Out-of-year placement for child with early September birthday?

[anonforthis87]

Hi everyone,

We're thinking of moving back to the UK from France next year and trying to work out the logistics, particularly around schooling. I’d really appreciate any insights or experiences.

Our son was born in early September, so he just misses the UK cut-off by a few days. According to the French system (cut-off 31 December), he would then be starting CE2, which would correspond to Year 4 in the UK. He’s doing very well, especially in maths and science, and he can read and write in English, so we’re concerned that if he’s placed into Year 3 on arrival, it will feel like repeating a year. My husband feels very strongly about this, he’s actually not on board with the move at all if it means our son has to "repeat" a year as there's quite a lot of stigma around that in France.

We’d like to request an out-of-year placement into Year 4, to keep him aligned with his current level. Has anyone had success in this situation?

We’d be moving in July 2026, so the request would be for a September 2026 start, as part of an in-year application once we have an address. (Obviously we can't move in the middle of the school year so applying in January is not an option.) Our younger child was born in August and would be starting reception in 2026, so it seems like good timing. We know it’s not automatic and that both the school and local authority have to agree. I’d love to hear how realistic this is in practice, especially for late-summer-born children coming from abroad.

Thanks so much in advance!

Have you looked at the Y3 curriculum OP? To be ‘greater depth’ (working above expectations) it is unfortunately a lot more these days than just being able to read and write. He’ll need to be using apostrophes consistently, inverted commas, commas, etc. Have a look at the curriculum and consider whether he actually can do every single thing on the list with ease and skip the whole year.

I wouldn't see it as repeating a year. He is just joining the cohort for his age. He won't be doing the same curriculum as in France so the work will be different and if he is ahead any areas the teacher will be able to differentiate work (and support in areas he is behind). Presumably if you returned to France he would join the cohort for his age there so he shouldn't be out of step with his peers. If you are really worried you could look at Scottish schools which gave a slightly different system or a french school in the UK.

Just to give a different perspective my dh, Oct born, jumped yr 6 and though academically he excelled he felt behind both emotionally and physically. Despite being good at sport he wasn't as tall, fast or strong as his year group so missed out on being part of school teams. He was also less confident and more immature.
He wishes his parents hadn't put him up a year and felt he was very young starting uni at 17.

I have explained. I'm concerned about things like admissions and entry-level opportunities down the line based on what I have seen. Also I want him to have the option to do a gap year or similar without feeling "behind", particularly if for whatever reason he doesn't end up staying in the UK.

My friend moved back to Poland a couple of years ago and her kids (who had never been in a Polish school except for Saturday school) all ended up a year ahead in the Polish system. The school just tested them. They are doing well as far as I know. That feels like a better solution to address the very valid concerns people have mentioned about what has been covered or not rather than just look at birth date.

Anyway, it sounds like that's a moot point, so again thanks everyone for contributing and I guess we'll have to decide what to do.

Socially, being that much younger than his peers doesn’t seem like a good idea in the long run.

That much younger being... Five days?

If you move back surely he would go back where he is age correct - the curriculum is not the same. Maybe look at international school but that wld be paid but you would be doing the baccalaureate

One of my old colleagues had an october born child. So he hadn't missed the cut off by a few days.He had missed it by a country mile. By several weeks.

Colleague was a bit obsessed with her little genius as she called him. She ate spinach in pregnancy to make him smart, and it's really paid off are the things she used to say.

She managed to get an independent school to take him a year early. So he started reception at three. That would have put him at the youngest in the class, and he would have been in a class with september borns who would have been five at the beginning of september.

There is a massive developmental gap between a 3 year old who wont be a 4 until late October and a 5 year old. But still she did it, and still the school took him. She left the place of work, so I don't know what happened to him, but she was full of the joys of how clever her child was.

The fact is, you don't actually know how your sons going to do. You could get in put a year up and have him not cope with it. You could try a private school if you've got the money, but they'll probably want him to sit some kind of entrance exam and who knows how that will go. Perhaps he won't pass it.

Five days younger than the youngest in the class. With the move towards deferring starts for summer born children in the UK there could well be a number of children up to 15 months older than him.

