Summer-borns, delaying starting or mornings only options?

[NoseWiperExtraordinaire]

I have a summer-born DS and wondering what the options are for starting school. I'm aware that legally he doesn't have to start until the term after his 5th birthday, which would put him a whole year behind his year group.

Although my heart and beliefs lie more with starting school later aka Scandanavian approach, I'm not sure I would want to consider holding him back from his friendship and year group, unless he were developmentally challenged (he's not).

I am more concerned whether he will cope with 5 full days (and that he'll be out of nappies but I know it's still a long way off!).

What are the pros and cons around delaying starting to January or Easter? Is attending mornings only a good alternative? Are schools generally reluctant to consider this and does anyone have any tips around how would I go about approaching this?

TIA

just to say in our area the schools do not have to hold a place for your child if you defer a year so if the school you want is over subscribed you are unlikely to get a year 1 place. a good school and good reception teacher will do all they can to make all children settle well. once you visit the school and chat you should have a better idea.

My DS is August born and in reception. They all started with half days and it was a pain in the arse. We'd barely got home before we were picking him up again, and then had to find ways to fill the rest of the time when he was too tired to do much.

It was a relief when he started full days. He was still tired but it wasn't much worse than half days tbh and he was a lot more settled spending a decent amount of time at school.

DS is end of August. He is now in year 9. You cannot tell the older and younger ones apart - they are all hulking gorillas.
Mums of reception kids worry a lot about how their babies will cope and the simple answer is that they will. Schools are used to dealing with it.

My ds is a summer born and he's still half days. He is the only one! He stops until 1pm after lunch and then comes home.
We have always struggled with ds and sleep, the more tired he is the less he sleeps and then he becomes quite hyperactive. We were worried that if too tired he just would get into trouble at school.
He is coping fine and we will probably start some full days as of next week. The school have been very helpful and so far haven't put any pressure on us to send full time.

I was wondering about this too. My DD2 will be starting days after her fourth birthday next year. There is an option to do January starts but few if any did this in DD1's year. When DD2 starts she will have DD1 in year 2 and at least be familiar with the playground etc. She is such a big baby I do wonder how she will manage without cuddles on tap and laps to snuggle on.

I'm an April birthday and started in the Summer term as the school policy was to allow you to start the term in which you became 5. I still remember feeling lost and clueless. I don't remember anyone pointing out the other children had been in the class for longer then me and academically it took until year 2 to catch up. I'm sure things have much improved since the late 70s/early 80s though.

DS was prem August born so due in next school year. When he was in Year 2 we moved schools and I put him in Year 1. He also had glue ear and visual problems.
It has been the best thing. Now at the age of eleven he is happy, confident, bright and flying along. Socially he fits.

My July born DS was v shy and nursery worried abut how he would cope socially and i was realy cheesed with the system sending him so early. I stuck my neck out and insisted on part time start to reception for him, though in our area they all usually do full time from start.

He did three 1pm finishes and 2 full days the first term, then changed schools and did two 1pm finishes and rest full days until Easter. Poodle on mumsnet said negative things about it. He was the only one out of class of 30 at 1st school and out of class of 55 at 2nd and no problems from children at either. He did much better socially than expected, but was exhausted and needed the extra support/time at home and so the mix of shorter days worked really well for him.

Would do it again in a flash.

In fact, aim to do 3 1/2 or 4 days a week with 2nd DS (also summer born) when starts reception next sept.

I think prob with January start would be missing start of phonics. But you could ask what sounds covered in 1st term and learn correct pronunciation and teach them to him so not behind.

In my year 1/2 class I currently have a year 1 girl (late July birthday) who started school at Easter. Oh my goodness!! There is sooo much that she can't do/doesn't know (understandably of course) compared to the other children with July and August birthdays. She really is out on a limb with no other children to work with. I really would avoid starting late if you can possibly avoid it. All reception teachers I know are very aware of the issues faced by summer born children and allow for this. But at least by being in school they are hearing/seeing what the others are doing.

Agree with those saying if you defer for a year, you will go straight into Y1, and bypass reception totally.

Also agree with those saying ask about the number of kids deferring for a term or two - I'd hate to be the new child after everyone else has worked out the system - lots of what DS1 has been doing seems to have been about learning how school works rather than learning, iyswim?
Also, loads of play.

Tough one. Most people don't seem to defer any more - back in the days, I think many more deferred by a term.

Agree with talkinpeace.

My DS is 31st Aug (born 2 weeks early). He started school at 4 yrs and 10 days. He had 3 weeks of part time and then was in full time.

Yes he was very tired, but he coped fine. He is now in yr4 and doing very well.

Now 10yo DD is a summer-born and started Reception in January (there was no choice about that), did work the oldest children had done the term before and the oldest children obviously seemed confident, in a few cases bossy, about school-life.

