Deferring entry to the reception class by a whole year in England.

[Hope88]

Hi, my son was born in July so he would be 4.1 years when he is supposed to start the primary school. Does anybody know whether it's possilble to defer the entry by one year and start the reception class when he is 5 ??? I cannot find any information anywhere. I know you can defer by a few months (i.e. start in January/April) but that does not really appeal to me as he would miss out on forming friendships at the begging. Thank you for your answers.

btw mine are now 12 and 9 so i didnt do it that long ago, 3 yrs and they coped fine :)

mrz I agree. My Aug born dd1 is more advanced both in her work and maturity than some of the oct/dec born children in her class. She has coped very well with being the youngest in her class.

My ds who has a birthday in Oct so one of the eldest has struggled with everything.

Every child is different. op reception is very similar to nursery, its just a longer day. They start gently learning the alphabet and basic words and maths but it done in such a way that they are not pushed and its more learning through play anyway. My middle dd2 is a may baby and she loves reception

Date of Birth ? Please give your child?s date of birth in the box provided. You will be required to provide proof of your child?s date of birth when offered a place. The following confirmation of date of birth will be accepted: birth certificate, passport, immigration document, child benefit book/notification (where date of birth shown). If your child is due to start reception class in September 2012 school, his/her date of birth should fall between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008.

odd how all these LAs ask for a birth certificate
www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CFoQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.westminster.gov.uk%2Fdocstores%2Fpublications_store%2FWCC%2520Primary%2520guidance%2520notes%25202012%2520Final%2520160811.doc&rct=j&q=starting%20school%20documentation%20Your%20child%E2%80%99s%20birth%20certificate%3B&ctbs=ctr%3AcountryUK%7CcountryGB&ei=Aa2MTrviEsyxhAe-kJjWAw&usg=AFQjCNHJUrmB_NqK0X0JnLJIAI67G_kpUg&cad=rja

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.luton.gov.uk%2FMedia%2520Library%2FPdf%2FLifelong%2520learning%2FLEA%2520Documents%2520and%2520Publications%2FStartingSchool%2520A4%2520ApplForm.pdf&rct=j&q=starting%20school%20documentation%20Your%20child%E2%80%99s%20birth%20certificate%3B&ctbs=ctr%3AcountryUK%7CcountryGB&ei=Aa2MTrviEsyxhAe-kJjWAw&usg=AFQjCNEYOuTzXYuiL1WZuXlKizlyQP0f-Q&cad=rja

^Note 1. Date of birth. Please help us by making sure that you give the right date of birth for your child as this ensures
that s/he is placed in the correct year group. If your child has not attended a Harrow school before, please provide
proof of date of birth. This can be your child's birth certificate, passport, or appropriate immigration papers. You will
need to supply good photocopies of documentation to verify date of birth. If you do not provide proof of date of
birth your application is not complete and cannot be processed. This will delay offering a place for your child^.
www2.harrow.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=31736

^This is published in the pdf icon Starting Primary School 2012 brochure [1Mb] and in the schools' own brochures. It may be:

a medical certificate, if applying under the medical criteria
a copy of a birth certificate, if applying under the sibling criteria
proof of faith or supplementary form, if applying to a voluntary aided (faith) school.

You must ensure you send the required information directly to the school by the closing date for applications.^

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/index.jsp?articleid=9172

Yeah, as others say, don't try to defer reception a whole year, just jump into Year 1, or start Reception in January or maybe April if the school will let you. Reception is very much like nursery, but they do have to fit into the school routine and do as they're told a lot more, and they do have to go 5 days a week 9-3 (at our school right from September, whatever age).

Don't worry about friendships, they are very fluid and it won't be a problem making friends. It does depend on the child like others say, and it's not all about "academic" skills- just coping with the longer day is tough for some. I'm very pleased my DS is October birthday or I would certainly have wanted to delay entry/considered deferring. Even now, I'm conscious that he doesn't legally have to go to school until January!!

If you are considering private schooling they may be more flexible - there is one child out of year in DD's yr 1 class (2 weeks too old). But not without issues re secondary admission or if the child goes into state.

There are many campaigners who want children in England to be able to defer a year if it suits that child best. There is an enormous amount of evidence which clearly shows that on average summer born children do not do as well. In particular summer born boys. My vested interest in this matter is as a parent of a late summer born boy. So join the campaigns. This situation will not change until enough people do something about it. I belong to a newly formed Facebook group - Learning Differences. I also submitted replies to the recent government consultation on School Admissions Code, as well as the ludicrous Rose review. The issue of summer born children comes up on a regular basis.

Well done veryconfusedatthemoment I will look it up on Facebook.

I just could not believe the reception class curriculum when I read it. I thought they mainly did art, music and PE but there is so much maths and spelling ( writing sentences!) I just think there are some children who are not ready at 4 and it will knock down their confidence. Why the rush? Why is there no freedom of choice?

2 years ago Hope88 I was in exactly your position, worrying about my late summer born boy, but he loved reception.

It sounds scary when you read the curriculum, but the teachers introduce it very gradually, I'd be amazed if the sentence writing wasn't what we used to call 'news' ie, an attempt at mark making that becomes more legible.

Really, truly, he would be fine starting. Teachers are used to differentiating and will embrace your child's needs. In a couple of years time you'll wonder what you were worrying about.

They don't have to write. Sure they encourage them, but they don't have to.

