Holding summer baby back from September start due to covid

[sockdraw]

Wondering if anyone thinking of holding kids back from school start in September due to chaos of covid? I’m also thinking of things are a bit more normal it would be nice to have some ‘normal’ time together as missed out on doing so much. What do people think?

The leap is that everyone thinks their dc mght be "behind" due to birth date and researches it to oblivion in the first place. It is common now but years ago just did not happen, except in very particular cases. I was in charge of assessing defined need in my LA area. It is very different from "want" .

People now think it confers advantage to be in the year below. SATS, 11 plus etc. More time to mature and get ahead. Let other chidren be the youngest in the class. Not my child. Wanting to defer does not necessarily take into account the "needs" of every summer born child. The thought process has become: "summer born - school deferral". Must read up on it. It is automatic. It should not be if the child is perfectly within standard progress markers. Someones chid always has to be the youngest. So now it is April 30th babies or ones whose parents are not able to do the research and do not go through the hoops to get it. This is a largely middle class phenomenon and is purely about getting ahead in lots of cases. SN DC are totally different.

@PresentingPercy
I agree it is quite a middle class thing to do. Though I believe that is because the process is made quite laborious by some local authorities and so the process probably puts a lot of people off.

I disagree that most people do it for academic advantage though. From what I’ve read the 11+ Exams are age adjusted anyway aren’t they? So there shouldn’t be any real advantage in those terms and in fact people have to sometimes go through another process to agree for their child to take the 11+ out of cohort.

I think it’s more about people feeling that their children, at just turned 4, are too young for formal education.

I would do it in a heartbeat .. such precious time at that age. My DD was born early and made her into an august baby, later we found out that she had SEN too. I really wish I had started her age 5 at school. Best of luck x

YR isn’t necessarily formal though if is. It’s Early Years. DC do have to catch up if they stay in the state system. It could be taking the 11 plus in y5. So always think about the longer game. Lots of independent schools don’t care when DC start.

For many MC parents it’s a bit of a bandwagon and expecting DC to do much better being the oldest instead of the youngest. Very many DC get a part time introduction to school. Very many YR teachers are very experienced with all DC, even the slightly immature ones - who are by no means all summer born by the way.

Parents hate that their August born birthdays are a year younger than their September born class mates. However in the year below it’s their DC who is a year older than the other summer born DC in the correct cohort.

I would do it. I have taught reception and if my child had been born in July or August I would have applied for CSA start in Reception.

NB you don't have to make the decision before reception. As long as an August children repeats a school year before they are due to sit the 11+. Know one girl who moved back a year in the October. She sat her new 11+ a year later. She sat Wycombe Abbey then she was moved back. Her parents rang all the senior schools to check it was ok.

Others have repeated year 3 (independent school) and year 5 (state school). The year 3 moved schools as well.

If your DC is bright enough for Wycombe Abbey they are hardly behind their peers. They effectively gamed the system to suit their ambitions. It’s an independent school so they won’t care what year a child has been educated in. Some (all?) state schools don’t want them moving down a year because that year is full. Several children moving back down isn’t on and the existing children in the receiving year are wholly disadvantaged. I think if you make your bed you should lie in it. So down a year means you stay there and not jump around to suit.

@Kollamoolitumarellipawkyrollo

I would do it. I have taught reception and if my child had been born in July or August I would have applied for CSA start in Reception.

I have a few friends who teach in primary and say the same. Others are dead against it. It seems to be a bit of a marmite situation.

I always imagined that it made the teachers job easier as they end up with one less very young child in the year.

Mine is only 2 but always planned on doing this anyway (no SEN). Two of my friend's kids (so far) are also going at 5, one who will turn 5 this summer and then start in September (with SEN), one who is 4 this summer and will start the following September (no SEN). Our LA has guaranteed acceptance.

@MeadowHay

Mine is only 2 but always planned on doing this anyway (no SEN). Two of my friend's kids (so far) are also going at 5, one who will turn 5 this summer and then start in September (with SEN), one who is 4 this summer and will start the following September (no SEN). Our LA has guaranteed acceptance.

@MeadowHay ah that’s so lucky to have a local authority that accepts almost automatically.

I feel for those in areas where it is really difficult. Have hear of some children born in august, months premature with additional needs who aren’t accepted to reception at CSA in some areas!

@PresentingPercy

The leap is that everyone thinks their dc mght be "behind" due to birth date and researches it to oblivion in the first place. It is common now but years ago just did not happen, except in very particular cases. I was in charge of assessing defined need in my LA area. It is very different from "want" .

