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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Do bright children still get moved up a year to start secondary school early?

56 replies

Carolinethea · 03/02/2023 22:55

I was reflecting on my school years with friends the other day and we were thinking about the number of pupils at my school who were a 'year ahead' when they started - ie they were age 10 when they started secondary. I was wondering if this still happens?

At my school -very academic, independent day school- there were maybe 10 children out of our year of 120 who were aged 10 at the start, ie a year 'young'. They were generally autumn babies so only marginally younger than some in the year but all had passed the entrance exam/ interview etc so the school was happy with their presence.

I'm not aware of any such children in my son's school and I was wondering if it had fallen out of favour?

(Of my acquaintances one or two were a year young and they have mostly turned out ok; one was generally regarded as being very bright, top of the class in every subject, and still is 20 years later definitely and one was a later bloomer who was unhappy at school and probably could have done better at school if she had been in her correct year)

OP posts:
OntarioBagnet · 03/02/2023 23:02

I don’t think so. A young relative of mine is very bright, did maths gcse in year 7 bright. And started having lessons with sixth formers (just for maths) when he was in year 8. He finished A level syllabus the following year and is having to find his own stuff to do for maths now.

He’s streets ahead of his teachers in maths and streets ahead of his dad who has a 1st class maths degree. He’s very bright in other subjects as well but he’s in his own year group.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 03/02/2023 23:08

I think the private sector is very different to state - heads would be very reluctant for that to happen in state education because of the potential emotional difficulties for a child younger and usually far smaller than the rest of the cohort.

It only happened with some of the boys when I was in primary, too - there were two main private schools that the boys went to who would consider out of year pupils, but the girls didn't have an independent in the area that would take them; and not all of those boys would actually be going to secondary in that, some were joining for the last year of primary.

Even the ones you know of, at least one struggled despite being academically able - it's about the kid's needs first and foremost, after all.

Stardu · 03/02/2023 23:09

No, UK schools prefer not to do this anymore cos of all the bullying.

YerAWizardHarry · 03/02/2023 23:09

If anything favour is falling the opposite direction. In Scotland you can now legally defer your child a whole extra year if they’re not 5 when they start Primary 1

TizerorFizz · 03/02/2023 23:12

It’s very unusual. I know 2 Dc who went to Cambridge to do maths around 12 years ago and both were in correct cohort. One did work with older Dc for maths at primary. However it was only maths. Both went to grammar schools with top marks.

At primary there are sats and it’s not expected that they are done early. There’s also the social development of Dc to think about. If you want to change, when do you revert to the correct cohort? What about friends? What about sports teams?

Years ago I’ve seen Dc go to secondary early, from state, at parental insistence and against advice of head to repeat y6. Another head had agreed to change of year group without adequate snd accurate assessment. I’ve seen a few in a (average) private school who were a year above but they were not that special - judging by final destinations! The schools were just not extending the curriculum for them. It can be expedient to agree with pushy parents to move them up.

Also if you want 11 plus, it’s not a good idea to do it early. My DD2 went to a very high achieving prep school. DDs there were never ahead of cohort but some went to stellar schools and universities at 18. So, rightly, it’s dropped out of favour as it’s unnecessary and should not be done.

Nevermindthesquirrels · 04/02/2023 00:08

This must've only been common in privates, and probably yours as it was selective. It's becoming common to start a year late.

crackofdoom · 04/02/2023 00:16

I went up in a state school about 40 (eek) years ago. Probably an easier decision for them as I was being bullied in the year I was in anyway (I did better in the year above).

You can run into problems at the other end of education though- by the age of 15 I'd turned into a rebel who'd already done my GCSEs and wanted to leave school, but I legally couldn't until 16. That might be another reason why they stopped doing it.

UsingChangeofName · 04/02/2023 00:27

I'm not sure about your perception that it was ever 'a thing' .
Obviously, it must have been in the school you went to, but I mean for the population as a whole.

As others have said there is more of a push from some parents to start their dc late, to try to give them an advantage by being oldest in the year (below the one they should be in) rather than youngest in the year (they should be in).

hettiethehare · 04/02/2023 08:43

It wasn’t a thing in my (girls) indie, but so knew a couple of boys at the equivalent boys indie who had been moved up a year. Both bright enough, but neither were stellar bright.

My Dad was a year ahead of his age as well, but he was a forces child and moved around so much I think he just ended up out of year.

