"August baby...unlucky"

[Tea1Sugar]

This is what I heard one woman say to another in the GP waiting room today. Gobsmacked!!

I know there's the whole school debate but woah.

Dd1 is a May baby and dd2 will be making her appearance in April. I like that they are both spring babies but does anyone actually plan to have/avoid a certain birth month?! That's madness to me!!

This is a government report into the effect of month of birth and academic attainment. I've copied and pasted some of the key findings:

At Key Stage 1 in 2009, the gap in the percentage of pupils achieving the
expected level between summer and Autumn born pupils stood at 10 percentage points for writing, 8 percentage points for reading, and 7 percentage points for maths

Key Stage 2 - The gap between summer and autumn-born pupils in achieving the expected level for English and maths is 8 percentage points. Just 43% of August-born FSM boys achieve level 4 in English and maths
compared with 84% of September-born non-FSM girls.

GCSE attainment is used to assess the overall achievement of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (typically age 15). The following analysis presents the term of birth and month of birth gaps in achieving 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE (“five good GCSEs”) including English and maths. The gap between summer-born and autumn-born pupils stands at 6 percentage points. (47% of August births got 5 A to C GCSEs including English and maths, compared to 55% of September births.)

Of those students from the maintained sector KS4 cohort of 2007 who entered for Key Stage 5 qualifications (by any route) by 2009, September-born students averaged 21 QCA points more than those born in August, where 30 points = 1 A-Level Grade.

Autumn-born young people are more likely to enter for three or more A-levels than those born in summer (Fig. 2.2a). This feeds through into a 4 percentage point gap in the proportion entering for two or more A-levels (giving them access to Higher Education) between those born in August and September.

See also this news report on month of birth and how it effects entry to Oxbridge.

There are of course other factors that contribute to academic success, but month of birth seems to have a lasting effect throughout education.

Shit I'm doomed to a thick child ... The govt says so!! Load of crap, the govt education system is up the shoot anyway and what parent knows the difference in % points when they can't get their heads round curriculum levels anyway (my experience from parents eve)!! Plus it's also mentions the cohort tested were FSM so there's your larger factor at play there... We may as well give up now !!

Pregnant with my 3rd August baby . None of them planned to be August, but that's the way it's ended up...

We had been trying so long I didn't care but might have tried to avoid a December birthday as DH has one and hates it.
DD arrived in October

Ideally we wouldn't have wanted an august birthday but after a year of trying we now do and we are really pleased. Dh also has an August bday and his problem was he started school as the eldest in the year, at the end of that year he skipped a year and ended up as the youngest, so a double whammy. But he's turned out ok and is far more successful in business than I am but I'm more academic (dec bday). I reckon as long as we do our best for our child, love them and nurture their talents they will be fine

I have a September born DS who is 5 now and when I was pregnant everyone told me how well planned it was and congratulated me, I just thought it was really odd mainly because we had been ttc for 3.5 years and it was a complete fluke that he was due in September I would have been equally over the moon with an August baby!

Pregnant now and due tomorrow after trying for 4 years and the only time I stopped trying was December 2012 because I didn't want to be having a baby when my little boy was starting school last September. There are July/August children in my little boys class and they are all doing fine it's ridiculous.

I know a lady who has three September girls that were all planned that way because she wanted them to be the oldest in their class, I just think she should be thankful she is that fertile to be able to plan it!

As a September baby I could say that being a bit cleverer than most of my year made me lazy! Swings and roundabouts, innit?

Oh right, being born in August is what I can blame all my ills in life. No wonder I am such a failure. My life was over because I went to a university other than Oxford or Cambridge to get my degree

This must be one of the most ridiculous threads I've ever read anywhere on the internet.

I'm due in august, at the end. But I'm also an august born and not to brag, did just fine at school and have a degree in chemistry. I think often the children start off behind but obviously catch up later.
Saying that, I'm not sure if I'd rather mine were aug or sept. You are paying a year less childcare
If it's august...