Summer Born deferring a year.

[blaisealex]

Hi,

My DS is due to start School September 2022. His Birthday is in July.

I'm wondering about starting in September 2023 instead after he turns five rather than four. I'd like him to start in Reception though and stay with that year group all the way through. Rather than skipping a year and starting in Year 1.

Has anyone done this or have an advice or experience? Pros and cons?

I was reading online and also unsure about when I would need to apply? In Jan 2022 or Jan 2023?

I know intro to academic subjects is limited at this age, but how well are they clicking for him? You don’t want to set him up to find his classes too easy. It’s absolutely awful.

Our DD was born in Aug 2009, her due date was in Nov. Because she was very prem it meant she would start school the year before she would have done if she was born at term.

It was very clear that she was not hitting her milestones when expected, had difficulties with speech and physically she was tiny and vulnerable.

We fought for her to delay school entry, like you we were insistent that she should not start in year 1 but must progress through the school with her class. Out LEA were very difficult and it went to a panel meeting for which we had to submit much evidence, paediatrician, speech and language, statement of SEN etc and eventually we won.

Fast forward to two years ago and we were making a decision about her secondary education. Because she has complex educational needs we felt the best next step for her would be a special provision which is more nurturing. It was heartbreaking to admit that mainstream secondary would not be right for her but ultimately we want her to be happy and we knew that not only would she be out of her depth in mainstream but she would also be open to bullying due to her communication difficulties.

This is where we had to fight again. Because we wanted to apply for a specialist provision we were told she would have to omit year 6 of primary school. We were told that if she went to the local comp this wouldn't be the case, she could move straight from yr6 to yr7 but with the special school that was not possible. Nobody could give me a good reason as to why that was the case. It just was. Again we fought, and again we won but it was super stressful and I honestly thought at one point that they would make her miss her last year at primary.

Sorry if I've waffles a bit. Just want you to know the potential dangers. However, I am glad we delayed school entry for a year, I do believe it was for the best for her.

@blaisealex

From all the comments so far, it doesn't sound like an easy process. Almost seems as though lots of LA's put many obstacles in the way and make it more difficult and arduous than it needs to be.

OP do what is best for your child. If you think it's the right decision don't be put off just because it 'might' be difficult.

Educate yourself on outcomes for summer borns, it is well documented they do worse than their peers. You will also always get the ones who were late August birthdays and had no problems. That's great, but I KNOW my son simply was not ready.

If you feel your child is ready aged 4, send him. If you don't, apply for CSA start in reception.

You know your child best. Make the right decision FOR THEM. The Facebook group is massively supportive if you do decide to proceed.

Your reasons seem to be about what suits you, and your convenience rather than the best for your child.

Reception is play based, or at least at my daughter's school it is.

As a summer born myself with winter born siblings and as a parent of two summer born children I find it incredible that children are written off as incapable just because they are born in the summer.

No one gets to defer their winter born child who they may feel is unready for school.

I always felt that the deferment for summer borns was to address issues such as developmental and/or speech delay children and those born prematurely. I volunteer in a primary school and do intervention work for children falling behind or with SEN. The assumption would be that they must be summer born but they are a complete mixed bag.

I will also tell you that being a child who is turning 7 in a whole class of children turning 6 does make them feel like the odd one out. Also you may be seen as gaming the system to have the oldest child in the cohort, you are saying that the youngest don't do as well as the oldest and so you are making them 5 and x number of months before they start, although as pointed out any application for 11+ would be done a year early to correct their age.

Reception is learning through play. I think when people are contemplating applying to schools their child just feels so little but actually when the September rolls round they are much more resilient and capable than you think.

You could always send him part-time in reception, at least for the first term.

Or move to Scotland where they start school later (the youngest are 4.5; your son would start in the August after he turns 5 as the cut-off for school entry means that they need to be 4 by the end of February to start in August. In addition, any child who would still be 4 when they start school can apply to defer a year - and get full nursery funding for an extra year - and many do so).

Consider the long term implications. Will he start year 7 at 12? Be 16 in year 10? I doubt many secondary schools will allow this. So he'll have to move up with a whole new year and miss a year somewhere.

As a PP said, your reasons are about you and not him.

I just think for me, personally, four just seems so young and perhaps selfishly, I'd like to have a bit longer with him at home!

I dont think your local authority will consider your desire to have him at home longer a good enough reason to delay his school start.

@DoYouRememberTheInnMiranda

Your reasons seem to be about what suits you, and your convenience rather than the best for your child.

Reception is play based, or at least at my daughter's school it is.

This was very much my reading too. Nothing you said is about what's best for your child but is more about you wanting more time with your child. DS 4 next week and is totally ready to start reception in Sept (as am I...)

OP, all your reasons are selfish and about you. It should be about your child

As part of my job in early years, I support parents to defer their school places and would recommend it 100%. Statistically summer born children (I am one myself and very high achieving but that doesn’t change nation wide statistics, for those who say ‘well I did fine!’ 🙄) don’t achieve as well as their winter born peers.
Plus the majority of other developed countries send their children to school at 6 or 7. Generally be teenage years they achieve either the same or higher than UK children AND our levels of mental health are much worse.
However, unfortunately it is up to the schools discretion whether or not you can start them a year later in Reception or have to go straight into year 1/skip a year at some point so that is a conversation you need to have with the head beforehand