Bobbybobbins · 04/02/2023 08:49

In 19 years at my state comprehensive school we have had 1 child do this and his parents had to go to court to force the LA to allow it!

maddy68 · 04/02/2023 08:51

No. Sats and exam prep has scuppered all that way too much to put into the curriculum now to be jumping years

Andanotherone01 · 04/02/2023 08:53

If you went to private school it is not even remotely comparable

borntobequiet · 04/02/2023 08:58

I don’t think it’s ever been a “thing”. Your school sounds like the exception.
Having said that, one of my best friends at school was out of year. She thinks her mother made a mistake filling in the entry form so she started in the wrong year group in Junior school and moved up with it. She was also tall for her age and bright. It was a voluntary aided school that served as the local Catholic girls’ grammar school, so there was a problem with the 11+, which they solved by putting her in the grammar stream and having her take the exam when she was eligible a year later than the rest of us. This was in the early 1960s.

newtb · 04/02/2023 09:05

GDST schools used to enter pupils a year early for the entrance exam. 1 person in my year was a year ahead and 1 person I knew in the year above I'd been at another school with but had then gone to the junior school.
The girl in my year then got a free 11 plus place as she was considered to be at a primary school in the borough. This seemed rather unfair to me, as the family were well off.
Back end of the 60s.

MargaretThursday · 04/02/2023 10:28

I don't think it's done in the state system, but may be done in the private still.

My experience was that of the children who moved up, they were almost all at the older end of the year (September/October) birthdays and they coped fine if they were tall for their age (especially boys) and sociable. Those who stood out height wise or struggled with friendships found it much harder.
Some were put up for convenience (eg they were at a small village school and had been the oldest in the school since year 4, or had moved area and their parents thought they'd be better not only having one year at a new school before moving. They coped as well as those who were put up because they were bright.

FlimFlamBam · 04/02/2023 10:52

This happened to DH when a child at an independent school. He took his A levels two years early and then decided to work for a couple of years before he went to University.

We did very occasionally only half a dozen over 25 years working in higher education have students who had taken their A levels early arrive to study at the University I worked in. It was a nightmare because they were obviously underage for alcohol and classed as minors.

terriblyangryattimes · 04/02/2023 10:58

I don't think it is. I moved up to secondary at the 'right' age (in 1997) but was 'ahead' a year in primary school throughout juniors. This meant I had to do year 6 twice over which was tedious and frustrating for me and the other child who was my age. I'm not sure why the school or our parents thought it was a good idea as it had no affect on us moving up to secondary a year earlier. Perhaps that was the original plan and it was scuppered?

Now my own children are in primary and 1 moving to secondary this year and as far as I know from our school and others in the area no child is moved up early, or is able to skip a year once they've started. Some schools do support children doing a few GCSEs a year early (ie year 10 sitting them) but only in exceptional circumstances.

dizzydizzydizzy · 04/02/2023 15:11

I did my O Levels and A Levels in the mid 1980s in a state grammar school. As far as I'm aware we were all in the correct year for our age, except for one girl whose birthday was in September 1st. She was in my year and should have been in the year below.

I've not been aware of anyone in my DCs primary/comprehensive schools who were in the 'wrong' year.

DC2 was a late bloomer and summer born and would have benefited enormously from being in the year below.

SecretVictoria · 04/02/2023 15:15

My DF went to grammar a year early, but that was over 60 years ago! One girl at my (shite, state) comp got held back a year. Never known of anyone being put ahead in the state sector in recent times.

nonheme · 04/02/2023 17:21

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Fairysilver · 04/02/2023 17:26

I don't think it's a thing now. It was considered for DS1 in primary school but I was reluctant as he was emotionally immature.

DH skipped a year when he was at grammar school in the 1960s.

Ultimately it meant he went to uni as a young 17 year old and didn't make any real difference long term.

Goingforasong · 04/02/2023 17:30

My DD and the other scholarship pupils were put up a year at prep school but were told they were not allowed to sit the Common Entrance or move on to senior until they were the appropriate age. The prep school wanted them to stay for another year which was crazy as it would have meant repeating the year with pupils who were previously in the class below. We opted out at that stage and went elsewhere.

immergeradeaus · 04/02/2023 17:39

One of my dc did maths lessons with Y6 from when he was in Y3. He went to secondary at the right age though, as we wanted to prioritise his social skills: I think the ability to interact and belong to your peer group is more important than early academic success.

Saturdaynoon · 04/02/2023 17:52

I know a boy who was moved up a year in a private prep, and was still top of that year academically.

His parents weren't happy with that, because they wanted him in the correct year group, but still have the right academic stretch.

He's now at a very high performing London day secondary school, in the correct year.

So, yes, private schools still seem prepared to do it.

tornadoinsideoutfig · 04/02/2023 18:02

The local girls' grammar allows children to start a year early, not sure of criteria. I don't see a problem with just one year, they are allowing summer born children to be kept back a year now.