When it comes to education, parents naturally want to give their children the best possible start. However, for parents of summer-born children, there are unique challenges to consider. August-born children, being up to 20% younger than the oldest in their class, face significant challenges in academic attainment compared to their September-born counterparts. At age seven, August-born pupils are 26 percentage less likely to achieve the government's expected level than September-born pupils, a disparity that persists at ages 11 and 16, with differences of 13 and 6.4 percentage, respectively (C Crawford et al., 2013). | Quantifying the impact, the Department for Education estimates that approximately 10,000 summer-born children each year fail to achieve five A*-C grades at GCSE solely due to their birth month, highlighting the profound effect of timing on educational outcomes (Department for Education, 2010). Additionally, August-born pupils are significantly more likely to be identified with special educational needs (SEN) compared to their September-born peers, with disparities of 90% at the end of Key Stages 1, 60% at the end of Key Stages 2, and 25% at the end of Key Stages 4 (Department for Education, 2010). |
In addition to academic challenges, there is growing evidence that summer-born children suffer a real impact on their socio-emotional development and well-being. They are generally less confident in their own ability, feel they have little control of their own future, enjoy school less, and are even more likely to take greater risks, such as partaking in underage smoking (Crawford et al. (2013) from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, "When you are born matters" (p. 65)). The birthdate effect is not limited to education. Perhaps surprisingly, its presence is most clearly seen on the sporting field. | A study of Premiership footballers in 2005 by the Association of Football Statisticians discovered that of the near 2,000 Englishmen to have played at the top level, more than 40% were born in September, October, or November. The suggestion being that because they were the oldest in their age groups, they were the ones that stood out. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell in his famous book Outliers showed that most professional Canadian hockey players were born in the first months of the year. The reason being, he argues, was that the Canadian youth leagues recruit by calendar year, and so those born at the start of the year were the oldest in their teams and were able to reap the rewards. |
Summer-born children are generally less confident in their own ability, feel they have little control of their own future, enjoy school less.
As a parent of a summer-born child, there are several strategies you can implement to support their development and academic success:
Build your child up: Focus on their accomplishments and strengths rather than dwelling on perceived failures. Recognise their effort and qualities like persistence and determination.
Avoid comparisons: Refrain from comparing your child and their achievements to those of others. Every child has their own unique journey and developmental timeline.
Set appropriate expectations: Take your child’s individual developmental level and abilities into account when setting expectations. Avoid placing undue pressure on them and encourage them to enjoy the learning process.
Promote independence: Encourage your child to engage in independent, child-centred, and open-ended play-based learning experiences. For example, unstructured outdoor play, where children can choose what resources or games to play without direction from an adult. These experiences allow children to develop the appropriate social, emotional, and language skills to thrive in school. These skills are the building blocks for a child’s successful transition to formal learning, their ability to self-regulate behaviour in the classroom, and their engagement with the curriculum. These experiences help develop social, emotional, and language skills crucial for success in school.
Advocate for your child: If you believe your child would benefit from delayed entry to school, explore options with your local authority. Delaying entry or accessing additional support can provide your child with the best possible start to their educational journey. If your child was born between April and August, you can apply to your local authority for your child to enter school a year after their peer group – meaning your child will enter Reception class the September after they turn five, and will be taught out of their peer group. A government survey of 62 local authorities found that 88% of requests to delay from 2018 to 2019 were granted. Decisions to delay school entry are often based on a child being “school ready”. This concept is rooted in the idea that there is a threshold of cognitive and social development milestones that a child must reach before they can learn effectively in school.
 | Ultimately, raising awareness of the challenges faced by summer-born children and implementing strategies to support their development is essential for creating a more equitable and inclusive education system. By working together we can ensure that all children, regardless of their birth month, have the opportunity to thrive and succeed in school and beyond. |
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