The autumn term can be a really challenging time for Reception teachers.
In those first few weeks, we plough our way through initial baseline assessments, draw on information from home visits and class observations, and try to get a full picture of the development of each individual child.
In all of this, we hear the phrase “keep up, not catch up”, as the pressure mounts to spot concerns early on, and immediately produce plans to support the children, particularly with aspects of learning like phonics.
For some children, age is a factor in their struggle. I frequently hear: “I’m worried about X, but are they just really young?” Or as an explanation: “Well he is a summer baby!”
Summer-born children arrive with a disadvantage: they are socially, emotionally and physically behind their peers. We know that just a few fewer months of early development equates to a huge gap in children’s ability at a very young age.
There are many studies that point to the gap in achievement between summer-born children and their peers and, unfortunately, this is a trend that follows them through school.
I do feel, sadly, that the odds are stacked against these children. Our school assessment system, for example, is not the fairest way to measure young children’s attainment. The baseline assessment is narrow and limiting, and it doesn’t provide a full picture of the child.
At the end of the year, we have the EYFS profile, which is also problematic. It is designed to assess a typical 5-year-old, and yet some children will be aged 4 when these judgements are carried out. At the time when the profile is completed, a September-born baby will have experienced almost 60 months of life, while an August-born baby will have experienced up to 12 months less.
It is no wonder that we are seeing more parents choosing decelerated admission (when the child starts the following year, after they turn 5) for their summer-born children in response to this issue.
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So, what do we do if we are worried about summer-born children?
It’s a tricky balance.
As teachers, we can sometimes risk making a judgement too soon, and worrying parents unnecessarily. In some cases, children just need time to mature. However, in other cases, there could be more going on than just their age.
In my team, we find that going through different types of key skills and assessing where children are against these helps us to pick out some of the child’s strengths and identify if any problems are more than just a maturity issue.
This list of questions is not exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point.
- What are the child’s play skills like? We should see some pretend or imaginative play involving peers. Are they connecting with other children through a common theme or just playing alongside them? Parallel play would concern me at this age.
- Do you see some of the characteristics of effective learning? We check these skills using the Birth to 5 matters framework. Younger children should still demonstrate these skills albeit at a simple level.
- What is their language like? Are they using full sentences with four to five words? Do they use a range of vocabulary? A child using single words or very short phrases would be a red flag, regardless of whether they are summer-born or not.
- If the speech seems immature, is the problem speech sounds or sentence structure? Some missing sounds can typically come later (eg, l, sh, j), so these sounds would not be such a concern for a 4-year-old. But immature sentence structures - “me got ball” - would prompt a referral.
- Can they be understood by others? Adults and other children should be able to understand most of what they say.
- Do they show understanding? Often younger children seem to concern us during more structured activities, but they demonstrate so much more through conversations in their play. Play is a great vehicle to gather information about their understanding. As we join their play, we ask open-ended questions and make comments. I expect a child to be able to answer the questions with relevance and to follow the topic of conversation.
- Writing may show less control and oversized letters, but can they form and copy basic shapes such as a circle, cross or square? The ability to use diagonal lines comes from age 4-and-a-half, so we take this into consideration.
- Are their skills comparable to peers born in the same month? This can often give a good insight.
When assessing very young children, we always need to keep the principles of child development in mind.
But summer-born children also need time, patience and understanding from teachers, because their school journey inevitably is going to be more of an uphill struggle.
Helen Pinnington is early years foundation lead at St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Bedhampton, Hampshire
