http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15490760

What ya think? I think they make very valid points

Izzy is in the middle of the 'school' intake year so in theory should be 'ok' I was too being February

I do agree with this and have been aware of this since having my first baby. Charlotte is a July baby and was only just 4 when she started school and was a lot slower than than the majority of her class mates in the early years. But I do believe that they do catch up eventually.

I have a great involvement in grassroots football and in England the FA work with school years so it's well known the football world that the best u7s players are usually sep-oct babies as they are generally physically stronger. The rest of Europe work on jan-dec years, but surely this must result in jan players being the stronger kids?

Ellie is a September baby so I'm hoping that she's top of the class and a pro footballer lol!

I suppose it makes sense in that the September born children are almost a year older than the June or July born ones so they will "seem" more intelligent etc but I'm not sure that it means they are less intelligent just that they are younger?

I'll have a September and november baby so... must be ok I'll be expecting high marks now!

You don't actually have to send them to school until they're five though so if they are right at the end of the year you can hold them back until the following year. I have to say that even by the time we get them in Year 7 you can sometimes tell the difference although often more emotionally rather than in terms of what they can do

hmm the school dates are slightly different in scotland but not much, does may count as summer? poor elijah!!! i wonder if i can keep him back til he is over 5 then.....god the things you don't think about when you decide to have a baby

I do think there is a lot in this. Essentially some children are a whole year older than others. My friend's child was born in September and Imogen the next July so they will be in the same year at school but when you see them together it's crazy cause he's so much bigger than her and there is such a difference in them.

When I was was due with Joshua everyone kept telling me to hold on so he could be a September baby. He's always going to be the oldest in his year now (born 2/9). Imogen will be one of the youngest, but they do say girls cope with it better than boys though, I'm not too worried about her. She's always been quite quick and i think smart so I think she'll be fine as the youngest.

It does depend on the child though because some that are only just four are ready for school whereas others aren't.



Mari I think in England you have to send them (or homeschool them) the term after they turn five. I don't know what it is in Scotland but I suspect something similar so I guess in theory you could hold him back until the end of the summer term. I have a friend who was held back but her birthday is the very end of August so she would only have turned 4 two days before the start of the new school year if she'd gone the year before.

Actually just read the article again Mari and it says in Scotland its decided between March and February so Elijiah would be in the older end of the year group

Dates are dif in NI, so Caitlin is a July baby but will be the oldest in her year. This baby will be in the middle. In theory both of mine should be ok.

I agree that in 1st few years it prob more obvious but I think by important stages like GCSE/A-level it should have evened out.

While it is good that Caitlin in theory shouldnt struggle at school, the downside is she wont start pre school until she is over four and wont start primary until she is over 5. I think thats too long to be at home. For some parents its a whole extra years daycare to pay for and some kids can be held back a bit as they more than ready for school but not entitled to go.

There has to be a cut off date somewhere though & there will always be advantages and disadvantages for both sets if kids at each end of year group.

Caelyns end april so will be mid year as will Awen but this was what stuck out the most for me:

"Our current pre-occupation with happiness and well-being is stupid and is likely to lead to further under-achievement because real learning involves challenge, difficulty and unhappiness."

Unhappiness is part and parcel of the learning experience, he says.

I mean, REALLY?????

[quote="Shell"
When I was was due with Joshua everyone kept telling me to hold on so he could be a September baby. He's always going to be the oldest in his year now (born 2/9). Imogen will be one of the youngest, [/quote]

Its weird that your 2 are closer in age than my 2 will be, but at school I think Caitlin and mine will be closer in age iykwim. Eg Caitlin will be in say Year 6 and baby in Year 4. Whereas Immi will be year 7 and Josh year 4. Just seems strange how close in age they are but yet looking at school years id assume there was 3-4 years between them.

Just a little random thought from me lol

Well I think Amelias gonna be buggered either way cos she was so early, bless her lol

I was seriously considering holding her back untill she was 5 but Shed then lose out on a whole year of learning and all her classmates would already know each other.

olliesmammy wrote:

Well I think Amelias gonna be buggered either way cos she was so early, bless her lol

I was seriously considering holding her back untill she was 5 but Shed then lose out on a whole year of learning and all her classmates would already know each other.

No she wouldn't. If you held her back she'd go into the year below so would just be one of the oldest in the year

THanks for that Lib! I just assumed shed miss the reception year. If she hasnt caught up by the time shes supposed to start I will defo be looking into that then.

She was supposed to have been bor at the end of July so would have been one ofthe younest anyway but with all the extra stuff I know she probably wont be ready. Where the feck would I get her uniform from lmao! x

You'll have to check it closer to the time but you certainly always used to be able to so I can't imagine its changed although they probably won't tell you without being asked.

Cerys was born 25th August, so it looks grim for her It does make sense though logically. Cerys has just started a nursery/playgroup at 26 months and will be going to Nursery at the local welsh primary when she's 3. I'm hoping that this early start at socialising and playing/learning may give her a bit of a head start.

benjamin was born 4/8 so veryyy late in the year, he will be one of the youngest...but i doubt he will be one of the smallest
already he's 79cm
i was born 1/9...so i know what it was like to be a 5 yr old at school, and tbh i feel holding them back from going into school makes them more clingy with their parents...i was born 8mins past midnight, on the 1st sept lol and my mum begged the government to let me go into school "a year early" but they wouldn't allow it...

i feel it depends on the child themselves...yes the older you get the more you should be "able" to do...but it does depend on how that child has been brought up and how much they have developed...xx

I'm an October baby and was regularly top of class in primary, by the time we hit juniors or year 3 every one evens out and by secondary school, date of birth has no bearing...
Lewis is 12 an October baby, but has learning difficulties by means of lack of concentration. (bone idleness I call it ) Owen is a September baby and has been top of class since starting school. Currently in year 2, his best friend is a July baby and to compare he is very young, still talks quite "babyish" and is much lower in the class tables. But each term after assessments Owen is levelling and his friend is slowly catching up..We see that there is almost a year between them.
Take another friend whose daughter was 6 weeks older than Owen, born early August. She is in the school year above him and is so much more "grown up" in everything she does.. Hayden is a May 09 baby so we'll wait and see what happens there, as he quite literally has a year less in school. He won't start nursery till next September (unless I pay) whereby my friend had her daughter in Sept 08 is in nursery! only 9 months different in age, same school year once full time yet she has been in school a year before he starts!

oliver will be 3 and one day old in september...other kids starting in his class will be as old as 4!! so there is bound to be a difference in the ealry years!

leo is december, so one of the eldest in his class, he is very bright and is on par with a lot of the year 3's according to his teacher, so if he was a summer baby, i dont imagine he would have been too far behind at all

same with my friends little boy who was 4 months older than leo, but a year ahead in school, i know he did struggle at first when he was in reception, but has now fully caught up and even overtook his classmates!!

so i think sometimes it depends on the child, but in the early few years i think it is very aparent..,especially in boys according to my friends mum who is a teacher!! x

Im a september baby and always coped quite well in school. however my sis was born in feb and was the youngest in her class. she has always struggled in school.

because she was end of feb my mum had the choice to wait another year but she decided to just go for it and has always said its something she regrets because my sis struggled so much. shes far from being stupid or slow but its obviously knocked her confidence enough to make her feel that way sometimes.

she went to my mum the night before exam results came through crying asking her not to expect the same results as me because she would be very disappointed

hannahs a november baby so smack in the middle of her class.