Year 5 to year 7 ...skipping year 6

[22Mya]

Just wondering if anyone knows anyone who has skipped year 6 and how did they fare?

[BikeRunSki]

There were 2 "year younger" boys in my form at secondary school. Academically fine, emotionally relatively immature and socially difficult once everyone else turned 18.

[22Mya]

Chalkhearts, I am guessing you possibly work in the educational (?state) system. As your reference is to mostly state schools, do you know how this translates in the private sector there's a little more focus on individual child achievements?
I am an eternal optimist so personally find the idea of predicting GCSE scores for a primary school child, mentally limiting or falsely reassuring.

[ChalkHearts]

More focused on individual achievements? I don't think you've been reading what I said.

In a state school every child should be working at their own level. I.e given challenging work for where they currently are. How do you focus more on individual achievement than that?

And how do you think attainment works? If you're behind in Y10 do you think you can be ahead in Y11? It can happen. But would be most unusual.

at what year do you think you can reasonably predict GCSEs?

[opioneers]

DD is currently skipped a year in primary, but we will most likely be putting her back into her age year for secondary, mainly for social reasons (being a teenager is tricky enough as it is...)

I don't regret DD's skip, it's worked in the circumstances that we found ourself in and was probably the best option. But if a child is really bright it's only a temporary fix; eventually they'll catch up with the rest of the class, and then you have to find another solution.

I also think that, with specialist subject teachers, it's easier for teachers to differentiate than it can be in primary, so I am less worried about the next stage. Perhaps foolishly.

[opioneers]

In a state school every child should be working at their own level. I.e given challenging work for where they currently are.

I know that this is the ideal, and I am sure that some schools manage it, but given the combination of a child who is more than a couple of years ahead + a school which is lacking resources, or imagination, or drive, it doesn't always happen, sadly.

[EvilTwins]

If a child is "average" in yr 6, he or she, statistically is most likely to get C grades at GCSE. No need for the "oh, that's just in the state system" snobbery.

Obviously children do not make progress in a neat, linear fashion, and plenty jump around due to a huge range of reasons, but that's what the data says. L4 (I know they're going/gone) = C, L5 (officially "able") = B and so on.

I don't think being about a year ahead in yr 5 is enough grounds to skip yr 6 completely.

[Noggie]

Why the rush to grow up? Even if academically this seems like an ok idea, and even if the child currently seems quite mature in their current class it is really hard to fast forward through puberty and all that comes with it. I wouldn't recommend.

[thatstoast]

Can anyone point me in the direction of the stats on this please? It's really intriguing to me.

[EvilTwins]

Gov.uk site

[EvilTwins]

DFE says "acceptable progress" is 3 levels - so L4-C, L5-B etc

[thatstoast]

Thanks for the link.

[ChalkHearts]

This graph also shows that:

chrishildrew.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/progress.jpg

1 year ahead would be probably mean they're expecting a 5c in Y6 or possible a 4a.

Expected used to be a 4b

2 years ahead would be a 5b or 5a

[22Mya]

Chalkhearts actually I have been reading what you have typed. Comparing year 10 and year 11 is hardly the same thing as comparing year 5 and year 11, is it?
There's a lot of maturing in between where a restless pupil may grow up to overcome carelessness and distraction and become more focused on studies whereas a naturally intelligent child may not necessarily always perform exceedingly well in exams.
Also, primary assessments are largely based on maths and English but in secondary he/she may get very interested in other subjects such as Economics, geography, etc in which they may do very well.
IMO year 9 is a reasonable time to make a prediction.

Don't get me wrong, I have not suggested that it is the right thing to skip year 6 based on being academically a year ahead, and in fact I am quite skeptical about the idea. But IMO it's more about the social and emotional development. I think academically, a bright and focused child can catch up and even exceed expectations in the right supportive environment.

[ChalkHearts]

Yes a lot can change between Y5 and Y11. But statistically, on average, it usually doesn't.

But absolutely your child may do better or worse than predicted. But you can still make a prediction which is statistically likely to be correct.

If you're in the bottom set in Y9 you're really unlikely to pass GCSEs. Although it does happen.

If you're in the bottom set in Y7 you're likely to be in the bottom set in Y9.

Because as you mature so do the other students.

[ProfGrammaticus]

If he's a September birthday I guess you could consider it. But it's more about the social side of things in his teens and when he goes to uni, I think. The others will grow and catch up before long, there's normally a massive range of heights and sizes in years 7-10. And "a year ahead" doesn't mean that much given the range of ability in any cohort. I have (physically small-average) very bright kids, but never considered moving them out of their cohort for a minute. Better to miss year 6 than year 7 though, I suppose.

[TeenAndTween]

I am a summer birthday and was a year ahead in the private system.
I wouldn't recommend it for a summer birthday as the emotional gap was too much.

My DD1 is a summer birthday. By being one of the youngest in the year she is frustrated that everyone else gets to do things first, and some things she can't do due to age. Key things in particular being

• work experience / part time jobs
• learning to drive

By pushing a September birthday up a year you are turning them into a summer birthday. I wouldn't do it. If child is really at risk of being bored in class then the school should be pushed to differentiate more, by going into more depth or breadth.

[spanieleyes]

I taught a boy in year 5 who skipped Year 6 and went on to a selective state grammar school. He was already working at Level 7/8 in year 5 and passed the 11+ with flying colours. Before he was admitted he and his family were interviewed by an educational psychologist to ensure he would "cope". It was a rare occurrence-no-one had ever done it before and I think the secondary took some convincing! But he was still ahead in year 7 and, as he had been taught in a year 5/6 mixed class, was already friends with some other boys from year 6 who passed.

[maydancer]

IME year 6 has been a waste of time for my 5 kids, it is just consolidating work already done and practising for SATS.

Re University Ruth Lawrence went at about 12 didn't she?

[EvilTwins]

Yes, but I'm not sure she is the best example

[ShanghaiDiva]

Agree with Chalk re differences within the year. There is 4 years in terms of ability in ds's class from top to bottom and this is not unusual.

[ifigoup]

I skipped Year 6 and don't regret it at all. I would have been so bored at primary for another year. I always had older friends anyway, so it was fine socially. For the first years of secondary it really made no difference at all that I was young for the year. Obviously later it did mean I was the last of my friends to drive, drink legally etc., which was mildly annoying but I survived!

I did a gap year when I left school, so by the time I started university I was back in my "real" year. But by that age there's such a mix of people (gap year, mature student, people from other countries where they finish school early etc.) that it really doesn't matter.

[MarmaladeAndEggs]

I did it, way back, and I think it did me a lot of harm. I eventually failed a lot of my 'O' levels (told you it was way back) and had to stay on an extra year at school to retake before I could do my 'A' levels. I was always the youngest in everything - bad at sport, and emotionally immature for my year.

I skipped the last year of prep school so I could start at my (indy) secondary school because I did well at the entrance exams (10+), and I have to say I suspect that it was at least partly so that my Mum could have bragging rights with her friends (whose children stayed in the right year and ended up getting similar 'A' levels to mine).

Personally, I would never do it to my kids, but I imagine parents have to look at it on a case by case basis. Just do it truly for them, including their emotional development, not because it sounds nice at dinner parties to say your darling had to skip a year because school just wasn't challenging them enough. Or be prepared for a possible backlash when your compliant 10 year old becomes a stroppy 14 year old.

[Ericaequites]

My sister skipped a year in the US system. She was very confident, and it was great for her. If a child can do mathematic and literacy work two years ahead of their average peers, he or she should be able to skip year 4 or 5. Size has nothing to do with academic or social talent. I say this as a rather short person at 155 cm.