Deferring summer borns- your experiences please.

[JoeGargery]

Hello
I have had approval to defer my summer born almost 4 year old such that he starts reception at 5 and one month.
Those who have done this, have you found any downsides?
FWIW he’s very independent and bright. I don’t doubt he’ll cope. I’m just struggling to see any advantage to starting school so young if he can start later.
I’ve been told he can continue in the adopted year group throughout school and can have funding to stay in nursery another year.
WWYD?

Autumn borns outperform summer borns throughout all of school

This doesn't ring true in my experience. I am August born, so is my twin sister, my other sister, my dad and some of my close friends. We've all done absolutely fine in life. It is not a death sentence.

We would like for our daughter to start at CSA but unfortunately our council is dead against it. We now have a difficult and time pressured choice to decide if we should move to the neighbouring council who have agreed (ideally don't want to leave our area but have considered moving house anyway as our next door neighbour can be a nightmare), try our luck for any place in the neighbouring council at CSA (most are heavily oversubscribed, if no places are available we will be forced to send her straight into year 1 here) or defer her for later this year and consider part time attendance until she reaches CSA (school have raised concerns she will miss out on a lot by doing this which I can appreciate).

The research and statistics available prove the disadvantages summerborn children face. With this in mind and previous concerns about our daughters development we felt a CSA reception start to be the best option. However she is now closed to the paediatric service and speech and language therapy, her eyfs levels have improved though most are still developing within the 30-50 range. Her nursery think she will manage in school, if we do delay I'm not sure where we would send her in the interim.

The process has been a nightmare and I have no idea what to do for the best but going to school at just turned 4 seems so wrong but I don't know if striving for a reception start at CSA is worth the sacrifice given that our council is so unsympathetic.