Author Archives: Caesarean Birth
Watch Education Committee meeting LIVE
The evidence check begins at 9.30am today, March 4, 2015. You can watch live here. And join the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #StartingSchool Witnesses: – Helen Kirrane, Campaigns and Policy Manager, Bliss – Tammy Campbell, Researcher and Analyst, UCL … Continue reading
Mysterious U-Turn by Sheffield City Council 5 Months after Summer Born Support
In September 2014, in response to the DfE’s School Admissions Code consultation, Sheffield City Council’s submission said: “The Guidance is clear that the assumption is to approve a parental request unless there is reason not to. This principle is fully supported as … Continue reading
Leading Independent Preparatory School Head Supports Flexibility for Summer Born Children
Last week, Nicholas Bevington, the head teacher of Town Close School in Norwich, one of the country’s leading independent preparatory schools, contacted the Summer Born Campaign group after reading about us in this Independent article. Through his own personal and professional experience, … Continue reading
CSAge School Start is a Battle many Service Families can’t Fight
Every parent who ‘succeeds‘ in securing a Reception class place at CSAge for their summer born child then faces the fear and uncertainty of never knowing when or if their child will be forced to skip a year later on … Continue reading
Child Expert Dr Richard House formally Endorses our Campaign
“I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter of this campaign from the outset. Not only is the Summer Born cause one that everyone with an interest in children’s health and age-appropriate development should support (and all the research evidence supports this view), … Continue reading
Written Submissions Published ahead of March 4th Evidence Session
The Education Committee has published its ‘Evidence Check‘ written submissions on school starting age and summer born children, which were received by the February 23, 2015 deadline. They can be read here and include: Written evidence submitted by the Summer Born Campaign Group
Poll Vote: should CSAge Summer Born children be able to Enter School in Reception?
Please vote on today’s @Schoolsimprove poll: Should summer borns be able to delay school by a year and still enter in reception? “Reports claim as many as 250,000 summer born children may be entitled to delay their start at primary … Continue reading
Education Committee Announces Witnesses for March 4th Evidence Session
The Education Committee’s ‘Starting School‘ evidence session begins at 9.30am on Wednesday 4th March, and further information has now been published here, including: Purpose of the Session “This is the second topic selected as part of the ‘Evidence check’ web forum, building on … Continue reading
@CommonsEd tweets @sb_campaign in Call for Comments and Questions for the DfE Next Week
Email educom@parliament.uk (with #startingschool in subject line) Tweet using the hashtag #startingschool Education Committee Chair Graham Stuart (@grahamstuart) said today: “The issues around school starting age and summer born children are complex and controversial.
Premature Twins Forced to Start School Early Under Threat of Losing Grammar School Entry
Certainly not the first case of this we’ve seen, but probably one of the most eloquently communicated. Jennie Edspire, a mother who had already gone through two incredibly traumatic experiences in her life, fought as hard as she could for her children to … Continue reading
TV and Radio Coverage of Summer Born Education Crisis
Following yesterday’s newspaper coverage of Rosie Dutton’s daughter Olivia facing a whole lost year of school – just for daring to start school AT compulsory school age – ITV’s Good Morning Britain reported on the issue today (watch again here at approx. 6.45am and … Continue reading
Media reports on “Madness” of Missing a Year of School
Daily Mirror: Bitter education battle for 250,000 ‘summer babies’ who may be forced to miss entire year of school Report includes Yes/No Poll Vote: Should Olivia have to start school in Year One? Daily Mail: Parents of ‘summer baby’ who … Continue reading
Birmingham Mail says ‘Forcing children to start school in Year 1 is like hurling them into uncharted waters without a life jacket’
Birmingham Mail Education Correspondent Emma McKinney has written this excellent article, ‘Councils undermining parents if they force ‘summer babies’ to start school in Year 1‘, just a week ahead of ahead of the Education Committee’s one-off evidence session on the subject of starting … Continue reading
New Research Suggests DfE’s Policy of Summer Born Children Missing Year of School is an ‘Unnatural’ Social Experiment
‘Today’s BBC News, “Delayed school entry linked with poorer results“, which reports on new research titled, ‘Delayed school entry and academic performance: a natural experiment’, not only demonstrates the fundamental problem with using the word “delay” to describe summer born children starting school AT compulsory school age, but … Continue reading
Hampshire Conservative MP: “We start too much formal learning too soon”
It may be just coincidence, given Hampshire County Council’s more progressive approach to admissions for summer born children than many others, but in a recent debate, Havant’s Conservative MP David Willetts said: “…there are stages of mental development to which styles of … Continue reading
Australia School Start Age Change Urges Caution Against Skipping Reception Year – but it’s the Parent’s Choice
The other side of the world and what a difference it makes to a parent’s choice in whether their child starts school early or on time. Because the eligible kindergarten entry date in Queensland has changed from June 30 to July 31, … Continue reading
Bradford MP and Member of Education Committee Encourages Constituents to Submit Views and Evidence
Bradford MP David Ward, Liberal Democrat Member of the House of Commons Education Select Committee is asking his constituents to take part in what he describes as the “important issue” of the government’s current summer born policy. Written submissions can be submitted online until … Continue reading
Education Committee New Call for Submissions on DfE’s Summer Born Policy
The deadline is midday Monday 23 February 2015. Following last year’s ‘Evidence check’ web forum, the Education Committee is now calling for written submissions ahead of a one-off evidence session on the subject of starting school on Wednesday 4 March 2015. … Continue reading
2015 DfE Statistical Information Has WRONG Summer Born Classification
It’s not a particularly ‘new’ phenomenon – many education documents published by successive governments have either ‘forgotten‘ summer born children or defined them incorrectly. But just one month after the DfE published its new School Admissions Code and Summer Born … Continue reading
Twins ‘Belong’ in Two Different Year Groups
Last month, I stumbled upon an article about London-based model Caprice’s biological twin boys Jax and Jett who, according to this report, were “born within weeks of each other in August and September” of 2013. This makes one of the boys ‘autumn born‘ … Continue reading
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