My DS (not summer) didn't write a thing in reception, and this wasn't a problem.

In fact with hindsight I know that school should have been concerned that he wouldn't write, because it was an indication he had fine motor skills problems and SN.

But it didn't bother school the least. Was not raised at parent teacher meetings or in his reports.

Not like that here, we just fill a form in and post it to LA. Have never been asked for proof of anything.
I'm not saying it's the right thing to do btw, I'm just saying I considered doing it and I believe I would have got away with it.

My sister kept her child back a year as you're allowed to do in Scotland. She was fine in p1 but by p2 she's getting bored as too far ahead.

Reception really is learning through play. My DS spent pretty much all day in the construction area building towers with his friends or outside playing. However, he has learned to read and write so he must have done some! He was doesn't really like to write and has never been pushed. Year 1 seems to still be mostly learning through play with some more learning!

Our HT was waiting at the door on the first day of term turning kids away who's parents hadn't produced their birth certificates.

She said they couldn't properly admit them until she had seen the forms and two families had to go home to get them.

ds1 born 31 August - absolutely as young as you can be for the year. He started reception in the summer term but I wish he'd had a whole year in reception, in retrospect, because he loved it so much and it's so play-based. It was knackering for him at first but then it is for all children whenever they start.

There's definitely a massive gap between the old-end children and young-end in YR and initially ds1's friends were from the young-end of the year, but this has changed over time. His birthday hasn't affected ds1 socially or academically as far as I can tell - he loves school and is doing fine. We obsessed over it but the teacher said she had no idea he was so young and she certainly didn't think it was an issue. Good luck, whatever you decide.

DD is the youngest in her year and the brightest in terms of measurable 'skills'. But there are a vast range of abilities that they look for. Some of the older Autumn born children are socially immature, some still having toilet accidents. It's not as straightforwards as summer born = struggle.

And they learn through play. DD doesn't know she's learning. On Friday last week they had a pirate party for a visiting polar bear. Not only did they 'write' invitations, but they did maths (counting up treasure for the treasure hunt), geography (the polar bear traversed many terrains to get from the North Pole to Norfolk), they shared, invented games, learnt songs, covered mammals, transportation etc. She is learning hundreds of things a day and none of it involves sitting down and being aware of it.

And not only did we have to provide a birth certificate when we applied, we had to take it to the first parents evening in late August too.

DD's reading and writing has come on in leaps and bounds with no formal learning. The writing and letter sounds is mainly achieved through drawing on the playground with chalk and singing crazy phonics songs.

I understand the worry. I was terrified about sending dd in at 4 and a bit but it's been the making of her in many ways. I know you want freedom of choice but school is a system and they have to draw the line somewhere. A good school might not be able to keep your child back a year but they will differentiate the work to suit each individual child and if there are any question marks over how they are coping then the schools have the power to put a plan in place for part time schooling or waiting until the next term and trying again. DD's reception class is the noisiest, most exhilarating and fun place she has ever been. We do live in Norfolk though.

DD1 is the eldest in her year. There are drawbacks to wherever they fall in the year but good teachers can accommodate all abilities.

If your DC are not coping with a full school day then talk to the school. Our school accommodated my friend's wish that her August born DD did full days Mon-Wed & Half days Thursday & Friday until Easter.

Strange how different all LA's are. I have never had to provide DD1's birth certificate

( Northamptonshire btw)

We had to produce a birth certificate. Fortunately, as we'd temporarily mislaid it for one DC, they accepted passport instead.

You cannot defer a reception place beyond the end of the reception year (I'm not sure exactly where it cuts off in the summer term). So if you want to omit the reception altogether, you'll have to (re)apply in year one. If the school is full, your DC may have to go elsewhere.

Over here we can choose when to send them, the only rule is they have to start before they're 6.

ds1 started at barely 4, the oldest child in his class is 18 months older than him (the same age as his sister in the class above) and oddly enough they're best friends

He's not bottom ability by any means, in fact he's ahead of where dd and her friends were at this stage last year. He copes just fine.

That said, our school days are a lot shorter, infants finish at 1.30 and 1st-2nd class finish at 2.30.

am in norfolk and have NEVER had to show a birth certificate for any of mine, 3 at school currenlty and one starting next sept.

Glad I'm not the only one not showing a birth certificate, was thinking my LA was incompetant. I have filled in 6 applications between my 2 school age DC and never been asked for any official ID.

I think the moral is some places do ask to see the bc, some don't but you can't guarantee which camp your lea or school falls into. And I've just spoken to a friend who teaches (in Norwich 4madboys) and she said they don't ask for the birth certificate. Because the council checks with the registry before you even get your place...

I'd suggest not lying.

mine did not do reception.

Straight to year one. The school will not hold the place for a whole year. You take that risk in hoping for a place in year one. Not sure about starting in reception a year later, but just having that extra year out of school was positive for us.

Good luck.

yes i thought that would be the case (i am in norwich) as the form that comes to ask you to register them for school ALREADY has their dob on it, so they must get it from the registry office!

and having the extra time out of school was positive for us as well, norfolk has a big home ed movement tho, so there was always plenty to do and plenty of people to meet up with etc :)

My dd (4 in August) has just started reception and is having a whale of a time! I was concerned for her as she does seem very young to be in full time but so far, not only is she coping well, she positively loves it! I may give her odd days off here and there if she gets really tired, but other than that there doesn't seem to be any benefit to deferring her start.