Perhaps it's her nature, but she essentially ranked herself in the class pecking order based on that and it was a few years before she stopped assuming the older children were better at everything. Around Y2/3 she was doing things like routinely getting best scores in maths tests etc., but would still point to one of the oldest children if you asked her who was best at maths. This was the bane of our lives for quite a while and there's still a hint of it left now, so unless a child is obviously too young/fragile I'd definitely want a normal Sept start to help mitigate that kind of potential problem.

My DS2 is the youngest in his year (60 children). He's quiet and sensitive and a boy who likes his sleep. Our school doesn't do staggered intakes so he had to start 5 days after his 4 birthday. I worried a lot but he was absolutely fine. Couple of toilet problems in the first weeks but he settled in well. It helped that his preschool was in the school and he was familiar with the playground and some of the children and teachers. He was used to 3 hours preschool 5 days a week so it wasn't too much of a leap.

At the end of the reception year his teachers said that someone who didn't know the children's birth months would never imagine he was the youngest as he was perfectly able and a strong reader. And he really enjoys school, has from day one.

You can only take your lead from what the school allows and your child's ability and personality.

DS will be 4 in August, and we have considered delaying til January, but actually I don't think it will benefit him - all his peers will have moved on from nursery and he will miss out on the social bit of the first term at school.

He's doing 3 full days at nursery school (9-3) this year, so I think he should cope with 5 days at school ok. Luckily I will be on maternity leave when he starts so if he does find the first term tough he can always have some days at home.

Wow, thanks for all the replies.

It's good to hear all the different experiences and I guess there are a lot of us (and children) facing this issue. I have heard elsewhere, as well as mentioned on this thread, about summer-born boys in particular, doing less well over all. Hopefully our school will be willing to work with DS and allow us some flexibility according to how he finds it, that seems to be the key thing which stands out from those who have adjusted well.

School is generally very caring, and good in many ways (which is just as well as we don't really have a lot of choice and it would be hard practically to send him anywhere else) so hopefully that bodes well.

There are lots of assertions made about summer born children, (no doubt from research at some point) that they will be immature and behind their older peers. They are not all like this. Some are confident, articulate and very ready for school. To hold them back just because of a birth date is wrong. There are a few who may not be ready for full time but most go to reception class and are happy there. Both mine were summer born and they were not tired either. Don't lose the place by delaying until year 1 as this would happen in an over-subscribed school. Mine would have been devastated to be considered a "baby at nursery" for so long.

Yes, I'm definately going to apply for a place from September, and initiate discussions around what would happen if I feel he's not quite ready at the time, what provisions they might make etc....

I think also this thread has reminded me how similar reception is to nursery. I guess it's what happens as they progress more formally through Key Stage 1, and how ready they are for that, which perhaps matters more.

I deferred DS till the January. By the end of year 1 he was the best reader in the class. Still is, now he's in year 4. So much for missing phonics!

ImaginJL, I was just reflecting on having some difficulty in accepting that delaying starting is somehow "wrong" or thought of as "holding them back". It may well be sometimes unfavourable all the while it is widely considered with that kind of terminology (which I use myself, I'm sure!) but if it became more commonplace, with less stigma attached and more children doing just that, I don't think it would be considered as holding them back. It's going at their speed to give them the best chance to fulfil their potential. And clearly it worked for your son

Plus as far as friendship groups are concerned, DS1 hung about with the older ones at nursery and was devastated when he lost his friends when they went up to school and he didn't. Yes it was tough, but he survived and learnt valuable lessons in building new friendships. He is very sociable now.

Just for info:
There are parents that are challenging the system to have their summer-borns start IN reception AT compulsory school age and succeeding

www.facebook.com/groups/121613774658942/

summerbornchildren.org/home-2/

"succeeding"
how?
why?
funded?

DS is a July baby and we deferred reception til the January. That worked well for us.

You are entitled to a part time, full time or no time time table. Some heads are awkward though and insist on full time. If you have no agreement, still send your child part time. The LEA and ESW's won't be interested in a 4 year old reception child with low attendance. Agree you need to put your child's needs first. All my young boys struggled overwhelmingly with exhaustion in reception. They were part time but still achieved above average and made nice friends.

We've had a single point of entry for 5 years now and very few parents choose yo defer of use PT option. TBH most children cope really well. They are tired by Friday, but we adjust our organisation to how the class is presenting. We are very play based though. There are some R classes getting increasingly formal.

Talkinpeace
"Succeeding" as in have their requests for a start in reception at compulsory school age granted.

"how?" By challenging their admissions authorities which often have misleading or unlawful admission arrangements - often having to get the DfE involved where admission authorities are acting unreasonably - the DfE has confirmed that "...it is the government's view that there should not need to be any exceptional reasons for a summer born child to be admitted to the reception class rather than year one at age 5...”

"why?" - For many and varied reasons - parents feel that it is in the best interests of their child.

"funded?" - Part of the normal admissions round.