Starting school for summer born child

[Fluteytootey]

Hi there

Is there someone here with good knowledge of the current situation for summer born children starting parimary school?

My dd has a late August birthday and is due to start reception in September. I'm not concerned about her academic ability but she really struggles socially. She has a mild speech delay and is lacking in confidence. She finds it hard to speak to her teacher/peers or put her hand up to answer a question (she's in a school nursery setting).

Her nursery teacher tells me that she's struggling to evidence any of her targets as my dd will hardly talk to her.

She looks 'lost' at playtime and tends to follow her classmates around rather than instigate or actively join in any play.

I have a meeting with the head next week to discuss her readiness for school and would like some advice on whether I have the right to defer her and her be educated out of cohort or if my only right is to defer her start.

Can anyone help or point me in the right direction?

I am also planning to defer my son for the same reasons. Academically, he will be fine but socially and emotionally not so much. Mental health is such a fragile thing and I don't want to send him when he isn't ready.

I am prepared to poker a bit with the LA because if they make him start in year 1, he will be homeschooled/educated privately instead. Most other countries don't start until 6/7, 4 and a few weeks is just ridiculous.

We have found supportive schools though and are hopeful it will be approved. I second the facebook group mentioned, so helpful!

So our county have a policy of letting the parents summer born children choose which year their children will start. Unfortunately our local school is listed as one of the ones where we have to have permission from the head. Fingers crossed for our meeting on Wednesday

Could you speak to the school you are planning to send your child to? Also bear in mind that if you are paying for nursery they have a vested interest in keeping him there, sorry if that sounds harsh.

I had the same concerns that mrz mentioned. I was not sure whether the head of a secondary school could refuse to take my child into year 7, and insist they go into year 8. I know that it is a really long way off, but it would be catastrophic for a child to be forced straight from year 6 into year 8.

We are lucky enough to be in catchment for a good state secondary school. I would hate to be chasing round the county trying to find a school that would be willing to take my child into year 7.

Neither of my children were ready to start reception just after their fourth birthdays, but it seemed the best option available. At least they will not be forced to miss any schooling.

My daughter is also a summer born. Her start in Reception was delayed until the summer term. Again she was academically able, but very shy and quiet, and allowed other children to completely boss her around.
She stayed in her preschool setting and I did some reading and writing with her at home before she started in Reception.
She had no problems catching up, and I think the extra two terms before she started helped her confidence. She is very confident socially now, and can stand up for herself and articulate what she wants to do.

It was definitely the right thing for us.

We have friends who were also in a similar position that home educated until the beginning of year 2 - again they are absolutely convinced that this was the best thing for their child.

I think people are often afraid of delaying until the summer term, because they think they will put their child at even more of a disadvantage. So I just want to reassure that this absolutely was not the case for us.

I have deferred my DD. She also had a speech delay which, thanks to the extra year, is now very nearly resolved. She has really thrived with an extra year in nursery and it is clear to both us and the nursery staff that she is in the right place. She fits perfectly in her adoptive cohort and is in no way 'bored'.

I am looking forward to her starting reception in September and also now confident that she will cope with the increasing demands once she starts year 1. I am a former year 1 and 2 teacher and have seen many summer borns struggle ( although of course there are always exceptions who do perfectly well). Statistically it is clear that summer borns do less well.

It's worth remembering that it is not just readiness for reception, but that they will be very young compared to their peers all the way through, starting secondary at a week past 11 and doing GCSEs at 15...

While the government has still not made their intentions the law, more and more summer borns are requesting a CSA (compulsory school age) start and we have certainly had it confirmed that DD will remain in her adopted year group at least until year 6.

At that point I it will be fairly impossible for any secondary school to be able to argue that it will be in her best interests to miss year 7!

I would really recommend the Facebook group
www.facebook.com/groups/121613774658942/

They have been really helpful and supportive through the minefield whole application process.

I would just reassure you that the issues you state I've seen in several children, nit just summer borns, starting reception. Almost all of them thrived in school and matured quite quickly.

