Why do schools make kids repeat a year?

[auntyitaly]

My dearest niece and nephew (twins) are currently repeating Reception year. Our family were at school in Italy, where repeating a year is quite common, but I gather it's pretty rare in the UK. Does anyone know what the grounds are for making kids repeat a year ? and what the implications are for their education now they are no longer 'age normal'?

The kids are early July births, and were a touch premature, but not enough to make them cross the August school-beginners' date.

I'm asking because I want to offer my brother some help (tuition) - they're getting no extra support at home. I don?t want to be nosy and probe in case there is something he wants to keep private?

Are they actually being kept down a year, or is it a mixed year group?

Some schools get the children to do two years in one class, as they mix the year groups.

They're both being kept in reception to do the year over again. It's not a mixed group.

I assume that they are at a private school, as it is very uncommon to stay down in state sector?

At this age I would say that it would usually be down to levels of maturity rather than actual academics as reception is in many ways an extension of the preschool curriculum. But a lot will depend on the ethos of the school. If it is very pushy then they may get left behind. If it is laidback then they may not have started forming letters for example and so have fallen behind. How is their English?

The main implication will be if they wish to transfer back to the state sector where they will have to go back into their age-normal class.

They're at a state school and their English is fine - both parents are native speakers. What would the reasons a - reasonably good - primary have for keeping them back, dyou think...

Are they in Scotland?

I have to say that I've never known an English state school to keep children down in reception unless it is a mixed year class. By doing so they are stopping 2 more children from joining the school, and if any rejected child were to appeal then I would have thought that they could well win? Or did they join the school later then usual?

They joined late in the year after moving from Birmingham in March. (at school in B'ham).

Well it is hugely unusual. I think that you will need to ask your bro. I would assume that they are not emotionally ready for Year 1 rather than it being purely about "academics", so I'm not sure that tuition would be of much help. At some point they will have to skip a year as they have to transfer to secondary at the correct age.

IME children are usually only able to repeat a year if they have some form of SN, and even then it's something that the parents have to actively request and possibly fight for.

I have never heard of this happening - are you sure (sorry) that you've got all the facts?

I have never ever come across children being kept down a year at a UK state school. And that's in spite of knowing several parents who would like their children kept down a year, several children with virtually no English whatsoever, and several children with very severe SN in mainstream school.

Blimey! No matter how hard I fought could I have achieved this!

Even children with August birhtdays starting a year later is almost unheard of.

I would have loved my son to stay down a year-it wasn't a possibility. I have only heard of it happening with very special needs in the state sector.

A little girl in dds reception class stayed down.
But I don't know if she'll catch up as they mix classes in KS2.
She has some form of development delay and her mum was more than happy for her to stay down.
She's very happy in that year group too.

Think it's very unusual. Did they turn 4 last July or 5 ? I wonder if they joined a Foundation stage last year(ie nursery) and are simply continuing it this (Reception) or are in a mixed year group class.

Yes, LIZS that explanation is quite plausible. We had a family join school last June. The youngest should have gone into nursery but it was full so went into reception where there was a place and then stayed in reception (in his correct age) for the following year.