Summerborn deferral

[Smellysaurus]

We are considering deferring our summerborn DD and having her start reception a year later at just gone 5. We are in England in a super selective area.

We may consider independent schools and I guess my question is how independents view deferral? I'm sure it'll depend on the school but would be good to hear other people's experiences on whether they are open to it.

Also, how is the 11+ treated for deferred summerborns?

Some areas/schools have a 12+ for children who don't pass

Our 11+ board doesn't do birth month weightings.

It's not that I think she'll struggle in reception at just turned 4 more that I think overall she has a better shot at thriving throughout her academic career if she is deferred. Plus the fact that we'll be in a non-English speaking country and she will in effect be behind in reading/writing because they don't do it here, makes me sure that deferring would be better for her.

I was originally wondering whether the independents were more open to deferring than state schools but actually the 11+ seems to be more the issue.

OP I think the independents will view deferrals in a similar way tot he grammars? If you look at any admissions policy for an independent school, it will state which 12 month period the child must be born in to apply.

Completely see your point about thriving throughout their school career though. I have a late July born and although she is doing fine in Y5, she would have gained so much confidence in her earlier years from being the oldest rather than the youngest in the class.

If we weren't in a grammar area I don't think I'd mind so much you know. But it's ridiculously competitive and the comprehensive alternatives are dire (which is why it's so competitive).

I've never seen anything negative about deferring, only positives.

OP - Until Y5 I would have said I was anti deferring my dd, as her experience has been broadly positive.

She was at the bottom of the class in reception and was in the small group taken out of lessons for extra help for Reception and Year 1. She hated it and felt stigmatized by it. But she's a fighter and in a way that early disadvantage spurred her on. She doesn't take anything for granted and works really hard - and now at the end of Y5, she's in the top third of the year. She'll be sitting 11+ exams in September and she's been very driven this summer to work hard so that she gives herself the best possible chance (compared to her very laid back September born brother a few years back!!)

So I can see that her experience has turned out well for her in that respect. But I can also see that had she deferred that it would have been a more comfortable journey and she might have been a less anxious child because of it. from a sporting perspective it would have been the making of her too - rather than scraping into sports teams, she'd have been the star.

But until 11+ policies have been clarified I'd hold off deferring - being forced to sit the 11+ at the beginning of Y5 would put any child at a massive disadvantage.

I think you will find some independent schools open to it. Not the very selective, competitive ones because they would have a flood of parents holding their DC back to get in. However, there are plenty of lovely, less selective schools which would be open to it.

You don't need the school that gets the best results, you need the school that gets the best results out of YOUR child. If that is one that will allow them to be deferred so be it.

Don't know if this is helpful or if you know about it already

www.gov.uk/government/news/summer-born-children-to-get-the-right-to-start-school-later

My DD is late August born, just scored very highly on her 11+ and is going to Grammar in September, she kept up with the high achieving September borns throughout her primary school, she has not been tutored and we are certainly not a middle class family, neither my husband or I have a degree, if children are encouraged to learn and want to learn they will, the only disadvantage, she has faced is in her maturity and understanding what's required of her in the school environment as opposed to the older children.

The announcement plimsolls highlights has not been followed up by any action by the government. One year on it is still up to individual admission authorities to decide whether or not to allow a summer-born child to start Reception at the age of 5. They are required to consider cases individually rather than implementing a blanket policy. However, most will refuse unless there is evidence that the child is less well developed than other children of their age. Also, as others have highlighted, if the request is granted there is a very real chance that the child will have to skip Y6 or Y7.

Local authorities have to consider requests. Parents have no automatic right to defer, and bluntly there's a lot if unnecessary fuss made about it.

Also have to remember the child moves with its chronological age group, so at the end of year five rather than year six.