September baby - can they join school a year above?

[Pandadream]

I’ve heard people delay a year but has anyone managed to get their child to join an academic year earlier with birth in early September?

We tried that with our November born son but didn’t get anywhere. It sucks as (other than practicing writing) it feels like he’s repeating pre-school and waiting for the other kids to catch up. He can already read and do basic maths. It’s hard hearing him come home saying he likes playing but the lessons are boring.

I have a September baby (well not a baby any more - he's a teen now). He was in the correct year but at one point (Y3 I think) the head teacher suggested that he could move into the year above if we wanted him to. We said no because I think it can lead to more problems than it solves.

My DS has an early September birthday as does his best mate, it’s been nothing but beneficial to them. August born babies are known to perform less well at school (throughout, I believe) why would you want to do that to your child? Conversely, I know a number of people who were put up a year for whom it didnt end well. For the record, DS is academically very strong and would no doubt have managed fine a year sooner but his social skills are much stronger for being among the elder ( plus there’s things like being able to learn to drive, drink etc that the later birthdays always feel)

Why would you want to do this though? Even if academically they would be fine, socially and emotionally it is beneficial to be one of the oldest. They are statistically more likely to do well in final exams and more likely to become professional sports people than summer born children (same is true if adjusted to reflect birth order in relation so southern hemisphere school years)

DD has a 2nd Sept birthday - she was more than ready to start school when she turned 4, but actually it’s much better to be the oldest in the year, than the youngest.

Even if you could I’d say don’t do it. Outcomes for September and October born babies are better for a reason! He will be able to really dig deep into the curriculum because he has the basics down. It’s a gift!

Why? Mine are August due in the October and struggled for a while.

Back along the primary teacher visited my DD at playgroup. DD was born right at the beginning of September, could read and write (which was why playgroup had asked teacher to visit). They tried to get her into the primary early (at that time the school had Christmas, Easter and Autumn intakes) that Christmas, but there wasn't room.

So she did another whole year at playgroup. and I think it did her more good than going to school at 4.

A private school might consider it.

state school very very unlikely to.

Don’t do this. My DH was November born and quite bright (in a crap comp). He missed a year of school and while academically he coped, for sport and socially it was difficult. Boys grow a lot…(sorry obviously!) but if you’re small it’s not good for rugby or football. We had a bright September boy who did just fine. At one stage he was shorter than a lot of his mates despite being the eldest… but he’s now 6’ and just one of the (tall) pack.

I have a September born and being older has been a huge advantage to him. I don't know why you'd want to remove an advantage and exchange it for a disadvantage

Private sector yes. Both my brothers were a year up from birth, both September babies. One coped better than the other.

More recently, a friend had a super academically capable child moved up a year in a private school. It was socially a nightmare as all his friends were in the year below and he was out of sync for sports teams. It was easier once he moved for secondary school in a different area and was with the same cohort all the way through.

I was moved up a year at about the age of 6. Worked well academically, but not socially.

No, this isn't a thing anymore. If may have happened many years ago (as some people said, there use to be September, January and April intakes in some areas so things were a bit more flexible). It doesn't happen any more though and with good reason. September babies are statistically at an advantage, academically. While some might be ok starting a year early at 4, it could become very apparent the difference in their maturity over the next few years, compared to their peers who are all older. This would then put them at a disadvantage. Why would you want to do that? It's socially alienating too as they get older. They won't be allowed to play in the same sports team as their classmates, they'll learn to drive later, they won't be able to legally drink until after finishing their A Levels, while their peers are starting to go out legally celebrating in pubs and clubs throughout their final year of sixth form etc.

Summer born deferral is an option to support those who may need it, so they are not disadvantaged by being the youngest in their year group. It would be madness to choose to put your child, who is even younger than children who can defer, in that position.

Sometimes autumn born children do stand out at pre-school, as they are usually naturally more mature than their peers who are up to 11 months younger. That isn't a reason to push them forward to be with peers up to 12 months older though.

A good pre-school and Reception class will make adaptations to ensure your September born isn't bored if they are strong academically (the same as they would for any child born in any month if they were particularly talented in certain areas). Being ahead academically does not automatically mean a child is ready to skip a whole year group though. Also, a child who is academically ahead at 4 won't necessarily always stay ahead (especially if they suddenly become the youngest in the class). Their younger peers often begin to close the gap as they grow older and more mature. Autumn born children can sometimes struggle with this switch in dynamics, if they're always use to being 'the best' and then they suddenly have several peers achieving at the same level, or perhaps even higher, one day.

