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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

would you move your child up a year?

37 replies

misdee · 09/03/2009 13:49

bit of a background.

dd2 is a 1st sept baby. if she had been born a mere 8hours earlier she would be in year 2. as it is, she is in year 1, and the eldest in her class.

she does her litracy and now maths in with year 2. and the rest of lessons in year 1. this has been happening since she was in reception. she is working with the upper end of yr 2's as well.

part of me is wondering, if it would benefit her to officially move into the year ahead.

or if socially this is a big no-no, as i think she would have to repeat yr 6 before secondry.

is it even possible to movve up a year in the system?

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LadyGlencoraPalliser · 09/03/2009 13:52

I would not do it as in our Local Authority they would make her repeat Year Six which would be horrible for her. You should check what your LA's policy is before you consider it.

Original poster

misdee · 09/03/2009 13:53

school haent raised it. i am just thinking outloud

OP posts:

mankyscotslass · 09/03/2009 13:54

Our LEA would insist she went to High school with her age group, so would make her re-do year 6.

I don't think there is much flexibility in the State system, although I believe there is more if you go private.

seeker · 09/03/2009 13:54

I don't think it is possible - it certainly isn't in this authority. I think it would be very difficult socially - she would have to repeat year 6, which would be very boring, and get used to being back with her peers again.

My ds does quite a lot of work maths and literacy work with the next form up, but still does all other subjects with his peer group. I think that's the best solution really.

Original poster

misdee · 09/03/2009 14:02

thats what i thougt. she seems quite happy splitting hr time berween both classes anyway.

OP posts:

taipo · 09/03/2009 14:08

I think it's usually easier to be one of the oldest in the class than one of the youngest so if she's happy then leave her where she is, especially if it would mean repeating a year later.

Coldtits · 09/03/2009 14:11

no. Don't do it. She is at a clear advantage. Even if she never had to repeat that year, it would mean doing her GCSE's at 15, which although I know people do, doesn't mean it's a great idea. Ds1 is a youngish yer one, and does his maths with the year 2s so your dd2 won't be the only one.

GooseyLoosey · 09/03/2009 14:13

My birthday is early September and I was moved up a year. Intellectually it was a breeze but socially it was a nightmare - I sat alone for much of the time and hardly spoke until the year I was reunited with my peers when it all became much easier.

I can't say a blanket no, but it would take a very confident, socially adept child for me to even consider it.

claire002 · 09/03/2009 14:16

That sounds crazy (that she would then have to repeat a year). I was moved up a year (sept birthday), and just stayed in that year throughout - it was fine, and was actually top of that year as well. Goodness knows how bored I would have been if I'd stayed down a year, or even then had to redo a year. Is that really the policy now? Madness if it is. Quite interested to know as DD is also a 1 Sept birthday (although too young to tell if she's going to be relatively advanced or not!)

PeppermintPatty · 09/03/2009 14:17

I don't know if it is possible, but assuming it is what does your DD think of the idea?

When my DH was at primary school the teachers were considering moving him up a year. I think they asked DH what he thought and he said didn't want to because he would miss all his friends.

Nabster · 09/03/2009 14:18

My daughter is an August birthday and 1-2 years ahead of her year academically. I wouldn't move her though as I think it is important that their emotional needs are met too, and I don't think they would be in a class of children who are 1-2 years older.

stealthsquiggle · 09/03/2009 14:23

If she's happy, socially and academically, I would leave well enough alone.

Is it possible? Yes, in some LEAs. I know people who did it in the state sector.

DS is in a similar situation (well, Nov birthday) - he was moved up from pre-school into reception at the school's suggestion (independent school). It was absolutely the right decision for this stage (he is at the top end of the year he is in now) but we are thinking of trying to drop him back into his 'proper' year when he changes schools - he is fine for the moment but I am not comfortable with him being by far the youngest in his year come puberty.

IIWY, I would want to know what the school are going to do to continue to stretch and engage her when she is in the Y6, though. Worth a conversation, at least.

ForeverOptimistic · 09/03/2009 14:26

I was moved up when I was in Junior school and I hated it. I was never really accepted by my classmates and they treated me as the baby of the class even though I was only a couple of weeks younger than some of them.

sb6699 · 09/03/2009 14:29

I have a 1st September dd. She started was left behind at pre-school when all friends started nursery school.

Her pre-school teachers were adamant I should speak to LEA to ask if she could go with them as she was so advanced that they really couldn't teach her anything new. She knew her colours, shapes, alphabet and could count whilst recognising letters and numbers. Far more than her peers who were moving.

She is now at nursery school (due to start reception in September) and according to her teachers is still very advanced compared to the other children in her class.

My LEA totally refused to move he up a year - they would allow us to defer for a year but not move her forward.

Don't know if it would be a good idea to move her now she's started and has made friends and such like. But it may be an idea to see how your dd would feel about it as well as her class teacher before y do anything about it.

ABetaDad · 09/03/2009 14:37

As others have said, socially putting a child ahead 1 year can be bad for them.

The Headmistress of DS1 previous school advised not to do it. We didn't ever think of asking but his new school suggested he would be able to cope and have just suggested it again.

