Deceleration - holding back a year in reception

[TigerLightBurning]

Hi, we have been given the option of possibly keeping our son in Year R for another year. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience or knowledge of this. I don't want to hold him back now and find out I have screwed him over when he is 16 or 18. Do they get to complete school even though they are older than they should be?
Thanks

These are the questions you need to ask the school or the educational psychologist. It can vary. The only time I've known a child to be educated a year behind, they had to go back their chronological year when they moved between primary and secondary which was far from ideal.

back to their chronological year

We tried keeping DS2 back temporarily and phasing his move into year 1, but it didn't work out for several reasons:

Reception class shares a common area with nursery. Whilst the play in that area was developmentally appropriate for him, the fact that he towered over the younger nursery kids and had a tendency to step on them wasn't ideal. Some of them were terrified of him.

The separation from his peers wasn't good for him. He lost touch with the kids he could happily play alongside and didn't form any bonds to replace them.

On top of that, a lot of kids from his own year group who hadn't been close to him forgot about him and a couple were quite nasty about him.

He was still developmentally and academically behind kids a year younger than him, anyhow.

The year 1 classroom was actually calmer and more structured than the foundation unit and his learning was more purposeful in there.

He's in year 3 now and has a completely individualised curriculum, as he's still on P levels. The relative maturity of the other children in his class has been an asset, as he is happy to sit alongside certain children, who take an interest in what he is doing. There are children he trusts to hand a PECS card to (he's non-verbal) and they will take him to find someone who can help and he will happily play alongside these children at playtime.

If his 5 th birthday occurs after the start of the first year then it is counted as year 1 even though he may be the oldest in the class as opposed to being the youngest, if that makes sense. If it's a full year and that rule doesn't apply it would be detrimental at the other end of his school placement, unless they are looking to jump over and miss a year to put him back with his peers?

You need to discuss with the school how they think this will help and what the implications are.

Only if its formally agreed with the LA, if it just agreed with the school he will be expected to move on to his next school with his correct age group & could effectively miss a whole school year.

Even if the school agree please ensure that you have it agreed in writing by the LEA.

Thanks for your replies.
My son is not academically behind in fact he is ahead in reading and maths. It is the social side they are more concerned with and whether he would cope with the more structured classroom and more adult led work.
He is coming on well at the moment and I am reluctant to move to a special school whilst he is happy and progressing where he is.

It is up to the school to ensure that the curriculum is appropriate for him. Why do the school believe it is not possible to achieve this within his chronological year group; it may just need a bit more creative thinking! What are their (and your?) concerns about his social relationships like?

He has ASD so he has the typical issues with social communication and he doesn't really show much interest in the other children but he does play alongside them. He is verbal and is improving his communication.
He is generally reluctant to do things at first but when you can get over that he enjoys it.
I think they fear that a teacher would not be able to teach him but I really don't think that is the case.

If they fear a teacher would be able to teach him, that's not going to magically right itself in a year, is it?

If he is academically on track then I can't think that holding him back will be positive. They risk him losing that love of learning which is a very precious thing - says the mother of an SCD child who, quite frankly, CBA with anything to do with learning.

I'd ask for the outcomes they'd hope to gain by this course of action, in writing, before you even consider it.

I think they are being too cautious. They seem to be worried about the size of the Year 1 classroom.

Thanks for your thoughts. The more I think about it the less I can see the point of holding him back.

I see no point in holding him back. I can't see what can't be provided for him in the year 1 classroom without a few built in wriggle and bounce breaks.

I can't see how moving him away from children he knows is going to help him all that much with the social side of things.

Another thing to consider is that the more structured classroom of Yr1 might actually be better for him than the more 'free' environment of a Reception classroom. My ds liked the fact that the day had more of a routine and that the expectations were very clear.

The other aspect to consider is what happens if, after a second year of Reception, he's even further ahead with his work but still not all that interested in the other children? My ds1 is now 13yrs old and still has little or no interest in his peers.

I think he may do better in a more routine environment. I just get the impression when I say this stuff it gets dismissed. Is there any resource I could refer to that may indicate that he may benefit from a more structured approach?

From what you've said, I can't see any justification to hold him back a year. In fact, given that he is coping academically, I would absolutely push for him to be kept with his peers, for appropriate adjustments to be made, if necessary, to support him to work in a way that most suits him, and for additional support with social communication the other children's language and non verbal communication becomes more sophisticated.