Summer born defer/delay of reception

[Userflower]

Just an FYI post as I've realised it isn't widely known/theres alot of misinformation out there.
If your child is born after 1st April they are classified as summerborn and can therefore start primary school into reception class at age 5. They will never have to skip a year and will stay with their adopted cohort throughout primary and secondary school. There doesn't need to be any reason to defer other than being summerborn.
It has become so common for parents to do this especially if their child is born in June, July or August. Who wouldn't want their child to be the oldest in the class rather than the youngest!?
For more info join the fb group:
'Flexible school admission for summer borns'

Some schools do combine their Nursery and Reception class in a foundation unit. It's not a option for all though, as many schools don't have their own nursery. While many have a linked nursery/pre-school next door, the nursery is run as a separate organisation and is not part of the school (separate budgets, governors, Ofsted inspections etc).

Implementing such a radical change would be a logistical nightmare though. You'd have a cohort of Inbetweeners, just before the change is bought in, who don't fit into either system due to their birth date falling after the cut off date for one year, and before the start date for the next. It would cause all manner of issues to re-jig everyone's year group to fit the new system (can you imagine the chaos? Friendships split, years heaving to be re-sat etc), so they won't. You'd have to phase out one system.

What would likely result is one huge super sized year group one year, where 1 1/2 year groups start together. Schools wouldn't have space for them all, it wouldn't be fair on the kids. They'd all be put at a disadvantage purely based on the year they were born (kind of ironic really, given that that's what some are suggesting a change will prevent).

It sounds a wonderful fluffy solution in theory but in reality it would be a nightmare. The system won't change because it would be totally impractical.

I have a late Summer boy. He was only just 4 when he started. I can hand on heart say he never suffered at school because he was young. If anything, the eldest children in the year group are often hard done by, so much is expected of them.

Deferral is still rare, and rightly so. It's nice that it's an option, for those with diagnosed or suspected SEN, but for most it is unnecessary. As a teacher, I've only ever known cases of deferral for SEN or because of extreme prematurity (putting the child in the correct year group for their adjusted age, based on their original due date). For most summer borns it is unnecessary. It would be scandalous to defer an April or May born child unless there was a genuine reason (wanting them to be the eldest in the year is not a good enough reason imo).

I'd like to see the option of deferring for a year extended to any child with diagnosed or suspected SEN. Why should an April child with no known or suspected problems be able to defer, yet a March born child with SEN has to start that year? Why the cut off? If we're all for 'making it fair', that's what I'd look into changing. With a lack of specialist provision places available, so many children are forced to enter mainstream education age 4, who should not be there at all because their needs can't be met. Wouldn't it be better to let anyone in that situation defer, rather than forcing those born September-March to start long before they're ready?

We moved from the Scottish to English system when younger DD was 4.
Originally the plan was for DH to go on ahead (we were moving for his job), and I would follow later with DC once the school year was over, and they would both start new schools in September, with Dd starting Reception as deferred entry aged just over 5yrs old

In the end I found a job unexpectedly so we moved in May, a school place came up straight away for both DC. So Dd missed the first two terms of reception, but started a couple of months before her 5th birthday.
She’d matured loads since September and suddenly seemed totally ready, and it seemed unfair to make her start a new nursery just for a few months instead of going to school with her brother. She was behind a bit at first, but really she’d caught up academically by a few weeks into year 1.

She’s halfway through GCSE years now, very comfortably managing academically, rolling her eyes occasionally at the immaturity of most of the boys in her year, so I think she would absolutely hate being with the even more immature boys in the year below!

Delaying her start worked out really well for her and gave her a chance to mature, but holding her back the whole of her school career would definitely have been the wrong thing for her. As it is, she just missed two terms of reception, which was a tiny thing in the grand scheme of things - she doesn’t even remember! Holding back a whole year seems in comparison quite drastic unless there’s reason to think your child might struggle academically. It’s great people have the choice, but I’m so relieved it’s not the choice we made.

On paper, my child is the scenario some of you are complaining about - an only just 'summer born' (so spring) child deferred, with others in her class 16m younger.

And if it were to just get a leg up in life I'd agree with many that it would be unfair. But serious ongoing illness, inevitably impacted school attendance, stunted physical growth, continence issues, fatigue due to illness etc meant that it was not only the right thing to do, but the only practical thing.

I'd love her to win at sports day, but she's more likely to come last. She's not trampling tiny kids as she's still smaller than most of them. She's not taking any advantage, but we are mitigating the disadvantages her shitty hand at life has given her.

People talk about SEN as a reason for deferring, but let's not forget about kids with disabilities as well.

OP I expect the opportunity to defer will need a rethink once it becomes clear that a disproportionate number of deferrals are taking place in private schools/schools in affluent areas by parents seeking to give their children further academic advantage. (Maybe in the end exam results will need to be age-contextualised to re-level the playing field!)

It doesn’t make sense for parents to just be allowed to make the decision to defer and will further widen the divide between children from different backgrounds. And I say this as a parent of a child who will be starting school this year a few weeks after turning 4. I have read the research and I could play the system but I choose not to as it would be unfair. Children should only be deferred in special circumstances and with robust evidence.

Absolutely @Somuchgoo @BoleynMemories13 SEN and disability/illness should be the primary focus for the system.

You're being very weird about it

@Thewomanwhorodeawayits really not about playing the system. Its about doing what’s best for your own child, we all have that choice and rightly so

No, not defensive, nor made wrong decision for own child. Just a strong sense of what’s morally right or wrong, I understand this is probably neurodivergent.

