Should I Keep My Son in Preschool Next Year?

[FreddieFoxtrot]

Hi guys,

So D.S (3.5) is in preschool. He's a July baby, and the youngest in his class by quite some margin (most of the other children in his class have turned four already).

He's very happy at the school and is typically developing for his age. His teachers are very impressed with him and have no real concerns, but there are a few things that have been mentioned that I'm not sure would have been were it not for the (rather huge) age gap between his classmates.

Due to his age, he needs extra support to keep up with his classmates at the moment and is currently very anxious about 'moving up to big class' next academic year. If he stayed in preschool for another year, many of the children would likely be closer in age to him than his current classmates.

It's a fantastic school and we're keen to stay, but I don't want him to be subconsciously compared to children a year older than him for his first years in school.

What would you do? Any help and advice much appreciated :)

No; let him move into reception. They will have loads of summer babies. He will he fine

I have an end of July baby, who is now in Upper Sixth. He is 11 months younger than a handful of his year but only a few months younger than others and older than one or two. He’s predicted 4A* and it’s fair to say being young for the year hadn’t held him back socially or academically. If you decide to keep him back remember he will be 13 months older than some of his classmates. A tough decision for you to make, no obvious right or wrong, you’ll do what you feel right for your son

Move. Other parents will be worrying about their children too as will the children themselves. Who is subconsciously comparing him apart from you? I was the youngest - 31 August. I was physically smallest but by no means behind academically or emotionally. Children progress in different ways. Important thing is they actually progress. Sounds like "big school" is perhaps being made too much of. Rein the talk in and gradually introduce reception activities now like phonics.

You say he is worried about moving up to reception but is he subconsciously picking up on the fact you're worried about him academically? I'd be a lot more worried about the effect it would have on him to see everyone else moving up and him feeling like he's not good enough to go.

Academically he might flourish more bring one of the eldest in the next year but this is pointless if he's missing his friends and struggling with the fact they are all in reception and he's been left behind in nursery.

We have kept our summerborn in pre school for the extra year, they start reception at 5 this September. Best decision for our child. There is a Facebook group Flexible schooling for summerborns which is very useful to help you make a decision either way.

We’re doing this. Well, keeping DD in school nursery. I would only do if school would agree they can enter reception in September 2024 rather than going into year.

Academic research says by the time they sit their GCSE the achievement gap of summer born children has not closed.

This was in Mirror yesterday

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/children-born-november-top-class-29105328

What extra support does he need? Why is there so much talk about moving up to reception? We’re only half way through the year!

DD is a late June birthday and attended the school nursery. She moved up with her friends and a good third of class are summer born. Reception is play based anyway so I’d only think about delaying if the lack of readiness was more emotional or social.

The teacher has been talking about it to the children in class.

I'm an august birthday and I wouldn't have been impressed as a teenager if I was in the year below and had to stay an extra year at school. I went to a top university at just 18, was fine

I delayed my August born’s start at school so he was already 5 when he started Reception.

It was absolutely the right thing to do.

It was a hard decision to make and I went back and forth for over a year before coming to my final decision but I have no regrets.

You will always get 100 stories about how a summer born excelled at school, but the research shows that summer born children are disadvantaged through their entire schooling.

There is legislation/policies around the deferring of Summer Born children and this wouldn’t be in place unless it was recognised that those disadvantages were very real.

What did you decide to do? Similar position so reading old threads to calm the panic

His social and emotional development has shown remarkable development following the installation of grommets (turns out he had hearing loss due to glue ear). We've decided to send him up to reception and see how he does. He feels ready to me.

Amazing what a few months does, eh?!

That's great news, glad he's doing well and I'm sure it's a relief for you!

It so is! Is your l.o about to go into reception?

Yes he's a June birthday too so just stressing myself if he'll be ready but think I know deep down he'll be fine and is excited plus he has a little group of friends, one of whom is May birthday, going at the same time. I had thought about deferral so just reading round it at the moment but not likely we'll end up doing it