Would you delay your 'summer baby' starting school for a year?

Thousands of parents apply for their summer-born children to delay school for a year.

If your child is born between 1 April and 31 August, you are able to apply to your local council for them to put reception back for a year.

Some 2,243 families requested for their children to defer the school starting year in 2018, according to the results of a Freedom of Information request made by the BBC.

But would you choose to do this for your own child? Of course we all want the best for our little ones, however, there is actually little research to support keeping them back a year.

Pupils who had a delayed start to school in 2014 and 2015 scored just 0.7 marks higher on average compared to other summer born children who started school without a delay, according to results of a study published in May this year by the Department of Education.

That said, the study did not take into account the personal development of the children in question, which may be just as significant a reason for their delayed start.

Pauline Hull is a representative for the Summer Born Campaign, which aims to establish more flexible admissions for schoolchildren.

She told the BBC: “The most important comparison is how much better these children are faring having started school at age five, rather than age four, and the DfE research does not address this.

“The focus on phonics testing doesn’t consider social and emotional benefits of delayed entry which is of significant importance to parents.”

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