Deferring school entry - England

[GlynistheGimmer]

Hi all

Could anyone who has done this or even thought about it, please share a few thoughts/ideas with me?

I'm not sure my DD is going to be ready for reception in Sept...and before anyone says it, yes I know it's a long time between now and then, I would just like to discuss it She will be 4 in June.

If you wanted a deferred start, say until after christmas, did you talk to the school at all or just 'suck it and see'? What was your school's reaction, did they welcome the dialogue or not?

Why did you think your DC wasn't ready for school?

TIA

Glynis I may not have got this (we are in Scotland) but if your dd is 4 in June couldnt you defer and send her in Sept 2012 as that will be the first new term after her 5th birthday? My Ds will be 5 in July and will start in August but if he were born after August 18th he could wait until 2012.

The letter we had from the council this week implied we could ask the school for whatever we wished - full time, part time, starting whenever. I want dd3 to start full time in January when she will be 4.75. That worked fine for both of her big sisters. Up till now the school has done a January entry anyway so I don't anticipate any problems.

Jubilee10 : the system in England is that if you "defer", all you do is avoid sending the child to school/continue on at nursery - and then the child joins the same class that he would have been if you had not chosen to defer , having "missed" or only done part of the Recepton year ie, the child stays with the orginal peer group (who of course have now made friends etc and had the benefit of the reception year) and is still the youngest in the class

It's not like Scotland, where if you you defer, your child ends up being one of the oldest in the class instead of one of the youngest. All children have to start in Primary 1 (equivalent of Reception), whether they defer or not.

watching with interest as it is something DH and I have just started considering for DD who is due to start in September

The Law says, children over the age of 5 must receive a full time education, this need not be in a school. any child of any age can go to school part time at the head masters discretion.
any one can use the law to there advantage, keep a child at home for as long as they like, let them learn with play based activity's. teach child one on one. children move with family's all the time so a child starting mid year or missing a year is not really going to be a big deal.
if you want to ask for part time , i would get involved with the school, become a parent reader or whatever the school needs, plan what you would do with your child on there days off, then approach the head.
good luck.

Just a thought, but can you defer once they have started? ie if you feel that the long day is too much for them?

The Scottish system is so much better

Bradford ran the Scottish-style system until last year. Now you have to get a speech therapist or paediatrician to back you if you want to offset (start reception at 5 and continue in that later year).

We deferred for a full year for my late-talking son and starting reception at 5 not 4 (ie now he can talk and play imaginative games with other kids) has transformed his life chances.

I still get cross about other kids not having this chance so will go away now.

Ladies I am a little confused. I have twin July born boys. I want to defer their entry to school by one year. Is this possible in England and if anyone has done it what is the route? I do not want to just delay entry to reception and end up in the same primary 1 class as if they had not deferred. I want to defer primary 1 by one year. Can someone shed some light for me as all the links I have tried do not work anymore. Thanks

Unless they have a special need then no you can't on the whole in the state system. This is because the English system is hot on differentiation, so making the work suitable for the wide spread of ability pupils in a class.
Some areas did allow pupils to defer a year, however when pupils got to secondary age thy would have to suddenly jump a year (this is what happened for example in Brent in London).
(Also you sound as if you are Scottish or Irish, as it isn't called primary 1 in England but Year 1.)

Agree with Mummytime. If you defer for a full year in England your children will almost certainly go into Y1, missing Reception completely. You will also find a very limited choice of schools.

And, as Mummytime highlights, in some areas even if you can get the school to agree to take your children into Reception a year late the result will be that they end up skipping Y7 so that they go back into the "correct" year group.

Sorry but I'm afraid that's the way the system works in England.

Others have said this, but depends what you mean by defer.

You need to apply for a place the year before the academic year your child will turn five (i.e. now). You do not need to formally educate her formally until she is five. So, with a July birthday, you could apply, secure a place, and never send your child to school that year without breaking the law. The school have to keep the place open for you.

But your child is part of that year, so when she does have to go it will be straight into year one.

Beyond the 'five' cut off much is at the discretion of the school. Many have split intakes for January and September. Many others have a system where children can attend only mornings at school without being deemed absent. You might like to see what the school's view is when selecting a school. There can be a funding issue for children on roll in January but not attending, but this doesn't alter your legal right not to send your child before they are 5.

Finally, in some cases where multiple factors apply-usually a general or specific developmental delay combined with a late birthday it is sometimes possible to get an E.P. to recommend deferral, just as they can recommend moving 'up' a year for the talented. But the decision is usually reviewed at various points, and your child may find themselves 'missing' a year.

Persoanlly, I sent my son, verbally dyspraxic and only just securely toilet trained, to school at 4 years 3 days. He is tired, but has also loved every minute of it, and is performing at the top of his class. Don't be so certain they're not ready....

The school have to keep the place open for you.

I'm afraid that is wrong. If you follow Adela's suggestion you will lose the place. If you didn't tell the school anything and just didn't send your child to school you would lose the place within a few weeks of the start of the year. If you tell the school you intend to defer by a full year you would lose the place immediately. If you tell the school you intend to defer until later in the year and didn't send your child on the expected start date you would lose the place a few weeks later. However you approach it you will lose the place at some time during the year.

I should also point out that the decision as to when your sons start school is yours, although they must start full time education no later than the start of term following their fifth birthday. The school do not have any discretion on that.

Hi
I deferred my julyborn dd until January - she started last week. You can pm me if you want to know more, but the school has been great and she seems to be settling fine

Hi,

Try to figure this out!

My child started in Year R at school A in September 2010. School B was our preference but we decided to keep her on it's waiting list until the end of term.
We then submitted a continued interest application to School B which she has remained on ever since.
I was aware that a place became available for Year R in mid-June 2011 (last year). Unfortunately my child was rightfully outranked by another child using the published admission criteria.
I only found out last month, the child's parents that had been awarded the place, chose to defer until the start of next term which was also the following academic year (September).
Everything that I had read previously had stated that parents cannot chose to defer their child's reception place into the following academic year.
After various email exchanges with Essex County Council Admissions, I was told that normal rules do not apply as it was not an application made during the normal admission rounds.

Discuss?

Danni x

I don't entirely agree with their reasoning but I don't think they have done anything wrong.

When a place is accepted for any year the child does not have to take up the place immediately. It is usual to allow a number of weeks for the place to be taken up. Six weeks is fairly common. If the place is not taken up in that time it will be lost. For a place offered and accepted in mid-June that takes us into the summer holidays, so the child can start in September without losing the place. I am therefore of the view that Essex are in the clear on this one.

You can, of course, appeal and argue that your child should have been admitted given the decision by the parents.