Repeating reception year in independent education

[livinginaprison]

Hi, I have a just turned 5 year old boy who is the bottom of the class for writing maths and struggles with attention. He still can't write his name.

I feel, and always have that he will benefit form redoing the reception year but the teacher says that some independent schools won't allow him to enter within that year group.
Also, he won't be able to play in school tournaments.
He will only be in private education so the state schooling won't effect him.

Can I hear from nine who did this in private education and their experience- pros and cons and also the inpact on the child.

When is his birthday?

What year does his school go up to?
Do you know what school he's going to go on to?

I know someone who did -- her DD was an August birthday, was selectively mute (had only just started to talk to her Reception teacher at the end of her first run through Reception and still wouldn't talk to other teachers) and was struggling with Maths and Literacy (later she had some special needs diagnosed) and the (private) school was very supportive of repeating Reception. It definitely seemed to help in her case as she built a lot more confidence academically and socially, but I lost touch with them after a few years so I can't give a long-term view.

(she did transition to the next (also private) school fine, though, without any issue around her being out of chronological year group -- but I think it was somewhere that took a lot of pupils with SEN so they were sympathetic to the general situation)

He is summer born, May. I don't know what school he will go on to.
The school runs to year 7.

Are you 100% sure you want to pay for him to repeat a year in the same setting which has failed him so far this year?

He also has, but not confirmed, ADHD and ASD.
He was a premature baby. Initially I wanted him to start school a year later but at the very last min I thought I would rather him repeat another year at reception than repeat a year at nursery as he disliked his nursery.
His class teacher said that secondary schools tend not to allow boys to join if they are not in there year group, especially they repeated a year.
Should I contact independent schools to find out?

Yes, I don't feel they failed him at all. I feel he wasn't mature enough to start. He has come leaps and bounds as he has had lots of other health issues so he has achieved a lot.

I'm out of the system now but I know many kids who did this. It worked well for a lot of them I think but didn't exactly provide a miraculous cure to some of the issues so I think it's important to be aware of that.

I know of one prep school and one public school that allowed it but then my girls day school was a bit stricter and I didn't know anyone who was held back; you'll need to talk to the school and see what their view on it is.

Also I've never heard of them not being able to play in school teams etc, they'll just play for the one that's their age range. I was one school year ahead and I did competitions and all sorts and just adjusted it for my age rather than the age of my school friends; it didn't cause any issues at all.

The only minor issue I recall was having to wait a year for some vaccinations in secondary school so your son might need them a year earlier! Other than that barely anyone knew I was out of year. FWIW id do it if I were you.

He also has, but not confirmed, ADHD and ASD.

You may find that they will not continue with him in independent. I know that it is hard but you need to address this with them.

Is he at an independent school now, op? I don’t understand your “should I contact independent schools to find out?”
I’m afraid I have to agree with tanpestry; awful as it sounds.

We did it op. My DD is a summer born that went to the local state at just turned 4 despite me having huge reservations. She was ok but not flourishing and we ended up taking her out at the beginning of the summer term. She's now doing reception again at an independent school.

So far it's been a completely positive move. I'm not sure what the future holds re sporting competitions and moving up to secondary but I feel 100% that we made the right decision and we'll deal with any issues re her being out of age group if and when they arise.

The reason we went independent is that I couldn't find a state school that would be willing to let her repeat reception.

Good luck!!

Independent schools often have children out of exact year. A year down isn’t uncommon but you will need to stay independent for secondary in my view to keep a year down. Also if he’s not eligible for teams, he’s not eligible!

If your DS has SEN, don’t expect this to be cheap in the independent sector. You will pay for every expert report and extra tuition given. Also don’t necessarily expect him to stay at the school. Independent schools often find SEN too much for them. Many state schools have a far better understanding of SEN so be careful.

If he cannot write, have you been given tasks to do at home to help him? It’s not unusual being unable to form letters properly in yr. I am not sure and independent school wi help with his attention span and they can be fairly demanding regarding behaviour. As I said, be careful!

I agree with Bubbles. Many children with SEN are "managed out" of independent schools at some point. I also agree that state schools are often better and more knowledge with SEN.

It might be worth you speaking 0m a local state school - at the school where I work, the Local Authority have just agreed a child can repeat Reception due to SEN. This agreement will be for the "life of their education", as long as they stay within the same local authority.

It's not clear if he is currently at an independent school or not?

In short, yes I would repeat him but at an Indy school that can handle SEN and has that help included in the fees or it can get pricy fast. Plenty of Indy secondaries in fact all that I contacted about this same issue were fine with a boy "out of year". My DSS is repeating year 10 at an Indy school. The very selective ones won't do it but then that probably isn't the right type of school for your son.

