Entry at 7,8,11,13+ for August born child kept back a year

[privatetutor]

Hi, I'm posting on behalf of a client. We are trying to work out whether or not a child, born in August, who will go into the year below, will be negatively affected when it comes to common entrance.

For example, will the schools permit him to take the common entrance according to the year he is studying in, or would he have to take it a year earlier in line with his DOB?

If you can point me in the right direction, I'm very happy to read up about it myself but perhaps somebody already knows?

Thank you very much.

As far as I understand, it depends on a school. So, I'd call a number of potential target middle/secondary schools in your area and ask them.

Admission authorities have to give consideration to summer born children but do not have to grant any request to keep them back a year. The expectation is they will transition with their chronological cohort - ie from year 5 to 7 to 'catch up'.

School dependent - ring your target schools and speak to admissions.

the independent school my dc will join in september has the following criteria for its entrance exams on its website:

10+ (over 10 and under 11 on 1st September of year of entry) :
11+ (over 11 and under 12 on 1st September of year of entry )and
13+ (over 13 but under 14 on 1st September of year of entry):

That would imply he would have to take it a year earlier. Whether or not they make exceptions for children who are out of year I dont know. This might actually work for you though as i know they score some papers (all?) according to age in the year so being young for your year could be seen as an advantage.

Nonsense t4gnut. There is no such expectation, although some schools seem to believe there is. It's in the best interests of children to stay with their cohort and many more schools and local authorities are accepting of this now.

the OP is talking about independent schools who set their own entrance criteria so they need to find out the situation there - as a previous poster said that is always going to involve asking individual schools directly.

The very recent changes that will increase the numbers permitted to start late will I think eventually have to feed through to private secondaries, but I would hate to have to rely on it - especially if scholarships and bursaries might eventually matter.

I suspect private secondaries would be under a lot of pressure to say no and stick to the published age guides because they would face stick from other parents paying full fees if a say 12 and 20 day year old on the 1st September was given a bursary/scholarship over an 11 and 363 day year old, or even got a place above another child who was in year and under 12 on entry.

All a bit silly but they have to set limits somewhere i guess or you could have 13 years olds taking exams designed for 11 year olds etc.

As an aside, i was put up a year at school and wouldnt recomend it. I think going down a year could be equally problematic socially.

"Nonsense t4gnut. There is no such expectation, although some schools seem to believe there is. It's in the best interests of children to stay with their cohort and many more schools and local authorities are accepting of this now."

I've colleagues in local authorities who've been briefed that delayed admission is at their discretion and certainly not a right, and that they as a local authority can insist they transition with their chronological cohort.

that is Surrey County Council's stated policy as well according to the other thread on this - any child doing this now will have left university by the time that would ever have chnaged at the pace that they move at.

We looked in to this for my August born DD and I spoke to the registrars at lots of London independent schools. All of the most academic ones said that they'd expect her to sit CE/11+ at the right time going by her birthday. One told me their concern was that with the competition for places so high and so many tutoring it already it could be abused to give kids an advantage over others in the exam. I did find a couple of schools who said they'd consider it (and then only if the child started reception late rather than dripping back a year) but they said they'd factor age into the exam results anyway meaning the bar would be higher.

Having looked around the only schools I found that did have kids out of year in their senior sections were those with linked junior schools so may be worth focusing on them.

If the child is going to need to move at 7, 11 or 13 I'd be very careful about moving back a year.

Sorry for typos

You will have to check with the individual schools your client is contemplating, and be aware that a lot can change in the decade or so before the prospective reception pupil sits CE.

Some schools (like Eton) have always included in their published admissions info that they will consider which year group an August born DC can be considered for, in light of head's recommendation and wider circumstances. Most schools don't include explicit reference to their policy on their websites, but should be able to tell you if you enquire.

The single thing that will make the biggest difference is a persuasive prep head who will start making calls from about year 5 onwards.

I think it depends on the school. For example charterhouse have some flexibility as do Caterham and by the looks of pp so does Eton.

My ds is coming to the end of year 1 and is 6 in the summer holidays. We're keeping in his year group for now and will enquire nearer the time. His school ends at 11 and I know one child who moved elsewhere and then did 3 years as opposed to 2 so effectively went down a year.

My worry is if we did it now then it may mean problems later on and I'd rather know the state of play nearer the time.

It's not a right yet, except in Scotland, in England I believe the government intends to make it so. But they are obliged to act in the best interests of the child, and I can't imagine a case where missing a year of education does this. A JR on this would be interesting.

Some local authorities have made it their policy to grant all requests for CSA start for summer borns.

The government (whether Westminster, devolved or local government) can only decree what happens in state schools, and OP was specifically asking about the independent sector.

DS2 was held back a year due to prematurity. He is at an independent school that goes through to 18 and can stay out of year.

DS1 is in year 7 at a selective independent school and i asked him if he knew of anyone who delayed a year. He said there are twins who will turn 13 at the end of August.

It is possible but I think it would depend on circumstances.