Ministers have ordered a review after seeing evidence that children born in the summer fall behind in class, simply because they are younger than their peers. Summer-born children may be able to start school a year later.
It was also suggested that 50% of these children were more likely to have “special needs.”
Nick Gibb, the education minister stated, “It is fair that children who are born in the summer have the opportunity to excel at school, and if that means starting reception a year later, that option should be available. It is important that children do not miss the vital teaching teaching that takes place in the reception class, particularly reading and early arithmetic.”