I find it absolutely bizarre that, barring medical issues/other delays etc. a parent would want to put their child in the position of being held back a year. No one is going to see them as top of the class, even if they are. They’re going to see them as the kid that needed to be held back and couldn’t hack it in their own age groups and is only doing well when compared to kids in the year below. All fine and well in reception when their peers aren’t aware or interested but what about when they’re 12/13 and being teased by their mates and can’t play on the sports teams?

I cringe when pushy middle class parents crow about doing this. Do they really think their kids will thank them for it?!

And that’s even without the shitty impact on the summer born kids of the correct cohort whose parents didn’t have the resources to keep them home for another year or weren’t pushy selfish types who are happy to screw up age cohorts to the detriment of poorer kids education.

This. The system needs to change so that the rules are used as they are meant to. Contextualised offers for uni etc should absolutely be made. Why should a summer born child in the correct cohort be pitched against someone 16 months older than them?

My friend’s child was born in August so the youngest in his class. He has been flying academically, has lots of friends and done really well but she says the first few years were hard as he was emotionally a lot younger than many of his peers and found the classroom environment tough to adjust to.

My child was born in the middle of September so decision taken out of my hands but I am thankful for it as I don’t think she would be ready emotionally to start this year. If she was born in August I would be deferring! She isn’t quite accepting that she isn’t starting with her friends and keeps talking about going to school soon :S

mainly from those who’ve sent their summer borns to school at age 4 - I sense slight defensiveness.

In my case of being against deferral you are mistaken OP. My dc started school when intake was still staggered across the year. I dislike it from my experience of working in nursery, reception and year 1.

There are undoubtedly some children that need to be in early years longer than others, but without fail, ime they are children who were premature summer (not spring) born or who have SEN. Not necessarily diagnosed SEN, but it’s often obvious to staff that a diagnosis will come at some point.

When children don’t need to be deferred but are anyway, it is detrimental to them and their classmates.

Reception classes now plan for the needs of just turned four year olds the same as they plan for all the other four year olds and the ones who turn five early in the year. Teachers adapt teaching to the children they have.

I’ve known deferred children struggle with friendships because over confidence in comparison to peers can mean that others find them dominating so don’t want to be friends. Or they have been bored by the summer term of the end of every school year because they have had more time to develop academically so need less support to get them to expected standard and the teacher has no choice but to leave them to be more independent while they help others. I know one group of parents who quite obviously distanced themselves from a family when they found out the child was a June baby who should have been in the year above. It was sad and uncomfortable to watch, because obviously it wasn’t the child’s fault.

The problem for others with having an 18 month gap between the oldest and the youngest child is that the teaching for all children has to be spread more thinly because there is a wider range of needs and a finite amount of time and resources.

I can see nothing on here that would even remotely make me consider not delaying a summer born purely due to age.

I suggest those against deferral should look into the statistics and research, its categorically in a summer borns best interests to be deferred.

As mentioned I hope those considering it join the fb group and let’s all await the new supportive government legislation on the matter.

Well statistics show that only a minority agree with you.

Both of my kids are August babies. I was guided by their nursery settings. Also as a mum I think you just know. They were really helpful and reassured me they were both more than ready. They are 11 & 14 now and have been absolutely fine.

There are pros and cons, a child in our area would not be allowed to sit the 11+ for state Grammar entry a year late, they would be allowed to go to an independent school a year late. I skipped reception entirely and went straight to year 1 so i'd be in the correct year group for my age, I'm unclear as to why that was, my DS had a severe s&l delay and was also a summer born and he joined his year group in Jan rather than Sept which was the right call for him. One of DD's classmates was held back an entire year and that might have been the right call academically but i'm not convinced it was the right call from a social / friendship perspective. I also know of a child that was put into year 1 but should age wise have been in reception and struggled with friendships.

In my area kids can sit the 11+ with their adopted cohort, as long as they've been with them for a few years. It's not a problem at all.

Not quite the point of the thread but can I ask a question?
If a summer born reception age child is reported to be 'meeting expected level' (or whatever else they call it) does this mean they are meeting the expected level for the class overall or meeting the expected level considering their age?
Because if they are meeting the level for the class even though they are one of the youngest then actually they are doing pretty well I would think but perhaps it doesn't mean that?

For their class.

I suggest those against deferral should look into the statistics and research, its categorically in a summer borns best interests to be deferred.

Of course the research says that! It is focussed on the children who either genuinely needed a deferral and those who gained an unnecessary advantage, so of course it’s going to show it is in those children’s best interests!

The research hasn’t caught up yet to measure the determined it causes to other children who are in the right year groups, especially the youngest ones who have to share a class with children 16 months older.

The research focuses on summer born child who weren’t deffered compared to autumn born children.

This is eyfs meeting the good level of development around 40% of summer borns wont get GLD at end of receotion. But around 15% of that is being youngest because the autmn are that much higher

obviously it is partly our silly testing system ranking kids against year group.
Certainly by gcse a rigid you need to be able to do xyz to pass makes more sense.
My kid got no exceeding even when it existed despite reading chapter books so certainoy our school manipulate the data. Likewise they met all the eyfs but had a lot of behavioural issues and now communication issues.

CharacteristicCharacteristic type
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
Sex
Female
71.9
74.2
75.0
Male
58.7
60.6
60.7
Difference (pp)
13.2
13.6
14.3
First language
English
67.1
69.3
69.7
Other than English
60.1
62.4
63.5
Difference (pp)
7.0
6.9
6.2
Free school meals
Not eligible
69.5
71.5
72.0
Eligible
49.1
51.6
51.5
Difference (pp)
20.4
19.9
20.5
Term of birth
Autumn-born
73.8
75.4
75.6
Summer-born
57.0
59.4
60.0
Difference (pp)
16.8
16.0
15.6
P