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Preschool child not developing with chronological age? Do Read!
fo-fum
July 29, 2013 21:29
Hello all,I wanted to share with you something which I have been helping campaign about and which has now (finally) been clarified by the DfE. It means you can confidently ask your LEA to consider your child for ''back classing'' eg. starting the year below. If there is good reason to do so, they have to consider it.Many people have just been given a blanket ''no'' in the past, but they can''t do that - it is actually unlawful for them to not to consider the best interests of the child if they are either summer born/premature/have experienced early trauma. Our AS is all three, and we have had to fight tooth and nail to get the right school start for him (and are still fighting) but this will help people ensure they are not ''fobbed off'' by LEAs.https://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/advice/f00227046/advice-on-the-admission-of-summer-born-childrenSee the download link to the right.
Pear Tree
July 30, 2013 06:27
Great link fo-fumNot sure holding a child back a year is the whole answer but I find that you need as big a range of "answers" as possible.Most certainly it's never been an option here to hold a child back a year, it's almost impossible to achieve even for the most behind child.
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fo-fum
July 30, 2013 10:23
Yes, this is what needs to change - at the moment it is a postcode lottery as to whether you get a positive response from your LEA. Some are completely militant about it, and are acting unlawfully by not considering requests. Too many people are being fobbed off with a blanket 'no' given only on the basis that 'we don't do that' rather than there being any good reason for it.I agree that it's not a complete solution for a lot of kids, but I know for my AS it will be the difference between feeling semi-secure and confident amongst his real peer group (the year 'below' chronologically) and being re-traumatised and threatened by all the much much larger and more developed kids in Yr 1.We are still fighting, and I hope this makes it less of a fight for others as they can go to their LEA armed with the facts about their rights.
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Ember
July 30, 2013 11:32
I am a SENCO in a primary school and 2 of our 3 statemented children are in the year below their chronological age. They were kept back at the nursery stage on the advice of the EP. I've only just taken over as SENCO and when I asked about it (as I thought it never happened in the state sector) the EP said that it was fairly common practise in our borough where a child is statemented during nursery. Not sure whether it would be possible for non statemented kids or those older than nursery age when it is requested.
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fo-fum
July 30, 2013 12:57
Yes, it is possible - what has been happening is that parents who fight for it (I mean really really battle, on grounds that the LEA must do what is in child's best interests) are often successful, whilst most people are turned away and think there's nothing they can do.I believe many children with no specific 'special needs' who are born in the summer months should be given opportunity to be considered for 'back classing'. Each case must be considered on it's own merits.There is a google group that has been campaigning about this and supporting parents in their requests over the past year, especially. It is terrible that people think they can't request it when they are entitled to!
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BermudaBlue
July 30, 2013 19:33
Well done! In our LEA it has always been up to individual head teachers. The one where my birth children and AS1 went agreed to allow AS2 to start a year late, and even two years late (but we got him into a special school so never took the head up on her offer). I used to be SENCo in a neighbouring school. The head there would never allow it. I remember really arguing the case for a little boy who was an August birthday, but had been very prem and would have been in the year below if he had been born at term. He had spent his whole first year in hospital. But she would not budge. For him it would have been ideal. Agree it is not always the answer...but it should be one of the options.BB
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freddie2
July 30, 2013 21:54
I am doing this with my ad who is a summer baby and also premMy local school wouldn't allow me to do it, but I then visited another school who had a very supportive and experienced head, and she allowed it. She has also now cleared it with lea. We can do it throughout primary school, but may have to argue the case again at secondary level, which we will do.It was definitely the right decision for our ad. She would never have coped in the year above and would have been so far behind. It would have definitely affected her self esteem. As it is she is still near the bottom of the younger year, but is just about holding her own and keeping up. And most importantly she s happy.
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brown-eyed-girl
July 31, 2013 22:02
We're doing this with our AD, who again is August born and prem. It looked like it was going to be quite difficult but then was sorted quite easily. For us it seemed to be up to the Headteacher to make the decision. The LEA will see her as in Year 1 when she starts school, but the Head can choose to put her in Reception which she is very happy to do. My little one is actually quite bright, but we felt she just wouldn't cope emotionally with being at school yet. We hope another year will give her enough time to feel more secure.
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KG81
August 4, 2013 19:06
HiI just read the document, can you tell me on which page I can find the information about holding the child a year below?Thanks
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fo-fum
August 7, 2013 21:43
Update:We DID it! We have secured Reception start for our AS, instead of going straight into Year 1. The LEA have been absolutely terrible at properly considering his circumstances, but ultimately have caved - and I believe it is partly because our legal rights and their obligations were clarified in this Dfe document just last week.http://www.education.gov.uk/f00227046/advice-on-the-admission-of-summer-born-childrenGo to 'Downloads' on the right of the page and select the first document. You do need to read all of it, really, to be clear about the ins and outs of it. Feel free to PM me about your specific situation and I can point you in the right direction.
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chocolatedog
August 23, 2013 18:28
I'm glad we're up here in Scotland as the cut off date for the next school year is the end of February, so children are 4 1/2 by the time they start school in August. Also, for those who have a birthday between December and February, they have the chance to delay until the following August, which makes them 5 1/2, like my son was when he started in 2012. I think children are much better starting school slightly older.
Edited 17/02/2021
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