‘Children starting school too soon struggle to keep up’ - deputy
Children who started school too soon due to their being born in the summer have struggled to keep up, parents have told Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.
The deputy has been helping one family of a three-year-old boy who Education, Sport & Culture has wanted to start reception this year, while his parents said he was not ready.
Their story was highlighted in the Guernsey Press and Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said that led to her hearing from other families with similar stories.
‘Some are quite old cases from 10-15 years ago and some more recent.
‘Several families said that their children struggled to keep up and even at the end of school were behind their peers.
‘They really regret not having had the option to delay the school start for their children.’
She said parents wanted to be listened to and understood.
ESC said that it followed UK guidelines which, while stipulating that a child must be at school the September after their fifth birthday, state that it is up to the admission authority whether a summer-born child – those born from 1 April to 21 August – enter reception or Year 1.
Although the family with the three-year-old has decided to keep him back from entering reception this year, ESC has said he must start in Year 1 in 2025. The family worry he will still struggle and they are hoping the committee will change its mind and let him enter reception instead.
Research carried out by Deputy Kazantseva-Miller found that in 2022, 93% of 3,340 requests for out-of-year placements were accepted in the UK.
She said she had been in touch with ESC colleagues to raise more awareness about this issue, the policy, and how it works in the UK. ‘I really hope this can be looked at in more detail,’ she said.
As a mother she said the issue was close to her heart and she would continue to pursue the topic, working with the parents and ESC in an effort to get positive outcomes and to ensure parents felt that they were being listened to.
‘I would encourage anyone else who may be facing the decision to request an out-of-year group placement to engage with Education as soon as possible,’ she said.
‘I would be happy to work with other families who may have had difficulties with OOYGP requests to learn from those stories so the evidence can inform any future policy.’