People now think it confers advantage to be in the year below. SATS, 11 plus etc. More time to mature and get ahead. Let other chidren be the youngest in the class. Not my child. Wanting to defer does not necessarily take into account the "needs" of every summer born child. The thought process has become: "summer born - school deferral". Must read up on it. It is automatic. It should not be if the child is perfectly within standard progress markers. Someones chid always has to be the youngest. So now it is April 30th babies or ones whose parents are not able to do the research and do not go through the hoops to get it. This is a largely middle class phenomenon and is purely about getting ahead in lots of cases. SN DC are totally different.

The children that are out of year, eg deferred, are you ot included in Sat's results and have to take 11+ the year before with correct age group. Or opt for 12\13+,2which aren't commonplace.

@PresentingPercy sorry, I meant she sat Wycombe Abbey first and then her school suggested she moved down a year. She then stayed in the year below and didn’t move back. Not my daughter, just someone I know. She ended up going to City a year later.

There is something very different about deferring a premature child who should have been born in September and the OP (who hasn’t mentioned if her child is summer born) holding back her child to do “nice things” with them.

@Zodlebud

There is something very different about deferring a premature child who should have been born in September and the OP (who hasn’t mentioned if her child is summer born) holding back her child to do “nice things” with them.

Title of thread says summer born

The summer born child with needs is very different. Those cases should looked at individually.

@AIMD Whoops yes, so it does. Apologies.

The point still holds though. The OP hasn’t mentioned her child being premature or having worries about whether or not they are ready for school, just that she wants to do nice things with them instead of starting at school.

I think all posters are in agreement that if there is a developmental concern, be it socially, emotionally or physically then delaying entry can only be in the best interests of the child.

A further consideration should be if the child is sporty then being held back a year can stop them from playing competitive team sports in the year group they are in. A sports scholar at our prep has just been put back into his “proper” year at Y3 (so has skipped Y2) for this very reason. June baby, no real reason for holding him back other than the parents chose to. Middle class “selection” at its very best - all of a sudden he needs to be put back in his proper year because it gives him an advantage again (the scholarship).

I’m not sure all this swapping around after DC have made friends is good for them either. I’m one who thinks you should stay in the year below but Sats snd 11 plus exams should be taken at the same time as the other summer borns who are in the right cohort. If DC haven’t covered the curriculum it’s just too bad. Clean slate for secondary - y7 at 11 for all.

Even for SN children it’s difficult. When do they go to secondary? When do they get promoted into the correct year? What about friendships and their social life?

Some schools offered deferred start for a term. However this can have problems if DC are not attending nursery as some don’t mature very quickly at home where they don’t see other children. They also get even further behind. The whole reason September starts became the norm was to avoid this and now parents want something else!

I'd recommend starting. Considered same last summer and so glad we didn't.
schools are the most routine, normal, comforting places for the huge majority of children. Even though we are now off again, DD is despite age coping well. Reception is like an extension of nursery and so I feel like in a way it is both making up and gap filling what did missed out on in nursery.
Covid could go on and on with strains, winter lockdowns (I really hope not but always a small worry) and so you have to just keep moving with life.
Most primaries start with staggered starts so you can ease in.

Unless you're comfortable with your DC missing out of say sporting activities that have an age limit, e.g. Under 13/15 running. Your child will be older and so may miss out if the secondary school is willing. If the opportunity to take part in inter school sports though comes up, you'll have to miss out.
In the long term, summer born children catch up. Just be patient.

@Zodlebud sorry but I have to laugh at comments about middle class parents looking for an advantage in the same comment as prep schools are mentioned.

Presumably a parent paying for a better education is ok but god forbid someone starts their child a year later.

@PresentingPercy
You’re talking as if children who start reception at CSA have to catch up before secondary or before the end of school. That’s simply not true.

@PresentingPercy

Even for SN children it’s difficult. When do they go to secondary? When do they get promoted into the correct year? What about friendships and their social life?

Some schools offered deferred start for a term. However this can have problems if DC are not attending nursery as some don’t mature very quickly at home where they don’t see other children. They also get even further behind. The whole reason September starts became the norm was to avoid this and now parents want something else!

There is no research that supports this view, there is no evidence that any 'catching up' is needed. In fact it is the opposite as the child is more mature.

Learning happens outside school as well as inside school.

Previous “summerborn” child here... I’ve always been top of my class, despite this terrible disadvantage. Someone has to be the youngest. I would have hated being held back a year.

Your list of things to do are all things you can do in school holidays... sounds like you’re planning a fantasy gap year for yourself (I can understand the appeal after the year we’ve had).

Surely your DD will be most disadvantaged by missing out on a whole year interacting with children of her own age in school? Presumably she hasn’t had the same socialising opportunities this year that she would usually have.