Born on 30th August - Can I Defer School by a Year?

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DD2 was born on 30th August, which means she'll have to start school a few days after she turns four. There's been a lot of publicity recently about summer babies not doing as well at school as their older classmates, which is a worry, but my main concern is she'll just be too young from every point of view. I just rang the school and they said we can't defer (or at least whoever answered the phone had never heard of it) but a primary school teacher friend told me is should be possible. Does anyone have any info on this please?

I know it's early to start fretting about this - she's not 6 months old yet! - but just getting sorted for DD1 and nursery so it's on my mind!

lol at her being 6 months old!

Honestly, she will change so much between now and school, you may even find she's the type of child who is GAGGING for school. Especially with her being no.2 - she'll know the whole routine through dd1.

They make allowances for the younger ones in infants anyway.

I think you can defer for a term.

Am in similar position, dd2 late August baby.

I reckon in the main, they will be ok. DD2 is already modelling herself massively on DD1, so developmentally I think she'll manage (she is 17m though).

They start part-time as well, and can go pt until Easter, I think

She may well be ready for school nearer the time in which case all well and good, but in your situation I would definately find out about it as a possible option.

And would you want her being the oldest in her class?

Similar situation Enourmouschanges for us with a 25th Aug Ds although he is 2 now!! Currently he would start after the Christmas which is fine but if our LEA brings in the single starters in September I wouldn't be happy with that. I read that the gov are talking about making start dates more flexible for late summer birthdays so let's hope so.

Mind you, friend of mine has a Sept 3rd DD and is frustrated that she can't start for a whole year so I guess you can't win!!!

AFIAK, if you defer, then it means that your DD would go into Year 1 when she starts and miss out reception which defeats the point. I might be wrong on that though.

If it's any help, my DS2 was born on 27th August and started school in September at the grand age of 4 and a week. He was used to going to school having gone there to drop DS1 off and desperate to get there. He's doing really well - very tired particularly in the first few weeks - but academically he is on the top half of the class and I've no concerns. There are plenty of children who are more im mature than him. I think, as another poster has said, the fact that he's a second child helps a lot

if you choose for her to not start school until the year after she is supposed to she would miss reception and go straight into year 1. I wouldn't advise this as the leap between reception/y1 is huge and she will really struggle then.

At 4 she may well be ready for school, and they do make allowances for the very young ones.

It's the same for alot of August children every year - I've got a ds who is an august child, so understand.

The school are used to it and the reception teacher should be experienced. They may well let your dd go part time if she's not coping or you could say start her after christmas. If you defer a year they then go straight into year 1 which would then be an established class and be even harder.

You just have to wait and see how your dd is at the time. (I know thats not what you want to hear)

I will say now my ds is in year 2 - if I asked you to point out the younger ones you probably couldn't.

all good points. true, she is a baby and could well be ready for school and yes, maybe not so great to be oldest in class either.

on one hand i feel i'm being a bit neurotic and on the other if i have a battle to fight to get her to start a bit later (easter would be great i think) i'll need to start early (er before i know how she's going to be when she's 4 )

if only she'd hung on a bit - the cutoff is august 31st here..!

I don't even know which school it'll be. I did ask the local authority too but they didn't even understand the question!

thanks for such swift replies. MN is great.

I think the fact she's your younger child is an advantage. She will be used to the school run, the school itself, morning routines, being around older children etc.

Does nobody else's school have staggered start dates?

At our primary, there are three intakes, so a child born in August would not start until the Easter term of the following year.

I have the opposite problem, as ds's birthday is on 1st September.

I have two DD's one born 24th Aug and one 26th! (not the same year, obviously!)

DD1 is in yr 2 now and doing fine but she did find school very tiring to begin with. It was complicated as were in the middle of moving back from overseas so she actually did skip reception and went into yr 1 but she had done part time at a preschool before that. The hardest thing for her was the length of the school day and the fact that she had missed out on a years worth of phonics etc. If you just delayed the start then that would not be so much of a problem.

DD2 is due to start in Sept. I did consider deferring until Jan and the school are okay with that but as all her friends from preschool are going up together it might make sense just to let her go.

I think so much depends on the child, and the school. Mine go to a tiny rural school with only 40 kids, last years reception intake was a grand total of 2!! So it is all very cosy and familiar and the preschool is in the grounds of the big school. And they do a staggered start as well, they only go in the mornings for the first half term.

If it was a huge big primary with large classes etc I might consider delaying to let the "big kids" settle in first and give the late starters the chance to get a bit more support when they do start.

I think legally they don't have to be in school (or be educated) until they are 5 so it's really your choice although obviosly you do need a supportive school as well. The fact that the head would not even consider it would be ringing alarm bells for me about that particular school tbh.

ah more replies. good point about going straight into established class and missing reception. sigh.

I just don't know what to do for the best. You're right. I do need to wait and see who she is - i just can't help worrying.

I wonder - could i school her at home for a portion of the year...and then start her in Easter..?

I think as first step i'll arrange a school visit on DD1's behalf and ask some questions when i'm there.

And write to my mp for good measure.

Thanks again for replies.

I do think you're worrying a bit too much!

Like everything, these things do tend to 'sort themselves out' nearer the time.

You won't be able to apply until the year of her 4th b'day anyway, by which time you'll be much more aware of how she's likely to cope with starting school

Squonk and Mrsmalumbas, i want to live where you live. Now this issue is meshing into my 'i don't want to live in london' issue. I dream of a small rural school. I hate the ruthless nature of schooling in london. the reason i'm here today is father in law nagging about dd1's nursery - people are obsessed with children 'getting their name down' even though that's not how it works.

everyone feels free to buttonhole you about how crap the local schools are. what are we meant to do - win the lottery and move to hampstead?!

aaaaaaaaaaargh.

sell up and move to Yorkshire

they talk a bit funny, but the schools are lovely and mostly the houses have got broadband

notnowbernard you are quite right.
i didn't used to be like this until i had children. i used to be calm and function well in an adult world.
now i've turned into chickenlicken, rushing round in my own head all day 'the sky's falling in the sky's falling in'.
........and breathe..........

i was born in yorkshire. sob. i want to go home!

Ah but I'm in Yorkshire Enormouschanges, with my DS in a tiny rural school and I'm not happy with things There are so few children for DS to be friends with in his class and so many not very nice children with not very supportive parents (have restrained myself there as you may have guessed!) in his class, that we are looking to move house.
I never thought it would be so difficult once he started school - I dread picking him to hear what he as been up

That was a genuine typo as not has and not to prove that I really am from Yorkshire

yes, fatzak, the grass it always greener in my imaginary 'north'. as dh would never move out of london i get to day dream about a perfect life elsewhere without ever having to face up to the reality of actually doing it.
of course i couldn't wait to escape village life when i was 18 - all that everyone knowing your business stuff, the insularity, the cultural narrowness (i'm talking about my village now, not generalising, not here to offend anyone!). Now, 300 miles and 20 years away i can paint rosy!
sorry your DS is having a hard time. making friends - for children and adults - is hard with such a small pool and is one thing i have found easier in london.

I agree with fatzak - my ds is in small rural village school and only 3 other boys in the class, so friends are extremely limited. Sounds great on paper only 11 kids in the class and most of those live in surrounding villages so when older ds won't be able to pop round on his bike etc.

Give it time . There may well be more flexibility in the system by the time you even have to assess if it is likely to be an issue. Dd is August 27th and it really wasn't a problem going full time 10 days later especially being a second child.