cohorts.

Thing is they may be among yohr dc class and you dont realise same a dropping back a year etc.
Ideally there would be at least 2 groups running a year of 6m so the relative age is not 12m.
At the moment though the targeets remain the same so absolutely sept borns and apr/may etc deferred do have an advantage on tests.

I do think it may need to be considered with apr may how much adv that gives as 17m would possibly be a gcse grade.
I would still defer even if the marks were adjusted as that extra confidence and sporting advantage

Children are obsessed with age in primary school. They would certainly know!

Who on earth can predict what the future may bring, my main concern is giving my child the best start possible to school life.

And... really, what is there to be embarrassed about? They are just starting school at the correct age, Compulsory School Age is the term after their 5th birthday.

Indeed but what about when their older than children in the year above until their 18?

They're

The big problem with the summerborn campaign is that it is run by, and aimed at, parents who want the very best for their child. And delaying school start might be beneficial to individual children. But the policy is detrimental to other children. Nick Gibb knows this, and has said that he is trying to find the best way forward, but he is stuck.
It comes down to parents who (rightly) focus on their own child, and don’t give much thought to the impact on the wider population, which is something that the Government cannot do - they have to consider all angles.
The other issue is as all of the focus is on allowing parents to delay their child’s start it is preventing other options to resolve the age related effect being explored.

What about it? There's far more important things in life to worry about than someone's age 😂

In what way is it detrimental to other children?

I find it really strange that something could be deemed wrong because supposedly it's run by & for parents wanting to the best for their child, isn't that what every parent strives to do??

I read this post with interest and also a degree of parental guilt. I have an August born child, so had just turned four when started to attend school, but the nursery fees were breaking me, despite working full time in a mediocre job. Now he's at school, with some wrap around care that costs me less I can afford a few more things, better quality food and have a bit left over for some savings, or educational activities. I considered leaving him in nursery for another year and waiting til he was 5 but the financial stress of that option was too much. As a family we needed the extra money more. We got rid of the TV, cancelled the TV package and saving money there too, and I hope to put extra time in at weekends to go through phonics etc but I can see he is struggling to keep up with his peers who are 5+ in years.

'In what way is it detrimental to other children?'

Well, children in their class could now be 17 months older than them. That's kinda detrimental isnt it?

Especially given that one of the main reasons for delaying is because the child could be 12 months younger than another, which is, detrimental. So, wonderful solution, let's increase that gap to 17 months?!? Bonkers.

Dml13 - it's because of situations like yours, that so many people think this essentially new option is so very very wrong. There's potentially someone nearly a year and a half older than him in his class. It's not fair at all.

And, as mentioned before, the parents of disadvantaged children are far less likely to delay their child’s entry to school which results in a situation where the already advantaged children are the oldest in the year, by as much as 17 months, and the disadvantaged are the youngest.

DML13 you absolutely have nothing to feel guilty about, it’s the education system that is wrong. The one size fits all just doesn’t work as every single child is different and develops at different rates. When they are babies the ranges for hitting milestones can vary by a lot of months yet the minute they’re in school they are all suddenly supposed to achieve pretty much the same level which is just impossible. Your son was just being born when a September born was starting to walk & talk. Hopefully in time if more & more people delay school entry the government will start looking into it more & realise their education system is expecting far too much from very young children which is why parents are now reluctant to send them so young. They also need to sort out the childcare costs issue too!

So potentially there could be one or two children 17 months older than one or two August borns, I still don’t get how that’s detrimental as that eldest child could be very behind and the August ones could be extremely bright. My friends daughter was an August born who was reading fluently before she started school and was always way way above average all throughout school. My son is 14 months older than any August borns in his class yet he’s only in the average academic band he hasn’t overtaken everyone because he’s older and his behaviour isn’t as mature as some of his classmates.

Your son was just being born when a September born was starting to walk & talk. My DS was just being born when some of his primary school classmates were already up to 16 months old. The majority of these older children were academically capable, with informed, engaged, middle class parents. A 12 month age range is preferable to an even larger one.

My dd has her birthday at the start of August and would have gone mad if I had deferred her, she would have been so bored. My ds is autumn born and started school a year early at 3 nearly 4 and has thrived.

In Canada the cut off is the 28th feb so all children are at least 4.5 years when they start, this has been proven to help, also it has been shown that since introducing this the number of sportsmen and women represented at a national level with summer birthdays has risen.