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!!

Most of us aren’t interested in the statistics. We know what is best for our summer born DC’s. In our case the best option was starting at 4 years and two months. They were emotionally, physically and academically ready. Both of the DC’s graduated with 1st class degrees so not deferring was the right decision.

But by being nearly a year and a half older than others. And older than everyone else who has not deferred there is very likely to be an advantage- whether that be physically, emotionally, whatever.

I’m so pleased that my dc are older and not affected by this nonsense

If someone has the means to defer then they are very privileged to do so. I appreciate many do not have that option whether it be financially or just the knowledge that deferring is a huge advantage to their child

Have you considered the move to secondary? In my area and neighbouring counties, secondary schools are point blank refusing to take children out of year group (even with sen and echps). I know of at least 5 children who have had to move from year 5, straight into year 7.

Can you link to the studies please?

Not trying to be snarky, it’s just something I’ve never considered and I’m genuinely interested to know what the differences in outcome are attributed to. Surely someone is always going to have to be the youngest, wherever you draw the line in the sand?

Or is it something that’s particular to age 4? In which case, I’m wondering why so many prep schools have a nursery year, which seems very similar to reception - except for 3yo. Other than just to earn more money!

I didn’t defer either of my dc who are summer born. One July and one August. But they are in a mixed reception and year one class and it isn’t until year two they are expected to sit a table and work all day.
The year ones do most of their learning through play as well as the receptions. It’s really good. I just wish some learning through play continued in further years

fortunately this information is just incorrect, unless its 20 plus years ago. The government has released guidance that a child should stay with their adopted cohort so all children do

Mine was allowed to join the teams for his deferred class.

Definitely not an unfairness with him as he was always the smallest/shortest in his year, even with the deferral.

At the time he was allowed because he was premature so he was playing (and schooling) with the kids he should have been with, had he not been born at 28 weeks.

It wasn't automatic for football or swimming, and was re-done every year. At the time rugby was strictly age, rather than year group. Although he never played it so wasn't relevant to us, hockey apparently at the time didn't allow deferred kids to play with either cohort. Only knew that when he met another child at uni who'd been deferred and they were discussing it.

England will just end up like Scotland, where if you're February born not only are you the youngest in your class, but you might be the youngest by up to 18 months. You're also more likely to be from a deprived family, so potentially facing additional challenges whilst the oldest deferred children are the ones who least needed to defer anyway. Nursery provision is really not good enough to keep many children challenged until 5.5 years.

It amazes me that in England we don't just look across the border to Scotland where deferring has been commonplace for 20 years. It is beneficial to some but not without problems.

I really recommend joining the fb group, flexible school admissions for summerborns’ which have a lot of information. Also all studies can be found by a freedom of information request to your local council, the information supporting deferral is truly mind blowing!

This is no longer allowed to happen.

The schools have to show how it benefits the child to miss a year of education to justify it, which obviously they cannot do.

It is something that parents are still having to fight against because it was previously allowed, and some schools are arguing that the new rules only apply to children starting YR now.

I work in education, sending children to multiple academy schools and it absolutely is happening. I would be interested to see the guidance which definitively states that schools cannot refuse the request.
My comment was simply a point to consider.

These threads always concentrate on the starting point. People do not bother to see the issues of transferring to secondary. I live in a Grammar school area. Only when a child is born very prematurely in August will most if the schools accept a child out of the correct year cohort (and still having to get a high enough pass mark). An ex colleague who deferred his son really regretted it because although he sent him to a private school which took him a year late it meant that going into Y13 the son was already 18 and therefore his parents could not force him to be at school because he was legally an adult and after a row with a teacher he walked out. The schools view was that he was not of school age,he was over 18 so if he wanted to leave they could not stop him . So the 13 years of buying him an advantage was completely wasted. The son joined the military and made a success of it too.

My end of July born has just started Year 1, holding him back would not have been good for him, he was ready and happily went into his new year today along with some other summer borns, all thriving, it's a great school.

Interesting point re private schools because if they have a nursery class it only gets to stay VAT exempt so long as more than 90% are in the correct year group. Also, they can often be quite sporty and being out of year group presents problems for certain sports especially rugby because it’s usually contact from Y4. So I can’t imagine private prep schools are very open to the concept.

What happens at post 16 when students can access up to 3 years of funding until they're 19. Does deferring cut them short here?

The long term effect of everyone deferring will be skewed cohorts, and even more advantage in MC areas.

Children playing in the wrong age cohorts is not OK with contact sports. In the extreme, a 6 year old could be playing a 4 year old. They're very different. Similarly a 13yo vs a 15yo is usually the difference between pre puberty and puberty in boys. Very unfair for them to play the same age.

@Pingpoodle in Wales most school have nursery classes where kids start the term after they turn 3. Perhaps that’s why, as far as I am aware, there is less of this deferring craze going on.

@ARichtGoodDram your deferred prem dc is still significantly older than non deferred prem dc born in June. Some kids will be bigger and some smaller, but having an 18/12 age gap is only going to exacerbate the risks of that in certain sports.

Not sure this makes sense because a September - May born child would be 18 for A levels so therefore would be a problem for the vast majority of all kids…..

If an August born child is deferred remember they’re just days/ weeks older than a September born child in their new year

Where do you draw the line on deferral though? September born is theoretically OK to defer, so they start school at almost 5.

@Userflower I’m a late august birthday and would have been very annoyed if i had been deferred. I left home 3 weeks after my 18th birthday for university, was brilliant

Can you link to the studies? I don’t want to join a fb group and you are repeatedly talking about the benefits outlined in the studies and statistics, it would be helpful to have published information based on evidence, not an opinion on Facebook

You are missing the point.in a Grammar area,the completion for places means that the schools gave no need or desire to accept children out if the correct cohort. I accept that lots of areas do not have Grammar schools so it would not be so problematic. Re the 18 . I agree that many Y13s turn 18 before A levels. However they are usually prepared to accept that there has to be a start and end birth date for any school cohort. If a child has been deferred then they are starting Y13 as an adult. Legally parents cannot force their offspring to still be in school .My colleagues son played sport out of school in the correct cohort, and he was very angry that his parents had held him back a year. He saw his teammates , one a month younger than him going off to uni or joining the military, and he decided he did not want to wait any longer. As he was 18, he could sign the papers to join up, and his parents could not stop him.

Summerborns are classified from the 1st April to 31st August, only summer borns can defer

The fb group shares data. I have the large studies from the government from a freedom of information request to my local council - you will need to do this

I have one friend who’s daughter was deferred 20+ years ago and her daughter was so annoyed that she went to secondary school with children a year younger than her ,fuming that she was held back !
I have one child born in July and he thrived along with 2 other friends who coincidentally were born 31st August. All fully functioning successful adults!
I am August born and never felt disadvantaged at school!
There always will be the youngest in a class ,where does this nonsense stop !