I would find out more about equivalent standards and what has and hasn’t been covered - he may be good at science and Maths but it will depend on what has been covered and to what depth. It isn’t equivalent in all countries. You’re comparing ages and you really need to compare curriculums and what has been covered in France compared to what has been covered in the UK.

You also really need to know his reading age in English and what is his writing standard in English. No school is going to even consider putting him ahead unless his reading and writing is of greater depth so he’d need to be working at greater depth for end of year 3. Putting children a year ahead does happen but it’s very rare. It’s also not repeating a year - he’s going into the correct school year in the UK. However if you want to move back to France then it’s more of an issue so to speak and I’d see if there’s a bilingual French school around that might suit you better with a French or IB curriculum.

Could you aim to live near one of the French schools in London?

Does it have to be England? Scottish intake year is March - Feb with flexibility around the edges

If finances allow, an independent school may allow this after they’ve done their own assessments. But at a state school, no.

Parents of july and August born kids are much more likely to keep them back a year now so probably younger than most by 2m.

I've only heard of this via parents who enlisted the support of an educational psychologist and their children skipped year 5 and then progressed through their education one-year ahead of their peer group (they were considered exceptional). These children had been in the same linked schools from nursery, so a long track record at the schools which helped with making a case.
So I think you will have to opt for an in-year place and correct year and take it from there.
Your biggest issue is finding a school with places for both children - private might be your only option.
There is a French school in London which is fee paying.

I've taught for nearly 30 years and only once have experienced a child being moved ahead of their year group. And she was exceptional.

The social side is not to be overlooked either. DD is oldest in her year with a Sept birthday and a few with Sept birthdays didn't have a traditional 18th birthday party, for example as all their friends were still underage.

Your point about the wrong age for uni, doesn't fit with it not being a good look.

As other pps have said - can you move to Scotland? He would be in the 'right' year then. I'm surprised it wasn't picked up right at the start of this thread that there is no 'UK system' as keeps being referred to.

Agree with this. I’ve only known it in a private school. One was soon put back into peer group once the teachers realised they were not as academically advanced as anticipated. Another moved from one uk school to another and reverted to their peer group in new school as it was a more competitive environment and better socially. It is over-simplistic to assume they will repeat the work and level when transferring from one country’s system to another even if nominally the same. Ds effectively “missed out” year 2 between international school and uk so it can work both ways depending on the system they are moving from.

I would say it was an advantage. It will give him a year to settle into a new school. He will have a years grace to make friends etc. I’m a primary school teacher. It takes children a while to settle and this would mean he would have the time. Teachers are also used to bright children in their class. I have often taught children who would comfortably be in the year or so above. I have still challenged them and they made progress.

Choose the school carefully and then trust the teachers.

I know several “September moved up” people but I am pretty sure that they were all privately educated.

What's puzzling me is that I thought School started at 6 in France and Pre School at 3 - so I'd have thought Yr3 would be fine.

Some state and independent schools will allow a child to accelerate a year, but I think it would be ill advised. There are also implications for 11 plus exams, if you want to apply to grammar and for sports team selection. I think he will settle much better going into class with his English peer group.

What about private or International? I’d personally speak with the council of where you are looking.
There are many students on the right year group, achieving more than their year group.

You're not really listening OP and seem oddly dismissive of all the great advice here. It should be patently obvious that a child we is educated within his year group in the country where he lives is not “repeating a year”. If he emerges from school unable to explain his international education history to prospective universities or employers then he has much bigger problems.

You also appear very unwilling to challenge your husband’s views, which is odd since we are talking about what is presumably a move back to your native culture (though your references to “the UK system” do make me wonder if you are indeed British.) It sounds like perhaps your husband would not enjoy UK culture generally.

Incidentally, my son is 1 September born so should be oldest in the year. He is in an independent school, about to go into Year 4. There is a boy in his year who would normally be in the year above but came from the US system and is actually 2 months older than my son. The boy is very very bright, with very high achieving parents but the school have no problem stretching him. My son also gets a lot of stretch work.