School admissions authorities have been warned that they should listen to parents’ wishes when deciding upon school admissions for summer-born children.
The comments were made by Liz Truss, minister for education and childcare, during a Parliamentary debate on the issue last week.
A study earlier this year found that a child born in August is 6.4 per cent less likely to get five GCSEs at A* to C than one born in September.
The report, from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), said the problem was purely down to the organisation of the education system, meaning that children born in the summer start school aged up to a year younger than their peers and as a result are tested at a younger age.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here