P-05-832 To Amend the School Admissions Code Relating to Summer-Born Children
P-05-832 To Amend the School Admissions Code Relating to Summer-Born Children
P-05-832 To Amend the School Admissions Code
Relating to Summer-Born Children
This petition was
submitted by Flexible Admissions Wales Group,
having
collected 241
signatures.
Text of Petition
We call on the
National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to consider
amending the School Admissions Code where it relates to admission outside the
normal age group, in respect of summer-born children(1 April - 31 August).
Owing to the timing of school entry points, summer-born children are put at a
significant disadvantage compared to their peers. They may suffer adverse
emotional and educational impacts as they start their formal education at a
much younger age. As such, parents may choose to defer their summer-born
child's entry into school until they reach compulsory school age, as is their
legal right. However, most find that their child is put straight into Year
1,missing the crucial Reception year, which research shows to be the most
important year in education.
Most parents prefer their child to enter the Reception year at compulsory
school age rather than Year 1. Under the School Admissions Code, this is
theoretically possible. In principle,the Code gives parents the ability to
request that their summer-born be educated outside their normal age group. In
practice, the wording of the Code has proven to be extremely problematic: case
studies have shown that the provision is inconsistently applied by Local
Education Authorities and requests have rarely been granted.
The following amendments should be considered by the Welsh Government:
(1)As the first
option, requests to defer children with birthdays in summer months should be automatically
approved (as is the case in Scotland);
(2)Alternatively,
the wording of the existing provision should be amended to strengthen the
rights of parents to choose when their child enters Reception class, also
emphasising that Local Education Authorities must fully consider requests and
issuing Governmental guidance to this end;
(3)In either case,
provision should be made for children educated outside their age group to
remain with their adopted cohort throughout their school life.
Additional Information
A recent study
conducted by the Department for Education aimed to show that delaying entry to
primary school has little impact on attainment. This study should be consulted
by the Welsh Government with caution. This study was very limited, measuring
ONLY academic attainment and excluding all children with special or additional
needs. Academic attainment is very unlikely to be the main reason that parents
choose to decelerate their child's entry into primary education.
School readiness is not about a child's academic ability, but about emotional
and social maturity. It is these skills that will help a child to make friends,
to deal with their emotions, to follow instructions and concentrate and to
foster good mental health. The attainment of these skills cannot be measured
with a phonics test.
The Foundation Phase curriculum in Wales will not meet the needs of every child
in Wales; it cannot. This must not be given as a reason for refusing such
requests. A more flexible admissions policy is needed to take children's
individual needs and their best interests into consideration. The UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) emphasises that the education of the child
shall be directed to the development of the child's personality, talents and physical
abilities to their fullest abilities (Article 29(1)(a)). By putting summer-born
children at a disadvantage, this School Admissions Code does not achieve that.
Other devolved countries within the UK are already ahead of Wales in this
respect. Nick Gibb, Minister of State for School Standards, has made a
commitment to amend the School Admissions Code for England to reflect this
parental choice. In Scotland, children of equivalent age are automatically
granted a deferral if their parents request it and will not miss any school
years in doing so.
Status
This petition was
considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 16/03/2021.
The petition was
closed as part of a review of all petitions currently under consideration at
the Petitions Committee's final meeting of the Fifth Senedd, in light of the
upcoming election and the consideration given to this issue to date.
Full details of the
consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be
seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered by the Petitions
Committee on 25/09/2018.
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Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 06/09/2018