summerbornchildren

The Summer Born Campaign Facebook Group has seen a flurry of desperate and anxious posts in recent days and weeks as the primary school admissions application deadline approached.

There’s much confusion, anger and frustration as PARENTS OF 3-YEAR OLD CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO APPLY for a September 2015 place that they have explicitly told school and council admissions authorities THEY DON’T WANT.

Incredibly, this is in the same week the BBC has quoted the LGO as saying councils are “pulling out all the stops to ensure there is a place for every child“.

Why is this happening? Continue reading →

We genuinely thought primary legislation would count for something – and ironically the Code actually says it should.

But the Department for Education’s failure to make necessary amendments to its 2014 School Admissions Code, to ensure that a summer born child can, by default, enter Reception class AT compulsory school age – and remain within that year group for the whole of their education – has only exacerbated an already unfair and inequitable admissions system, and further sanctioned the postcode lottery that exists.

And as the admission application deadline is reached today, we are already aware of numerous cases of highly questionable and possibly unlawful practices.  Many admissions authorities are insisting that parents provide ‘exceptional reasons’ and ‘documentary evidence from professionals’ to support their request for a compulsory school age start,

Continue reading →

Santa’s SAC (School Admissions Code) delivers a big disappointment to summer born children today.

The government’s ‘explanatory note‘, says it “clarifies the provisions relating to the admission of summer born children who wish to delay entry into reception” but our press release and recent comments submitted to the Education Committee explain why these “provisions” are entirely unpredictable and undependable:

“Confusion and Complaints will Continue – as new 2014 Code maintains Postcode Lottery for Summer Born Admissions“.

Ironically, the Statutory Instrument published a few days ago has David Laws Continue reading →

The Office of the School Adjudicator’s (OSA) response to the DfE’s draft revised Schools Admission Code is the latest document to demonstrate just how UNCLEAR the CODE really is.

Responses from different local authorities, members of the public, and now the OSA, all prove that the proposed 2014 Code (just like the 2012 Code) is neither “clear, fair nor objective” for summer born admissions, with the OSA’s interpretation directly contradicting views expressed by the Department for Education and existing admissions legislation:

“7. 5. Proposals relating to summer born children – The proposed text should help to clarify the position for parents. There may be a danger that being educated out of the relevant age group is thought of as an option rather than as an exceptional provision. It may be prudent to include wording that strengthens the position that it is an exception for children to be admitted outside their normal age group.”

The DfE has repeatedly stated, “there does not need to be any exceptional reason or special need for a summer-born child to enter reception rather than Y1 at compulsory school age”, but instead of Continue reading →

In response to a Freedom of Information request (Nov.6) by a member of the Summer Born Campaign group, Gemma Adams received (Nov.27) a copy of local authority and public responses to the DfE’s consultation of proposed changes to its School Admissions Code (closed Sep.29).

Even the briefest glance at all these responses makes the inconsistency, confusion, subjectivity and postcode lottery for summer born admissions abundantly clear, as evidenced in the extracts quoted below (or click on the documents):

[ LOCAL AUTHORITY RESPONSES ]*
[ PUBLIC RESPONSES ]

It’s interesting just how many local authorities simply dismiss the fact that compulsory school age is what it is – i.e. the term following a child’s 5th birthday – and while there are a number of valid points raised about when applications should be made and how many, the pressure on parents to apply for and enrol their children in school at age 4 is very clear.

Disagreement is rife in terms of policy, principle, procedures and the role of parents: Continue reading →

The challenges faced by many children born in the summer months is well documented, but since the Department for Education published its updated advice on the school admissions process for summer born children, and a new draft Code, the biggest influential factor and newest life lottery for our children’s education is now WHERE THEY LIVE.

From the mounting evidence of more than 1600 members of the Facebook Group ‘Flexible School Admissions for Summer Borns’, the admissions process for summer born children across England can best be described as inconsistent and unpredictable, both in state and private schools. Continue reading →

The irony is breath taking.

While other parents are being arrested and jailed for allowing their children to miss school,  summer born children are being forced to skip a whole year of their education, against their parents’ wishes (not to mention the child’s best interests).

Just this summer, an Australian study concluded that there is “No safe level of missing school“: “A 10 day period of unauthorised absence in a year is sufficient to drop a child about a band in the NAPLAN testing.”

Similarly, this is what 7 English LEAs and teachers had to say about the impact of school absence in a 2003 research report from the University of Glasgow: Continue reading →