Category Archives: MEDIA COVERAGE
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
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
The Times: Parents lose right to decide summer child’s school start
The headline says it all – compulsory school age LEGISLATIVE RIGHTS have in practice been eroded, just as our January 2014 Summer Born report exposed. And as Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, and one of this campaign’s supporters, … Continue reading
BBC South Coverage of Summer Born Postcode Lottery
On Thursday 4th December, this BBC News report highlighted the inconsistency between different admissions authorities in how they interpret the School Admissions Code in relation to summer born children starting school at compulsory school age – ironically referred to as … Continue reading
Should teachers boycott baseline tests for four-year-olds?
That is the question being posed in a new online poll on the Day Nurseries website. Arguing “Yes” is Dr Richard House, Co-founder of Early Childhood Action, education campaigner, trained Steiner Kindergarten and class teacher. And arguing “No” is David … Continue reading
Education MPs have a Blind Spot for School Starting Age
Education Minister Nick Gibb ‘tells schools to copy China‘ in the Daily Mail, demonstrating how readily MPs can isolate single aspects of other countries’ education practices – without uttering one single word about when those children start school (also see former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s high praise of Canadian … Continue reading
Key Priority for new Children’s Commissioner – Have Your Say Today
Up until midday today (Monday 10 November) you can send your views on what the 2015 Children’s Commissioner’s key priority should be via Twitter, using the hashtag #OCCintray. With the term of office of the current Children’s Commissioner coming to an end early next year, … Continue reading
‘The Educators’ on BBC Radio 4
In the new 8-part radio series of interviews, The Educators, Sarah Montague interviews the people whose ideas are challenging the future of education (e.g. Sir Ken Robinson and John Hattie). Links to all episodes are here. Most if not all these interviews may now … Continue reading
Starting School for Summer Born Children
Earlier this year, the Gentle Parenting website kindly published a special guest article written and edited by Michelle Melson and Pauline Hull. With the school start just around the corner, you can read it again here: Starting School for Summer Born Children
2014 June LGO Press Release
On June 15, 2014, Pauline Hull and Michelle Melson published the following Press Release: ‘FINAL DECISION’ by Local Government Ombudsman Condones Discriminatory Admissions Practices for Summer Born children In a controversial Final Decision published on May 14, 2014 (in a complaint that was … Continue reading
Govt says NO to 1 WEEK off school – but YES to missing 1 WHOLE YEAR
Children Must Not Take a Week‘s Holiday (unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances‘) but Schools and Councils Can Take a Year of a Child’s Education (and any year will do). This tragic irony has not escaped parents of summer born children whose much-wanted … Continue reading
Campaigners apprise solicitors of changes to the DfE summer born advice
On May 9, I wrote about an update to the DfE’s July 2013 advice, and the fact that the DfE no longer wants parents to contact the Education Secretary when local school complaints processes have been exhausted. This was the key change, but because the … Continue reading
Gentle Parenting article calls for Policy Change
Just two weeks after parents received news of September 2014 primary school places for their children, the Gentle Parenting website has published this special guest article from our campaign: Starting School for Summer Born Children
Statutory school age is 5, but calls continue for children to start at age 2
When growing numbers of parents are fighting for the right to ensure that their 4 year-old children have full access to a full primary school education when they reach compulsory school age (i.e. the term following their 5th birthday), instead of being forced … Continue reading
DfE Mumsnet Mystery
On January 24, 2014 the Department for Education wrote on their Facebook page: “We’re often asked what the policy is on summer-born children starting school. Here’s a useful article on Mumsnet where we set out our views.” It posted a link to … Continue reading
Massachusetts schools RAISE school age to 5
While here in the UK successive governments have been keen to enrol children in school at ever earlier ages, news from the USA today reports on a School Committee decision for children entering Pittsfield schools to be at least 5 years … Continue reading
BBC Look North report on summer born battle
The BBC’s Ian Wight reported on the battle that parents of summer born children are facing with admission authorities when they request a reception class place for their compulsory school age child.
summerbornchildren 