Summer-born children

Both Barry Carpenter and the DfE advice make sensible points. The problem, of course, is that schools follow a more-or-less strict academic year starting in September, and that some children are bound to start school at a younger age than others – not as a matter of policy but simply of birth date.

There is a well-evidenced effect on the attainment of summer-born children that shows that the effect is greatest at a young age and that it diminishes but is still there at age 16. I'd urge flexibility all round – as Barry Carpenter says, not force a one-size-fits-all approach. But equally I'd want parents to discuss the issue with schools before they came to a decision.

There are all sorts of practical issues – keeping places open in popular and over-subscribed schools, and funding, to name just two. (“Why won't you let my child in, as you have a vacant place?”)

The solution is inherent in the problem – we need to reduce the academic burden on young children and leave schools to determine their learning programme according to children's readiness. This would require schools to do rather more active curriculum planning, and it would also make the accountability measures more difficult to apply. But it's the only way forward.