The Department for Education published research this week which found that the number of parental requests for summer-born children to defer entry into Reception has risen significantly in the past two years. The number of requests increased by 84 per cent (from 916 to 1,750) between 2015 and 2017. Around three-quarters of requests were granted by local authorities.
While these figures still account for a very small proportion (around 0.5 per cent) of the five-year-old population of the 92 local authorities that took part in the survey, the leap over a relatively short period warrants exploration. So, what has spurred an increasing number of parents to take that decision?
The research found that almost half of parents surveyed cited school readiness as their main reason for deferral, followed by evidence they had seen about outcomes for summer-born children, and then medical conditions/developmental delays. This raises interesting questions about whether the ‘schoolification’ of the early years, including the teaching of phonics and introduction of the Baseline assessment, is putting parents off.
Another driver may well be the interaction with the 30-hour entitlement. PVI nurseries and childminders are generally able to offer childcare from 8am to 6pm, which is likely to be more attractive to working parents than the rigidity of school hours. The survey showed that around a fifth of parents mentioned affordability and availability of childcare as reasons for deferring their child’s entry.
The overwhelming majority of parents who had deferred were white British (74 per cent) with ‘white other’ making up a further 10 per cent. There were also stark differences in household incomes. Over two-thirds of parents earned more than £35,000, with almost half earning over £50,000. In contrast, only around a fifth of parents earned less than £25,000.
Parents are understandably concerned about the evidence of the gap in attainment between summer- born pupils and their peers. But this gap is far smaller than the socio-economic and SEND gap and more akin to the difference in attainment between boys and girls.
Rather than initiating a race to avoid being the youngest in class, Reception practice ought to be suitable for all children, including those who are just four years old.
- Department for Education, Delayed school admissions for summer born pupils, May 2018
- Department for Education, Month of Birth and Education, July 2010