Calls for research into summer-born school starters

A Guernsey politician is urging parents to come forward with their experiences of requesting a delay in their summer-born children starting school.

An out-of-year group placement is when parents request for their child to be placed in a different age year to their chronological age.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said she was raising concerns over the use of the policy because compared to the UK "it looked like it’s different to what’s been happening in Guernsey and I wanted to understand why".

The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture has been asked for a comment.

UK government's policy said children born between 1 April to 31 August did not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday, a year after they could first have started school.

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said out of 3,340 requests made in 2022 in the UK the acceptance rate was 93%.

Research undertaken by the Education Office in Guernsey found about five instances where requests had been made for an out-of-year group placement between 2015 and 2024.

The number approved has not been disclosed.

"I would hope that we can work with education to look further into the policies about out-of-year placements," Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said.

"It’s a huge issue for families who find themselves potentially having to make that choice to request a delay of school start for their child."

A local mother, who told the BBC she wished to remain anonymous, said she had been going through this experience with her now four-year-old child.

Her child was born prematurely and, had he been born on his due date, would have started school in 2025.

"His compulsory school age isn't actually until next September, and so he doesn’t legally need to be in full time education this September."

She said it was not believed her son was ready to start school yet, an opinion which she said had been backed up by medical professionals.

"He’s not ready, he’s emotionally not developed enough to cope with a full day in a school setting."

The parents have made the decision to delay the child starting school for another year, with the hope that they can join Reception in 2025 instead of starting in Year 1.

The parent added: "They [the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture] have not been open to meeting with us, talking with us, explaining the policy.

"It’s been a very hard process, done mostly by online research".

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