Summer born
Disadvantage?
Are summer born children (June, July, August) at a disadvantage when it comes to school:
socially, educationally or both?
Views are mixed. Some argue that being almost a calendar year behind the oldest children in
class when you start school must be a disadvantage. This initial disadvantage is then
compounded as children grow older. The older children in the year group have got off to a good
start and forge ahead so the argument goes, with the younger children losing confidence as
they see their older classmates succeed at things they can’t yet do. This sets a pattern for the
rest of their school careersll.
Others are more upbeat about the chances of summer born children, claiming that they are the
victims of a groundless preconception. By labelling them as summer born we underestimate
them and under expect. It is this attitude which creates underachievement – if indeed these
students underachieve at all.
The evidence
There is actually quite compelling evidence from a range of sources including the Department
for Education (DfE) to demonstrate that summer born children do struggle at school more than
their older peers.
Statistically, summer born children achieve less well academically than their older peers at key
stages 2, 3 and 4 (although the gap between summer born and the rest does diminish at each
of these stages).
According to the DfE, the attainment gap continues to be visible, albeit smaller still, into A
Levels and beyond into higher education. In a system where the differences between grades
and therefore getting the courses and careers of your choice can be so marginal, these
discrepancies matter.
It is key to note that not all summer born children struggle at school, Many thrive from the start.
Others may only underachieve slightly.
The data does not disprove the theory that this is all about under expectation but it does weaken
it. Therefore, it would be folly to base our remedial strategies purely upon ‘talking up’ summer
born children. One irrefutable factor is that amongst younger school year groups, the physical
development of the oldest can be significantly ahead of the youngest. This clearly has potential
ramifications, not least in terms of confidence and assertiveness.
Expectation
There is clearly space for a discussion on whether the system expects less of summer born
children? Only by levelling up expectation can we decide whether there are any other factors at
play.
However , this discussion is not yet underway in any systematic fashion and the summer
born children in education now need support to prevent them from underachieving.
Action
We certainly shouldn’t expect less of summer born children but it would also be wrong to ignore
the potential challenges they face. These two positions are not incompatible. One key issue is
recognition. Schools,rightly, identify numerous groups of pupils for particular support – are the
summer born amongst them? Do teachers appreciate that summer born children in their
classes may require additional support, even in secondary school? Outside the classroom, are
schools able to invest in summer born pupils to assist with their personal development and self
esteem.
I suspect that most parents understand well that their summer born children may be at a
disadvantage compared to their peers. However, are they equipped with the strategies to
minimise this disadvantage and help their children to fulfil their potential?
Recognising that this group of children are likely to need extra help should be integral to school
support structures. With this support, the summer born should be capable of rapidly catching up
with their peers. This should be a classic ‘win win’. Summer born children get a better deal at
school and standards rise overall, most rapidly for those schools which intervene quickly and
strategically.
