Deferment Reception effecting 11 plus

[researchermum]

Hi All,
I am looking at deferring entry of my August born son to school (so he would start reception aged 5 and 3 weeks). I have been told this would mean he would have to take the 11 plus in Year 5 and the school would then want him to start the next year (and miss Y6).
Does anyone have more information on this?
Thanks

[mystery]

You need to ask the admissions authorities for the schools you are interested in. It isn't usual in England to start reception a year late in a maintained school. Deferred entry children who are young for the year usually just start in the year 1 and miss year R out altogether. I've seen it done in Scotland though. But your school might be super helpful and flexible.

If you have to do the eleven plus at the correct age for the schools you are interested in then I would suggest missing year R instead of doing the 11plus at the start of year 5. I don't think that would help your child, depending on the nature of the 11plus in the schools you are considering.

[Yamin151]

We looked at this for our late August born twins. We were also told that whilst we were welcome to defer, the boys would then go straight into Year 1 and not into reception. We felt this defeated the object, so do check on that.
I felt the difference did show, not because they were slower to pick up/learn to read etc, but for their ability (yes, both qual for grammar) they would have been much further forward if they had started at age 5 and 3 weeks, even if I'd continued to do nothing at home (I wanted a years extra play). However, they finished primary in the top 5 of the year so it ended up OK academically, but I still regret the loss of that first year.
The school were great though, and nurtured them as much as poss, but I remain convinced that starting children at aged 4 is a huge mistake and is only to cover the lowest common denominator that chuck their kids in front of the TV all day, never read to them and never talk to them, which is all very noble but represents a tiny minority of society vs the rest of us who home educate, however 'casually', with books and games and conversation.

[researchermum]

Its really hard making these descisions now, when he is still in nursery.
There are LEA's where people have been sucessful in deferring reception to the following year (so not going straight into Y1)
I have read much research that suggests summer born children, especially boys suffer academically and socially (obviously not all) but I don't want to fight for deferral (which I do think would be better for him) only to find him effected when it comes to secondary education...

[RedVelvet]

We didn't defer for a year but did start reception late and part time. He is a June boy and definitely wasn't ready for school in September. We spoke to the school and they were happy for him to come in a couple of days a week, and he slowly built up the time he spent in school. It worked well for us.

[mystery]

Does your son seem way different from the ones at nursery that were born earlier in the same school year? If not, I'd just go for reception at the usual time, or part-time, or start towards the end of the year etc - whatever seems to fit with the strengths and methods of your reception class and the way your son seems at the time.

Don't always trust research! It might be good research but it might not fit your situation, or it might be poor research.

In one of my children's classes the furthest ahead group are pretty much exclusively summer-born (boys and girls).

I think it's the education you get that matters just as much. I'm sure half of the problem is that kids who are younger in the year don't get the input from school when they are ready for it to catch up by end KS1. They're just always treated as the younger, below average group. If you kept him home two terms you'd probably find he could read and write better than the top group if you joined reception in the third term.

The secondary question is equally difficult because you don't where you will be living then or what view the relevant schools / admissions authorities will take of a child who is too old for his year group.

Someone I know hated being in the year below the one he should have been and lied about his age until quite a long way into adulthood. He thought it was because his parents or his school thought he was thick!

[researchermum]

Good point, it is quite a minefield. He does seem very young for school or even pre school at the momment. His nursery has a co-located pre school where they wear a uniform and start to do more focused group work,, he went to take a look round and I cant see him sitting still for longer periods of time easily, still being potty trained and has a long nap every day. I know its a year till school entry and things will change.
In some ways it seems like an obvious choice to defer and keep him in the toddler room at nursery (where staff say he does not seem out of place, especially as there are several September born children just a few weeks younger than him)

[doodles]

My late in the academic year DS started Reception in his correct year and was fine, he's physically very small too but apart from being a little more tired than his November born big brother there was very little difference. Funnily enough his best friend was very tall and an early September babe so they did look a little odd together He did very well in his 11+ getting into a SS grammar even though he took the exam about 10 weeks after his 11th birthday.

As an EY practitioner, albeit a Nursery School one, I can say that we are well practised at looking out for "late born babes".

I would think hard about taking him out of his chronological year group and certainly wouldn't want to take the 11+ in year 5 and miss year 6 which is a year full of coming of age milestones.

[mystery]

The thing that matters most is that he has good quality conversation and hears adults speaking in an informative way to him using a good range of vocabulary. Only you can decide which of the nurseries, pre-schools and reception classes you think would be best for this. You would not be doing him a service leaving him 8 until 6 with toddler babble only rather than sending him to a good reception class or to an intelligent childminder.

[researchermum]

Thanks all, good to hear other views. I have had an e mail from one of the grammers suggesting tey would not be happy with a deffered place and suggesting he would have to miss a year, which I would not want. Will think on!