Category Archives: CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Guardian Article Reports on Summer Born Postcode Lottery
This week, the Guardian published Fran Abrams’ excellent report, ‘Too much, too young for summer-born children forced into ‘big school’ Parents complain there is a postcode lottery over when children must start school – and new government guidelines have made matters worse.’ This was … Continue reading
ITV’s Good Morning Britain Discuss Summer Born School Entry
ITV is asking viewers to get involved and contact GMB ahead of tomorrow’s programme (Thursday 4th June) when it plans to discuss the issue of summer born admissions. The GMB facebook page ‘DEBATE AT 8‘ asks, “Do you think summer-born children struggle when they … Continue reading
Kids of Summer – New Under 5 magazine article
You can READ the May 2015 Under 5 ‘Kids of summer’ HERE The article focuses on providing early years practitioners and professionals information on summer born school admissions rules, including the legal rights of parents, and busting common myths. It was written by … Continue reading
MP Support for Summer Born Campaign
Election over; let’s hope a new Parliament with the support of the MPs below (and more besides) will ensure summer born children finally have fair and equal access to a full education when they start school at CSAge and not … Continue reading
DfE Promised Flexibility but Look what it Chose to Change in the Code
DfE Ministers (very likely because they have limited detailed knowledge of what DfE officials are actually doing behind the scenes – though this is no excuse) keep stating publicly that “the key thing is flexibility“; we want to “empower parents” and we “will … Continue reading
In Law: Some Summer Born Children are More Equal Than Others
Once you start looking at summer born children and the 2010 Equality Act, it’s pretty difficult to stop. And once you throw summer born children with additional needs into the mix, it becomes even harder. In this article, Summer Born Campaign … Continue reading
61 Prospective Parliamentary Candidates Supporting Summer Born Campaign Ahead of Election
Below is a list of PPCs who have responded to members of the Summer Born Campaign (mostly via Twitter) asking whether they support our call for summer born children to have the automatic right to 12 years of primary and secondary education whether they … Continue reading
Labour’s Tristam Hunt Says He’d “Look At” Summer Born Issue
As part of the Telegraph’s Election round up, Emily Gosden reported that Tristram Hunt, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said he would launch a review of the rules governing when summer born children start school. “Taking part in a chat with Mumsnet, Mr Hunt … Continue reading
Lib Dem’s David Laws’ Summer Born Views Differ from Government’s
In a pre-election webchat with the Telegraph, former DfE Minister of State for Schools David Laws was asked: What is your stance on summer-born children and whether they should have the right to delay their entry to school? He replied: “I believe … Continue reading
More Broken Promises – this time Empty Election ones from Conservative Education Secretary
According to the Daily Mail Nicky Morgan says, “The Tories will give parents of summer-born children the right to delay their entry to school“, except that’s not what she told Mumsnet today. And remember former Tory Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education Elizabeth Truss just this month … Continue reading
And the Post(Code) Lottery Losers – Children told they MUST MISS Reception Class
Despite existing primary legislation (see pgs.19-26 here), these children are being REFUSED RELEVANT ENTRY to school in Reception class & FORCED INTO YEAR 1 instead: 1998 SSFA: Reception is for “pupils aged five and any pupils under or over that age whom it is … Continue reading
The Post(Code) Lottery Winners – Reception Class Entry Allowed for These Children
These summer born children are so far (see caveat below) some of the lucky ones – by virtue of their address. Their parents’ requests for Reception class entry at CSAge were agreed – albeit some after a lengthy battle, others without question; some only with compulsory ‘documented … Continue reading
Campaign Does Not Support “2 Bites of the Cherry” for Summer Born Children
The Summer Born Campaign wants all parents of summer born children to have the automatic right – without penalty (i.e. loss of school preferences and threat of or actual loss of school year at any point during child’s education) – to … Continue reading
Elizabeth Truss Warns Viewers about Politicians’ Promises, Promises
During the BBC’s Question Time on April 9, Elizabeth Truss said: “Could I just say we need to beware of politicians making promises…” On September 4, 2013 when she was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, Elizabeth said: “What we want to … Continue reading
April 2015 Coverage of Summer Born issue incl. ITV, BBC TV, Radio and Sky News
On April 20, ITV Good Morning Britain interviewed Rosie Dutton at 7.10am. Watch again here. On April 19, BBC One Breakfast interviewed Rosie Dutton twice (7.15am and 8.15am). On April 15, BBC Local Radio‘s presenter Mark Forrest interviewed Pauline Hull at 7.15pm. … Continue reading
Summer Born Parents Wait for Postman to find out Primary School Place
Another difference in the application process for parents of summer born compulsory school age children (and there are many) is that applications usually cannot be processed online and so the parents must wait longer than other parents do to find out which school their … Continue reading
Critical School Places will be Wasted by Admissions Authorities on Offer Day due to Summer Born Scandal
Allocation of primary school places for all children will be adversely impacted tomorrow as highly sought after school places are lost to an administrative mess. How? The DfE’s 2014 Code and Advice says parents of summer born children can only ‘request‘ Reception … Continue reading
Michael Gove MP Formally Supports the Summer Born Campaign
Citing his Liberal Democrat and Labour peers Annette Brooke and Stephen Twigg inspiration, former Education Secretary Michael Gove has contacted the Summer Born Campaign group to offer his full and unwavering support. He said, “I watched the March 4th Education Committee coverage … Continue reading
Children’s Commissioner says Mission is to “Nurture True Joys of Childhood”
In a recent interview with the Guardian’s Yvonne Roberts, England’s new Children Commissioner Anne Longfield said, “My mission is to nurture true joys of childhood“, and pointed out that “there is a societal gain from a public investment in having all children doing … Continue reading
Investigation of SEN misdiagnosis should include DfE’s role in ‘Correct but Avoidable’ diagnosis of Summer Born children
We’ve known for a long time that summer born children are more likely to be diagnosed with special educational needs (SEN), and now the Education Committee has asked the government to “Undertake an analysis of the additional cost of summer born children … Continue reading
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