THE AUGUST BABY
Parental guilt is a modern day epidemic as we overload on the latest headlines generated by new educational research and worry about how our decisions and actions will affect the development of our children and how we rate as parents. Recent headlines about the August birth penalty have only added to that overload and list of worries.
In July 2015, Schools Minister Nick Gibb launched a review on the admission process for summer-born children, resulting in a proposal to allow parents to decide when they want their child to begin their statutory education. This would not only require a major change in the UK’s current admission procedures but also not address the issue of statutory assessment at the beginning and end of Reception.
In the current system, teachers have a structured list of factors to discuss and work through with each parent such as their child’s gender, use of languages within the family, premature birth and home life them. The ‘August birth penalty’ (When You Are Born Matters: The Impact of Date of Birth on Child Cognitive Outcomes in England, 2007), if relevant, will be an important consideration in assessing the mental and physical development of your child.
Although there may be benefits to a summer-born child not participating in a Reception class before the parents feel s/he is ready, for many there is actually no realistic option to choose a deferred Reception place. Instead, the child would have to go straight into a Year One class without the substantial benefits of an early years education that peers will have received. To narrow any gap between autumn and summer-born children, teachers would need to focus on -quality learning for these children.
We should take inspiration from the Finnish education system where play and extensive learning it triggers on all dimensions of a child’s development [(exploration, critical thinking, etc.)] are highly valued by both teachers and parents. Children who would directly enter Year One without the opportunities provided in Reception of being deeply immersed in a play-based environment, which enables learning which is both relevant and meaningful to them, would undoubtedly face disadvantages which would be difficult to overcome. In my opinion, the Reception year should not be missed in any circumstance. Irrespective of when a child enters which year group, children who are young for their year will always benefit if their parents provide them with additional support as follows:
Talk, sing, read. Research around The Word Gap (The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million
Word Gap by Age 3, University of Kansas, 2003) has highlighted the importance of ensuring children have been exposed to a wide range of vocabulary in meaningful contexts. Reading and singing are a great way of introducing interesting vocabulary. The study also suggests the need for adults to communicate with their child to provoke thinking and share ideas. Rhyming stories and songs can be an early introduction to alliteration, rhythm and rhyme.
Develop children’s fine and gross motor skills. Often parents become concerned if
their child can hold a pencil at an overly early stage. Indeed, prior to this, they need to have been given the chance to build strength in their hands, wrists, elbows, shoulder joints and core muscles. There are many ways to do this for example, using spoons, buckets and kitchen utensils to play in mud, water or sand, using fingers to dig for treasure in playdough, pinching small items such as rice or pompoms to fill up containers of various sizes.
Use their words. As teachers we use phrases like, “Can you explain why?” all the
time. Children need to learn to problem solve and as adults we are great at solving them for the child. In order to learn to negotiate, explain and find a resolution they need to practice these skills instead of an adult jumping in to tell them to for example, share.
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Emma Bottomley Kindergarten Lead Teacher and Early Years Co-ordinator at Herne Hill School