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!!

The disadvantage doesn’t come from being “the youngest” as I understand it, but from being only 48 months old when starting school. July and August borns deferring doesn’t change the age of the June borns, who are still (a little bit) more ready than they would have been if they’d had to start on 1 July.

Edited to add - to put it another way, if by some fluke there was an entire class of autumn born kids but with one say March born child, I don’t think anyone would be saying the March born should defer because in those circumstances they’d likely still be ready for school, even though they’d be the youngest by some margin.

Completely agree!

We have had several children who were deferred and did an extra year with us. However, we already knew the families as the children had been with us at least a year (or more!) already. It may be hard to get a place after they've turned 4.

Yes pre schools should offer places no issues. I imagine it’s more that they’re full than due to the deferral

Not if the pre school is attached to a private school. They’re capped at a maximum of 10% deferred otherwise the whole class becomes eligible for VAT. And they have to factor in potential mid year leavers so realistically they’re unlikely to allow more than 1 deferred child, if they allow it at all.

Financially we could have kept our July born DT’s in nursery but they were more than ready to start school. Holding them back a year would have not been to their advantage.

How do you know?

Not all children are the same. Some of us had four year olds who were more than ready for full time school. DT’s also did breakfast and after school clubs each day. Financially we could have deferred.

For those not ready, they can defer.

Our council put deferred children straight into Year 1 so they miss Reception. Personally I'd rather my child complete Reception that go straight into Year 1.

There is an path for them to do Reception but from the details I've ready it's exceptional they would do that.

What council is this? I’m almost certain if you applied now given recent guidance they wouldn’t do this

They are now in their mid 20’s - successful happy adults.

How do you they wouldn't.

No on knows. You jus mak a leap of faith by looking at your 3yo and will never know f it was a better or worse outcome.

She was definitely told they don’t take deferred children, rather than they were full

Northamptonshire - the wording is - 'The expectation is that these children would then start school in Year 1 and join their normal age group as they move from Reception to Year 1.
Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular age group'

I'm applying for next year (well prepping for 10th Sept opening date) hence having read it this week.

I suspect it's correlation not causality. Sharp elbowed higher income parents defer.
It's like saying breastfeeding makes kids more intelligent when actually it's all about the mothers socio economic background.

That said in my v middle class nct group of summer borns no one has deferred.

My sister is late August birthday, no deferring, the only disadvantage she had was being the last of her friends to drive and drink. Deferring her would’ve been a huge mistake.
Im a secondary teacher. We have a few deferred students, they all hate it. Try their best to hide their age as they stick out from their year group because of it. Everyone asks questions, are they stupid to be held back a year… secondary is tough. Students want to fit in, not have a reason to stick out.
I teach Sept born students who are extremely immature for their year group, I teach August borns who are the most resilient and academic.
I hate the fact that deferring is only an option for those who can afford an extra year of childcare.. so of course the statistics point to middle class parents doing it.
It depends on the child, it always will, but there will always be a youngest in the year. Reception teachers are trained to support with this. Lots of parents who choose to defer open up more difficulties for their children later on in education.

Thankfully this is rarely the case now.

In order for a school to place a deferred child straight into Year 1 they have to be able to justify that decision by explaining how it is in the child's best interests.

I don't see how any school could say that missing out on the Reception year, which forms the basis of education, is best for the child.

That is good news OP, that it's becoming a more common choice for parents. The more parents who successfully make this choice for their children, the easier it will become for those who wish to do this.

Of course it is child-dependent and won't be the right decision for every child/family. But the point is that historically it has often been a battle for parents, due to school's and admissions authorities not understanding (or willfully ignoring) the admissions code and guidance on summer borns.

My summer born, who started reception age 5, has just moved into Year 4 and it's still the best decision we have made for him.

Yes really is great news 😊😊

july baby here and started school at 4. Older sister is late august and didn’t defer. We’ve both done really badly, not gone to Nottingham uni and Oxford nor did I get a job as a teacher in a great secondary school and she currently does not work in a high- powered job in tech. Blame the parents hey!

It is child dependant. Two boys in my son’s primary school class were born right at end of august were always the brightest, best at sport, arts, etc. My winter child struggled for a long time. Did finally get there, though!

My daughter is August 28th.

She stated reception last year, we didn’t defer.

She absolutely flew through it and thrived, the teacher commented after the first couple of weeks that you’d never guess she was the youngest, socially or academically.

She’s just gone into year one. If we had deferred and she was just starting reception now, she would have been bored shitless and we would have been holding her back. She’s doing brilliantly.

It wasn’t about childcare either. I am at home all day and she never set foot in a nursery setting.

All children are different.

But what happens when the majority of July/August borns defer and the June parents think oh my child will be the youngest in the year. Will they defer their kids start date too?
I have 3 autumn borns and one son who was a July born and had a wonderful reception year and is going great guns now in Year 3. I work at a school and seriously Reception Year is a very gentle step up from nursery.

I can't understand why anyone holding their child back a year would be gloating about it??

The parents of June-borns already can defer their child if they wish to.

Besides, I don’t think any parent makes the decision to defer, or not defer their child based on what other parents are choosing for their own children?! Parents make their decision based on what they think is the right decision for their own child, not based on what Johnny’s mum down the road is doing with her summer-born child.

I think this thread has highlighted how very few people defer their summer born children anyway so I don’t think there needs to a nationwide mass panic that Reception classes are soon going to be overrun by children who have recently turned 5 years old.

But the situation in Scotland shows that is exactly what happens. 50 per cent of Jan/Feb children (equivalent of July/Aug) defer and a good number of those born from August onwards too. This does gave an impact on those who wouldn't generally have considered deferring, because you're not deciding that your February born will be the youngest in the class by up to 12 months, but will be the youngest by more like 18 months. I can't imagine my Feb born 4 year old, who can read and write a bit, having to wait til 5.5 to start school and I think that final year at nursery would be awful but I'd seriously consider deferring in that situation because otherwise they're at an even greater disadvantage than if everyone went in their usual year group.

It's a shame this is what happens because there are a small number of children, including those born prematurely, who really benefit from a flexible system. I just don't think it can be free choice.