All children are different. Some children in Reception can already read, are good with numbers and are picking up writing well, but they might lack resilience and struggle to regulate their emotions. These are their personal targets which they need to working. They are not emotionally ready for Year 1 yet. There may be other children who are far more mature, but struggle a bit more with the academic subjects. They're all different and all have different targets regardless of the month they were born.

Give your September born the best start to their education by having them enter formal education at nearly 5, as opposed to not quite 4. Not that it's your choice anyway though. As I said, it's not a thing to start September born children early now.

This just won't be an option in state school. Your only option would be if you are paying, and even then not all schools would go for it.

Really why would you want to do this? He needs social development time and would you want him to miss out on a year of school and what, go into work or university at 17?

My fried had a September baby and he joined school the year he was supposed to do.

However, midway through Year 1 his mum asked the Head teacher if he could be moved up a year as he was doing so well and they happily did it.

He has recently just gone up to Secondary school with the same cohort and the Headteacher of the secondary school had no problem with him going to secondary school with the year 7 cohort although he technically should have been in Year 6 based on his DOB.

So yes, it is possible.
(It was 5 years ago he was jumped up a year, and he went up to Secondary last September in the same cohort).

Editted to say: I will say though that she does regret it now though as although he was fine being in the year above when he in the early years of primary school, as he’s got older she has noticed him struggling academically and socially now he’s in a year group with children who are potentially a year older than him. He went from having all the benefits of being the oldest in the year to now facing the disadvantages of being the youngest in the year (similar to some challenges that summer born children have to cope with). So think very carefully before you make the decision. Think about his long term outcomes and the long term implications, not just about how things seem now when he’s young and the disparity in the ages of pupils in the class doesn’t matter so much).

My DD is summer born and was more than ready for school in many ways. She knew her phonics and is flying through the reading scheme. But she is really struggling to keep up with the handwriting and physically. The majority of her class are Autumn babies and almost a full year older, it shows. Me and DH are tall and she is teeny compared to her peers.

Born in August. Sent to school at 4. Not emotionally ready. I still remember it and I have very few childhood memories. Like being lost in a storm of voices. Please don't do it.

I don't think you meant to reply to me, did you? My DD is 36, it's a bit late for her now!

My siblings (both October born) and I (February born), were all put up a year. We went to an unusual small primary school with mixed age classes so didn’t particularly have a concept of what year we were in at primary school. I was fine academically at secondary school (11 high grade GCSEs; 4 A-levels), but socially it was a challenge. I was smaller than everyone else, I couldn’t keep up in PE, and I couldn’t do DofE when everyone else did that. This continued into sixth form when I couldn’t learn to drive when my friends did etc. I went to uni at 17 and was grateful I had fake ID, but I lived in fear that I wouldn’t be able to get into pubs and clubs.

I started school a year early in the 1970s because I could read and write by the time I was three (I know, weirdo) and my mother ‘didn’t know’ how to keep me entertained. It wasn’t great because I then had to repeat a year at the end and lost all the friends I’d made due to them moving up to junior school. Also, yes I could read and write but socially I was behind kids even of my own age so it set me back hugely in that respect. I have no idea what my parents were thinking. I’d say with schooling it’s best to keep it ‘conventional’ if possible because what’s the point really in your DS finishing school a year early? To be the youngest at university with a risk he won’t fit in? There’s plenty that can be done at home and in the community to keep him entertained academically if that what he needs (and, more importantly, wants).

I really wouldn’t do this, even if you had the option. Children already start formal schooling so early in the UK, compared to international norms - having your child be the youngest of an already very young cohort doesn’t seem like a good option. There’s a lot more to school than the 3Rs, and socially you’ll be setting him up for problems he likely wouldn’t have a year later.

What would be the point?

It’s a few years ago, but my local authority (LA) wouldn’t allow a similar thing for my September-born DD.

She went to the local state primary, which only had 2 year mixed age classes after reception, because of numbers. They were grouped on tables by ability. In y1 she was on the top table in a y1&2 class: the rest of the table were y2.

At the end of the year they, naturally, moved to a y3&4 class. I asked the school if DD could move with them, school said yes but would have to check with the LA. They said no, she should stay with her age-group and school should be able to ‘stretch’ her. there.

It wasn’t an academy, though. Perhaps they have more flexibility.

Agreed! DS birthday is first week of Sept. He’s in Y12 now. He’s found school work very easy. Socially, he’d have struggled going to school at just 4.