My DS was not able to defer a year, only to defer until the summer term in the same class (missing 2 terms of reception Prep) so we went ahead a put him in just after his 4th birthday. DS was still having naps (kept falling asleep on the reading bean bags!) and his only target for the year was to sit on the carpet at reading time without having to be next to a teacher. Poor little bugger was seriously out of his depth...speech and language processing difficulties too so couldn’t make himself understood and couldn’t understand anyone but adults who could effectively translate for him. 13 yrs later and he’s still pretty sensitive, doesn’t make friends easily and doesn’t have the gift of the gab ever, but he is doing ok at school (not predicted to), has a few decent (nice) friends and is the loveliest, kindest man you’ll ever come across. Being 6’3” and really rather handsome helps too! He’s never enjoyed school but he’s kept at it and is mentally pretty tough also because I’m nothing has been easy.

Well if she is in nursery of the school she hopes to attend I would hope that they will be able to offer guidance on whether or not your daughter will be read for reception or not and I would expect the head to agree with what the teacher says.
Our head is not keen on deferrals but I know has let some children in the school nursery defer because the nursery teachers have agreed with the parents.

That facebook group is extremely helpful.

A year ago I was in a similar position with my august born. I'm not saying that you should apply for reception for her but in our case my son made massive strides in the last few months before starting school. Since starting he has progressed amazingly well.
So it was the right decision for us, but a year ago no way would I have known that

Her nursery teacher at the school doesn't think she'll be ready, but I don't yet know if the head will support that decision. We'll find out tomorrow morning.

Just to complicate matters, we live on the border of another county and lots of children in our area go to secondary school there. Their website seems to indicate that they are opposed to deferred entry and that to continue to be educated out of year at secondary transfer would only be agreed to under exceptional circumstances. They helpfully don't have a phone line (!) so I've emailed to ask for their position. This is such a minefield!

So the head said that this school doesn't accept deferred entry and I can either-
Go to another school
Start her part time
Not send her until Spring/Summer term

Is she allowed to have a blanket rule?

No she's not allowed to have a blanket ban each case should be considered on merit. To be honest the outcome is likely to be the same.

Point the head at the DFE advice which is clear that the decision must be based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child. The advice can be found at www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389448/Summer_born_admissions_advice_Dec_2014.pdf. A blanket ban is unacceptable.

However, I agree with Norestformrz. If the head wants a blanket ban they can simply consider every case and decide that it is not in the best interests of the child to defer entry.

Before 2015 most leas had the same approach but weren’t as honest about it - they always say it isn’t a blanket rule but in practice no one was allowed to defer.

Is another school an option?

I'm not sure that it is an option once. We live in a small village and all her friends go to the village school. I could drive her to the next village but that seems counter-productive. Also, she's in the school nursery so will know a lot of the children moving up. I'm not sure it'll be helpful to put her in a new class which children she doesn't know.

It doesn’t sound as though you can move her from what you say! Sorry the news isn’t better from the meeting.

You can send her a reduced timetable eg mornings only and iirc school have to agree? Just maybe check with the experts here or lea. I wonder if you told the head you were planning to do that she might become more receptive to the idea of deferring as the lesser of two evils?

Do you have a salt report that recommends deferring?

The head suggested a reduced timetable so that shouldn't be a problem. She also suggested her staying in Nursery for an extra one or two terms but I can't really see how that will help.
SALT assessment tomorrow morning so I'll update then.

Thanks for everyone's advice.

I've had some advice from that Facebook group and it turns out that the school's admissions code isn't compliant and that admissions authorities must make it clear the arrangements for applying for an out of year place.

Having had a look at the code, it also says in 2.17A that the admissions authority 'must take into account the views of the head teacher.' I assume that this is most relevant in cases where the head agrees for a child to be educated out of year but the local authority does not. In my case it's the other way round as the local authority has a policy of allowing it but the head says 'it's not possible'.

My concern is that if I were to go ahead and fight this it is likely that we'll end up with the same result anyway as she can just say that her views are that she shouldn't be educated out of year? I'll also end up pissing her off and as we really want to attend this school (this is our village school and the only one within walking distance) and know that we'll get in I don't want to be labelled as 'that parent' unless there's a good chance that I'll be successful!

I had success with a late reception entry quoting the nick Gibbs letter at the local authority. I also had a supporting letter from a salt saying my dc would miss all targets of forced to start too early. I can’t see that any school, given the pressure on targets, would want that.