You would be needing a very clear progression path that is open to sustaining this, bearing in mind the extent of any additional needs may only become clear in a few years' time. Independent schools are not always best equipped for learning support, can charge for it and decide they can no longer meet a child's needs at any point.

The two friends with Sen kids who were in independent both got off rolled by age 8 or so, be cautious basically. Results are everything to independent schools

I’m a bit confused. Are you currently in preprep hoping to send him to a public school at 13?

Hi ladies, sorry for the confusion and thank you all for the replies.

He is currently at an independent school. He doesn't have any SEN label yet but is suspected.
I was hoping to get him to repeat the reception year again, in the same school. I am aware that there are higher fees to pay for extra support in private schools and I am happy to pay them.

The school only goes up to year 7 and my concerns where how it will impact him going to an independent private school (if they take out of year).
My other and most foremost concern is how it will effect him.

Most seniors won't accept him out of year to do the 11+. I'd ring a few of the senior schools you might be considering and see what their policy is.

I don't think you can generalise. I have a son with ASD and we considered him repeating reception. Some senior schools (the most selective) wouldn't accept him having repeated a year. Most cared not one jot. Independent schools take kids from all over the world and lots don't slot neatly into the English system and are taken out of year. Lots move from the state system into private at secondary level when GCSEs go wrong and repeat the year.

You need to ring the registrars of some of the senior schools local to you. I'd go for a range from selective to non-selective.

My bigger worry is how able is the school to meet his needs. If they don't have many SEN kids they really might not be able to bring him on as much as he would at a different school. The SEN provision ranged wildly when we looked.

I'd get a diagnosis first then see if the school can meet his needs. Hold him back if that's what he needs now. Shoving a SEN kid through because you're worried about secondary school is a false economy. If he ends up in a mess then selective secondary schools won't even be on your radar anyway. Do what's right now.

I think the core question is
"Is the current school meeting his individual needs well? Are they enabling him to make good progress?"

Another important one is
"Do you, and do the school, believe that after a second run through reception, he will be in a position to progress into Year 1 closer to the average of the cohort, and then progress at the rate of that cohort?"

Leaving aside the state / private discussion, I think the question that always needs to be asked about repeating a year is whether it is considered likely to 'fix' the problem, or whether it simply postpones it. For some children e.g. very premature or for whatever reason not ready for school at 4, deferring a year enables them to progress normally within their new cohort. For others, repeating the year still leaves them at the bottom of the new cohort and progressing at a slower rate than their peers.

Returning to the specific situation, if you think that the school is absolutely the best setting for him, and is meeting his SEN needs and general needs very well - and will continue to do so - then repeating a year is worth a try. You may want to ask to speak to parents of children with SEN higher up the school, and also question the head and SENCo in great depth about any lower ability or SEN children who leave the school other than at 11, because 'managing out' is appallingly common (I speak as a teacher in a school which by virtue of its location 'catches' managed-out children - I would go as far as to say ALL children transferring from local privates to state during the primary years have SEN or are of significantly lower ability ).

Then I would call a range of post-11 schools - from those that specialise in children with SEN - if you have any private schools of that type locally - through 'averagely non-selective' to 'standard destinations from your DS's school' and discus their policy and experience of a) out of year children and b) children with ASD / ADHD.

I don't know what your circumstances are, and why state schools are not possible. Remember that if your DS has one or more diagnoses, and his needs are significant, he may be able to get an EHCP, which makes it possible to name the school he attends - so if your reason for using the private sector is to do with local school options, children with EHCPs do not always have to attend their 'catchment / most local' schools, if schools elsewhere can meet their needs better.

Why children with SEN are managed out of private schools is not only about their academic results, though obviously for some schools that 'sell' their services based on final destinations, that is a very significant driver. Private schools are also, IME, very very wary of any child who 'takes up too much of a teacher's time' [as the parents of others complain that they are not getting value for money] and any child whose behaviour is in any way likely to cause comment from other children or from visitors to the school. Again, that's because many parents pay for private schooling to 'get away from disruptibe / badly behaved children', whether they state that openly or not.

These are less of an issue in the informality of a Reception classroom, but once formal 'sitting at desks' learning starts in earnest and a single child becomes 'noticeably different', the hints of 'maybe not quite the right setting for your child' may start. Again, I would urge you to speak to the SENCo to ask for the trajectory and success stories of children with similar needs to your DS, and ask to be put in contact with their parents.