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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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piscesmoon · 09/03/2009 21:59

Only if she is happy socially. My friend's DD did it, but she moved to secondary school a year early and university a year early. I wouldn't do it if she had to repeat a year.

scrooged · 09/03/2009 22:04

ds skipped a year last year (skipped year 4), it was because then then head wanted him in her class as he's bright. She left, the new head didn't like it, I moved ds somewhere else (long story) and they moved him back into his age group. They don't like it when children are out of their age group. Ds is an April baby so it's a big difference, there was another boy who's birthday is 2 weeks after the start of term and his mum had to fight for a secondary school place a year early. It's a PITA IMO.

piscesmoon · 09/03/2009 22:22

I think that you have to be very sure that you know what they are going to do in the future, and they don't change their mind as described by scrooged.

PortAndLemon · 09/03/2009 22:34

I was moved up a year at primary school (well, I was sort-of moved up two years and then sort-of repeated one year, but I went up to secondary school one year ahead) and it really messed me up socially. But then, I have a July birthday so it did mean I was in a class with children nearly two years older than I was. I've always said that I would never put a child up a year unless they were being made seriously unhappy, beyond the school's ability to cope with, by being with their existing year group.

NotAnOtter · 09/03/2009 22:48

a cautionary note

i have 2 october babies

one 1st october

if i could have i would have moved them up a year

they are both bright and able and socially very very adept
both been popular from the outset unlike my later in the year born babies

both top in everything through primary

both passed 11+ a breeze etc

now secondary age - both lazy ( unlike august baby) both cocky and king-pin attitude at home

august baby struggled socially until yr 2 ( average academically) tried and tried and was ahead of peers end of primary

went to grammar and worked butt off - breezed gcses and now finding a levels a great learning experience and as hard working and keen as ever

i do not anticipate the october ones to do as well- i am sure they are just as bright

christywhisty · 09/03/2009 23:56

Both my dcs are 1st half of september and so was I.
DS 13 is yr 8 and is very mature for his age and now he is in secondary school I think he would have been better off missing yr 7. Most of his friends seem to be in the years above, and he goes to 6th form electronics club etc Physically he looks like a 15 yr old so would not look out of place. When he went away with the scouts last summer he seemed to mostly hang out with the adventure scouts who were 14/15 while he was still 12.
Despite dyslexic problems he could cope well academically in the year above.

DD is by no means the oldest in her class with at least a 1/3 of her class are in September or the very beginning of October. She is one of the top of the class and could more than cope in the year above. She is very happy at school both socially (wish I had her social life and academically.

Chelsie · 10/03/2009 00:25

Personally, although I understand why it is done, I have an issue with pupils going up a year for literacy and numeracy unless what they will do once they reach Year 6 has been considered. Will they have to repeat the Year 6 curriculum in these subjects once they are in Year 6 as there is no higher year group to go up to? In this case, being conpletely moved to the higher year group would make more sense, especially for a September birthday where the age difference is inconsequential.

singersgirl · 10/03/2009 10:10

I'm surprised by how many schools do seem to move pupils up a year for subjects. It's never done at our school and our head, for some reason, doesn't consider it good practice. As Chelsie says, is anyone teaching Y7 or Y8 materials to those children in Y6? Most primary schools aren't set up to offer this. I thought current thinking was that children should be 'extended' laterally rather than vertically.

As far as the OP goes, I'd be surprised if your school would do it if it's a state school. Never happens in ours, even with the very, very able. Children aren't allowed to transfer out of year group to senior school in our LEA so they then have to repeat Y6.

pigsinmud · 10/03/2009 20:37

I don't think this would be a good idea. There has to be a cut off point. I have a friend whose child was born 12:08 am on September 1st. Surely better to be oldest in the year than the youngest.

At the various schools my children attend the work is tailored for their abilities anyway. Do they get streamed as they go up the school? In yr5 at my ds's school the 2 yr5 classes get mixed by ability for literacy and numeracy.

Social development is just as important as academic.

thirdname · 10/03/2009 22:14

Well, was not a problem for my nieces (1 skipped 2 classes), nor for 1 of my nephews. Not for my brother, not for me, (but DB and I started a year early so we never "lost" our friends).
It was a problem for one of my other nephews, but he seems to have been mixed up quite a bit, as he went to a small school with mixed classes.
BTW, this is all in a different country...

But if you would have to repeat y6 then I agree, defintatley BAD idea.

squilly · 10/03/2009 22:24

I was pushed up a year in primary in the 70's, despite being an April baby, and it was hideous.

Academically? I was always top 3 Socially? I left behind all my friends, tried desperately to make new ones for the next few years, then lost them all as they went up to High School together. Then I was plonked in another class full of, effectively, strangers!

I'm confident now, but I wasn't emotionally ready for it at 6 and I struggled my whole school life as a result. Knocked confidence and poor/late development of social skills.

I know not all kids are the same, but social struggling is the biggest issue kids face. Shifting them into different classes, then holding them back? It's never going to be a winner is it????

katiestar · 10/03/2009 22:39

There was a boy in our village who was moved up to our year from the one below (he had very 'ambitious' parents but was really picked on because he was physically and socially a lot younger. Last time I saw him he was sleeping rough in Leeds

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