Are summer born babies at a disadvantage?

[London_Mum]

I totally agree about it going beyond just the month of birth and incorporates early school experiences and expectations as well. Some children will have the temperament or exceptional ability to overcome this disadvantage but generally a group of October born children will be better placed than a group of July based children when starting school.

There are however other groups who are equally disadvantaged at school and suffer this pigeon holing too. Children with early speech, language or hearing difficulties for example often fail to thrive at school long before their condition is found to be the cause. Until quite recently, early diagnosis of many conditions that affect early learning has not been common or possible and even now, it can be hit and miss. These children also get pushed down the path of being treated as less able, given less challenging work and fall behind when they miss a lot of early schooling for appointments.

That said, the tests in our area are not used to identify the top 20% of children where those who are clever but had an early disadvantge may narrowly miss out. They are used to cream off the top 1 or 2 children in each primary school. As such they identify the children who always were and always will be the very cleverest in a class regardless of how they are encouraged or treated or when they were born.

[tiffinboys]

However, being a pushy mum ( ) I never let this put me off and with a bit of a shove, they all seem to have done ok.

The above statement is the key. We have a spring born. So far hasn't done bad in comparison to the Autumn borns. In fact, at our local school, even the August born girl entered for the 11+ exam and got one of the high scores among her peers at Tiffins stage 1 and Nonsuch tests. And this girl is by no mean an exception. The difference, as 2outof3 pointed, is parents push and hard work.

[dez]

Summer borns may get extra marks in the 11+ but what about future exams. They are always the youngest in their year group and post 11+ this is not accounted for! No standardised scoring for GCSE etc. Some year 11 children are only 15 when they sit their GCSE's and can be more immature in their approach to revision etc than a child born 11 months earlier than them but who are in the same year group.

If you are talking about the superselective GS, I don't think 11months gap in age will made alot of different by the time of GCSE. They will probably feel more confident as they are the younger group but still made it through the selective process.

Age gap is probably of greater concern at 11+ but I think the most important thing is to start preparation early if your DC is in state school which doesn't have support for 11+ exam. My DD was August born but did exceptionally well in the 11+ recently. Don't leaves it till the last minutes by thinking our DCs are 11 months younger. If they have the ability and early planning by parents a lots of summer born DCs can achieve great results.

[cakemummy]

I've read the above posts with great interest and there are a few points I've found very informative. I can only speak from my experience but my October born seems so much more immature towards school than my prem May born ever was. I would have expected the complete opposite but guess every child is different irrespective of when they are born.

[Rob Clark]

Statistically speaking, summer-born DCs do worse. There really isn't any doubt about that and there is plenty of evidence-based research to back the stats up - an IFS study in 2007, a Cambridge University Review in 2009 and a DfE report published in 2010. There's also an interesting Nfer study of the literature which, although it dates back to 1995, provides some links worth exploring*

The Cambridge Review placed actual figures on the difference, with birth month making a 25% difference at KS1 down to 6% by GCSE, and further claims that autumn-born children are 20% more likely to go on to university.

In my particular field of expertise, sport, this argument has already been won and lost. Some 57% of Premiership footballers are born between September and December, with only 14% born between May and August. The reason is commonly accepted as being down to the bigger, older boys being picked for the teams, at school and clubs, from the word go, which means they get access to more/better coaching, training and matches. There is also the psychological benefit of being picked for the team and, conversely, the opposite when you are left out, regardless of talent or potential, because you aren't physically strong enough. It all creates a virtuous circle for those inside it, and a vicious one for those outside it and it becomes harder and harder to move from one to the other.

Interestingly in New Zealand rugby is played not in age groups but in size groups so the talented but little aren't swamped but the less skilful but much bigger boys. Doesn't seem to have done their rugby any harm, as a nation

Junior tennis in this country moved to a split season a few years ago, so now there is twice-yearly re-categorising of age groups which has the effect of children who are the oldest in their age group in the summer months being the youngest in the winter months, and vice versa. This has definitely levelled the playing field somewhat, though it's a bit of a broad brush solution.

In academics it's tougher to find an answer, I think, as to some extent there will always be 'winners' and 'losers', but if anything research is now tending towards considering the impact of birth month being even pronounced than has previously been acknowledged.

Apologies for the long post, it's a subject I find fascinating

* sorry but being a May birthday myself haven't mastered the technology of posting links

[tiffinboys]

Fascinating post. Thanks, Rob Clark.

[Browser]

Oooh I'm itching to comment and discuss further but my silly laptop isn't working and I'm typing at a snails pace on my phone...so alas will try later. I thought tiffinboys makes a fair suggestion after I had commented on the system in the US.

So if in England, we start to aim at Feb-Mar born children, it would be same as the American system.

I think that another idea would be to allow July-August born to start a year later and Sep-Oct born to start a year earlier, if parents want to.

Also again I ask about summer born children(bar cakemummy and Three kids) that did exceptionally well at 11+, did they sit the english and maths papers too..
Sorry to be a stickler, but it gives me an indication as to whether or not its only my child who struggles

[capries]

I totally agree with this post.
My DS is late august born and he is suffering this difference of age in his class. He was late speaker as well and still needs to develop his fine motor skills. I can see a vast difference in understanding and maturity of his peers who are in the same class with him. In few years time when I will like him to try 11+ , I know he will struggle unless he shows improvements in year 3 or 4 later.
within a class I can see late summer borns given different homeworks and work because they are unable to catch up with their peers.

[tabasco]

Oooh I'm itching to comment and discuss further but my silly laptop isn't working and I'm typing at a snails pace on my phone...so alas will try later. I thought tiffinboys makes a fair suggestion after I had commented on the system in the US.

So if in England, we start to aim at Feb-Mar born children, it would be same as the American system.

I think that another idea would be to allow July-August born to start a year later and Sep-Oct born to start a year earlier, if parents want to.

Also again I ask about summer born children(bar cakemummy and Three kids) that did exceptionally well at 11+, did they sit the english and maths papers too..
Sorry to be a stickler, but it gives me an indication as to whether or not its only my child who struggles

My DD is August born and did 11+ in September 2012 at both HBS (VR, English & Maths) and Tiffin Girls (VR & NVR; Yet to sit for Stage 2 in English & Maths in Dec).

[Guest55]

Rob - just a word of caution - ALL the current research is based on children with unequal time in school.

Now all children enter school in September so the existing research may not still be relevant!