We do not want it to happen. I asked instead if he could be put up a year in maths by just using the next year's book but not to go in to their class.

I was born very early September and I remember my parents asking about it when I was coming up 5 and the Head saying it was a very bad idea. I was therefore very old for my year when I started.

Did me no harm in the end. Better to be old in a year than very young.

castlesintheair · 09/03/2009 14:44

I was just talking about this to someone this morning and she said they had to repeat year 6 which was really difficult. Otherwise it sounds like a good idea if she is already having maths/literacy with the year above and I presume is friends with them? She could only be a day younger than the youngest person in the year above in theory.

stealthsquiggle · 09/03/2009 14:53

Just to put the other side of the argument - as long as they do continue to challenge her, then fine. However, if we had not moved DS up when we did he would have been the tallest (by about 6") and almost the oldest in his year as well as the most academically advanced, and he would have been bored. Bored intelligent child = trouble, IME/O, and I feel sure that I would have been posting looking for help in keeping him engaged and challenged and preventing him turning into the class bully.

Most of my friends from (mad montessori) primary school got put a year ahead of their age group when we went to secondary school - as a summer baby I was one of the few exceptions. It can be done successfully, and is sometimes the best thing for the child (systems allowing, of course ).

HSMM · 09/03/2009 15:03

I was moved up a year at primary school (September birthday) and had a great time, made new friends, got on really well ... but they wouldn't take me at Secondary school and I had to repeat a year and it was awful. All my friends left without me and I spent a year basically doing NOTHING.

claire002 · 09/03/2009 15:07

Totally agree with you stealthsquiggle - apparently I had changed from a lovely little (headstrong) girl, to one who was kicking and screaming and throwing things, and even got into trouble for hitting a boy at school. Going up a year was a bit upsetting for the first month or so, but I was only 5 so got over it pretty quickly, and think it was def. the right thing for me, and wasn't a problem after that. Who's to say what year would be best for a 1 Sept baby, when only hours separates them from a 31 Aug baby? As in all things, depends on the particular child, which is why I'm so shocked that schools don't seem to support this any more where it might be the best course of action (and making a child repeat a year sounds even more potentially disruptive).

Anyway, thats my twopennorth!

Hulababy · 09/03/2009 15:08

Probably not no.

I think I would have to be very clear on what would happen at key points in my child's development and edcuation - such as at end of infants, end of juniors, before starting GCSEs, at 16y and at 18y - and wether feeder schools, colleges and/or universities would accept my child at this stage or whether they would have t repeat a year.

If they have to repeat a year I think it could well be a bad thing, esp socially but also educationally - what will they do work wise if they have already done the Y6 (or whatever year) work already?

I also tend to thing it is better for a child to be the eldest in their year group than the youngest. It is not uncommon for children in schools to work with children outside their age group for some subjects, but remains with their own class the rest of the time. I think this option generally works best personally.

mice · 09/03/2009 15:10

My son is in year 6 - born early September and has always been incredibly bright.
I am delighted that he has found learning so easy. In the past we talked about moving him etc etc until it dawned on us that primary school is about so much more than maths and literacy.
I want my son to be a child and not to encourage him to grow up quicker than he needs to. He still enjoys all other aspects of primary school - the fun - the plays - the art - cooking etc etc His teachers have been able to cater his work to him within his peer group - extend the work to his capabilities - while he maintains his friendship and most importantly his childhood.
Now the end of year 6 is in sight we have definitely made the right decisions. He is happy, well rounded and is going to one of the country's best grammars in September - all on his own merit - and the reason he was so desperate to get in was because they offer the best opportunities at sport locally!
Their childhood flies by so fast - in my opinion letting them be children for as long as possible is so important.

leosdad · 09/03/2009 16:07

would have loved Ds to move up a year (sept baby) just not possible where we are. He is working at levels above his year group and most of his friends are in the years above as he has met them outside school.

Surprising to find people have managed to do it - was that at state school.

Thoroughly agree with stealthsquiggle - a bored bright child can be trouble

as for universities makes little difference as students don't actually start until october so the september child in a higher year group would have had eighteenth birthday

besides the rules on school age groups are artificial and are completely different in scotland

lljkk · 09/03/2009 17:22

Personally, with my DC:
DC1 Y4: quite bright, would love to be moved up and would respond well to the challenge of harder work, new set of people, etc. I'd not hesitate if given the option.

DC2 Y2: arguably brighter than DC1, so academically needs to be stretched harder. BUT would not want to be moved, would take it very badly; would miss old friends dearly. Unhappy at school, her work would suffer, there would be no advantage to it.

DC3 Yr-R: does well academically, but even if he could do the academic work, he wouldn't cope well emotionally (struggling as it is).

apostrophe · 09/03/2009 18:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mimsum · 09/03/2009 21:45

I was moved up in infants (wasn't even old for the year - April b'day) - it was horrible. The work was no problem, but socially it was a minefield. I begged to be put back with my friends and I ended up sitting at the top of infants for 2 years getting bored

Nowadays in our LEA whatever happens in primary, children HAVE to transfer to secondary with their peer group - which can mean children either doing y6 twice - or in one case I know missing y6 altogether and going straight from y5 to y7!

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