Summerborn reception

[Userflower]

I just wanted to share some good news, my friends child started reception this week (deferred summerborn so is already age 5). There are 7 summerborn children deferred in her class. There are no children born in July or August 2021, as they’ve all deferred to start next year!
Times are changing!!

Same.

I suppose another year off would be amazing, if the government were going to throw a load of money about and pay me to stay at home.

But, given that’s just a fantasy, I can’t see how another year of nursery would be preferable to school for my just turned 4yo.

It depends on the child. We didn't defer our very late August summer born and he is the top reader in his class. However, I'm not sure I could say the same for my second born and he would probably benefit from deferring when the time comes..

Yes I get the point, you can see how deferring really is a privilege and that’s why it’s a certain section of society who defers their summerborns

Exactly. It's about the curriculum and the expectations.
Where I'm from, there are lots of rural schools: all ages go together and it fosters beautiful, more organic dynamics (when done well and with the children's interests front and center).

It worked really well for mine that I deferred. He hit high school and uni at the right time maturity wise. I had to properly fight at the time for him to go into YR, rather than straight into Y1, and I've always had a niggle of guilt that I managed to achieve that when the standard at the time was to put deferred kids into Y1 (which is the worst of all worlds imo).

A couple of times I wondered if I made the wrong call with the one I didn't, but again when high school and uni hit not deferring showed to be the right call.

It’s amazing you managed to achieve the deferral into reception and not Y1, don’t feel guilty as you probably paved the way for so many today! Glad it worked out so well

My daughter was similar to yours, a very young 4 when she started in Reception. She has just started Year 6 and I am so pleased I didn’t defer her. She absolutely can hold her own and is in many ways more mature than quite a few of the older children in her class. I think if I had deferred her she would be way too mature for the children she would be with in the current year 5. Everyone is different but I’m glad I didn’t defer her and I’m sure you will feel the same. I hope your daughter had a lovely first day!

You are not terrible! My boy was just a few day's into his 4th birthday when he started & he did brilliantly, he's 18 now so I can say with confidence that it has not had a negative impact on him. I think it is child dependent and too many parents tell their kid's they will not cope, so they don't! Good luck x

I have a late summerborn who will be well and truly ready for school next year.

I was schooled in a system where it was common for children to be deferred and it didn’t seem much fun not being able to play with your year’s sports teams. It also didn’t seem to confer any long term academic advantage as most commonly my deferred classmates were in the lower sets.

Yes this is my issue with the system.

I have absolutely no problem with parents who choose to defer. They are doing what they think is right for their child, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But some children have disadvantages already - parents who don’t speak English, or parents who have literally no interest in the school system etc. If some of those children also happen to be born in august, are they further disadvantaged by the current system? If lots of summer borns defer, these august born children are now not just the youngest by nearly a year, but by potentially 17 months, since you can defer April born children. (Again, not blaming the parents who choose to defer!)

I wonder if a better solution would be to shift the boundaries. So still start school in September, but the cut off for birthdays is end of May or something. And no one can defer. It would mean no one is going to school only a few days after their 4th birthday, which seems to be the main problem people want to avoid. And you wouldn’t end up with potentially a 17 month difference between the oldest and youngest child in a class.

@Userflower can you confirm what happens to these deferred kids as they get older in sports? Do they have to join the teams / competitions for their correct school years rather than their deferred years?

I would have definitely had an issue with my June born being up against kids who were potentially way older than them (cba to do the maths) who ended up in the same school year after being deferred. It would have been dangerous in some sports and downright unfair in other competitions.

My dc is now in year 13. This has definitely become much more of ‘a thing’ since they left primary school, and since Covid I think.

Yes I agree with this approach also to make it fair for all, from what the government consultation seems to be it looks like their using the Scottish model as a template and suggest it works better than the English one.

I am glad to hear of success stories about people who’ve sent their summerborns and not deferred but ultimately the statistics don’t lie. Summerborns are far better off statistically being deferred, emotionally and academically. Hence the government looking into changes!

The obvious point is that most parents can't afford another year of nursery fees so they send their child to school when they are four. As you state in your post, it is mostly affluent higher earning , higher academically qualified people who have the luxury of deciding to defer their summer born child.

No they can join the sports team of their adopted year group, I know for football for example the FA now have a form on their website that can be viewed by all to confirm the child can play with their adopted cohort. I believe all sports have these forms too

Shows they’re competitive and can’t bear the idea of their child not having an advantage- hardly shocking!

Yes I completely agree - deferring is such a privilege! The ‘trend’ of deferring was actually started by the private schools and has now become more mainstream

I have a summer born, he’d have gone crazy waiting another year.

I guess they’ve read the studies and have seen the advantages of deferring and have the resources to do so, so why not

As others have said, it depends on the child. My summer holiday baby joined with their peers and has just graduated with a first in STEM. The graduation was before their 21st birthday. Some of the September children struggled. It's a very individual assessment. All the children who were joining in reception had a workbook to do, which the teacher and TA then assessed in discussion with the parents.

DT’s - July birthday. Didn’t defer. They were more than ready for full time school. They also did breakfast and after school clubs from week one of Reception.

No some sports do insist on correct years for competitive fixtures. Otherwise all schools would take advantage of playing older children in the cohort below. Just because a child is summer born doesn't mean they are necessarily shorter or less strong. I would be very unhappy if my child was injured by an overage player, playing down a year to get a cheating advantage.

I would definitely have taken issue with a deferred child playing contact sports against my child. It wouldn’t be allowed in out of school sport clubs so shouldn’t be allowed in school. Boys in particular show massive physical differences and it would make some sports unsafe. That needs to be challenged by those who will be affected.

The more I think about it, the more obvious it becomes that this is another way for those who have the means (money) to buy their children an advantage.

the adopted year group movement is only applicable for a deferred child into that year group. It’s not something that can be used a competitive advantage in a blanket way

Advantage being how they compete against their peers? It’s so arrogant. Unless there is is a medical issue ie. Speech delay- you accept someone will be the youngest.

Yes I agree with your second point - deferring is a huge privilege and that’s why it’s mainly the middle class with university educated families who do so