Educating out of year group: Practice guidance for Devon schools

Overview and introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide best practice guidance for parents, school staff and other professionals in Devon, with regards to children being educated outside of their chronological year group. In relation to requests to delay/defer entry for summer born children there exists further guidance available in the following document ‘Guidance to Parents: Delayed admission to reception for summer-born children’ .

Within the research literature and policies from other Local Authorities, the practice of holding a child back a year is often referred to as ‘deceleration’ or ‘educational retention’. The practice of a child being moved forward a year is often referred to as ‘acceleration’ or ‘promotion’.

Within this document, we will use the term ‘educated out of year group’ as, whilst our primary focus is around providing guidance about ‘deceleration’, many of the issues highlighted are also relevant to the practice of ‘acceleration’ (see the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section for further specific information).

Executive summary

Research

• A review of the research literature, carried out by the Educational Psychology Service in 2016 and updated in 2020, suggests that educating out of year group is not an effective intervention to support academic or social and emotional development.
• This view is shared by the Education Endowment Foundation (2018), who state; “Evidence suggests that in the majority of cases repeating a year is harmful to a student’s chances of academic success”[ii].
• Within Devon schools there are variations in practice with a minority of schools, historically having chosen to use educating out of year group as an ‘intervention’, in spite of the research evidence.
• Within Devon, many decisions to educate out of year group have historically been made without including the views of the child or young person, without the involvement of key professionals and without consideration of the long term implications. Once made, decisions have rarely been reviewed.

Recommendations

• Decisions need to be made by a group of people working collaboratively and should involve parents/carers, school staff, and relevant professionals such as Educational Psychologists.
• Children and young people’s views should always be taken into account within the decision making and review process.
• All decision makers should be aware of the research evidence around educating out of year group.
• Consideration should be given to the possible long term implications of such a decision.
• Alternative options for support, within the child or young person’s current year group, should be properly explored, implemented, and reviewed prior to educating out of year group.
• Educating out of year group should only happen in exceptional circumstances, with a clear plan developed to review the effectiveness of the decision.

What does the research show? Is educating out of year group an effective intervention?

The following provides an overview of key research studies from the national and international research literature, as well as information about practice in Devon.

Academic outcomes

Overall the research suggests that educating out of year group is usually not beneficial for academic outcomes, with the majority of studies finding either a negative effect or no increased gains in academic attainment[iii],[xi],[x],[vi]. Several studies have found initial increases in attainment, but that these have not persisted as the child progresses through the school[vii],[viii]. Other researchers have found evidence of academic disadvantages in terms of motivation and engagement with learning[ix],[x].

In terms of children and young people with learning needs, research studies suggest that children who are educated out of year group continued to experience difficulties with their learning and did not make significantly more progress than children with similar needs who progressed with their peers[xi]. Such research has been replicated numerous times including by researchers who have carried out longitudinal studies tracking children and young people’s progress over many years[xii].

Long term outcomes

A number of researchers have highlighted a link between educating out of year group and dropping out of school[xiii],[xiv],[x]. Whilst many of the studies have been carried out in America, there is local evidence, in Devon, of vulnerable children un-enrolling themselves prior to the completion of Further Education courses and accreditation. The students were able to do this because they had reached the end of compulsory school age.

In terms of employment, a large study, carried out over many years, compared students who were ‘retained’ with students of similar ability levels who moved up a class as expected. The research team found that those who were retained had lower status jobs and were rated more poorly by their employers than the students who had moved up a year with their peers. The students who moved up did not significantly differ on these outcomes compared to a control group who did not have learning needs[xv].

Social and emotional development

There is evidence to suggest that education out of year group can be associated with negative outcomes in relation to children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. For instance, researchers have found education out of year group to be associated with poorer emotional health and social adjustment[v], and increased levels of anxiety about social status[xvi]. Researchers have also found educating out of year group to be associated with increased levels of teacher rated “aggression” amongst adolescents, and believe this may be due to increased challenges in peer relationships[xvii]. One study also found an impact on the parent-child relationship, such as a decrease in perceived parental support and involvement5.

The practice of educating out of year group has also been found to be associated with lowering of self-esteem, motivation and academic self-concept, as well as with an increase in weeks absent from school[iii],[x]. Furthermore, researchers have found that whilst there may appear to be some positive outcomes in the short term, for instance in terms of being perceived positively by their classmates, these outcomes are not usually sustained over time[v].

Research from Devon

A large research project aimed at exploring the practice of education out of year group was carried out in Devon by the Educational Psychology Service in 2012[xx], and revisited in 2016. This project involved holding interviews and focus groups, as well as gathering questionnaire data from over a hundred parents, teachers, children and young people. The results of this research highlighted large variations in practice, with a minority of schools using education out of year group as an ‘intervention’, in spite of the research evidence against such an approach.

An area which was a key focus of the research was exploring how decisions to educate out of year group came to be made, and the research team found that even with children who have complex needs, such decisions were often made without the involvement of other professionals.  Children and young people’s voices were also often absent from the decision making process. Furthermore, it was highlighted that the decisions were rarely reviewed, meaning that as the children and young people moved up through their schooling, staff were often unclear as to the purpose of them having been ‘held back’.

This lack of review also meant that children and young people have been unable to share their views about being educated out of year group. Interestingly, when we held focus groups with children and young people who had been educated out of year group, some described challenges relating to their levels of social engagement and their sense of belonging. Such a finding fits with the national and international research literature.

Further challenges highlighted within our research were that parents and school staff were mostly unclear about the research evidence, had not given due consideration to the possible long term implications for children and young people regarding secondary and post-16 transition, educational funding or the implications for community social engagement (e.g. being able to access local age specific sports clubs with their classmates)

Taking account of these local challenges as well as the local, national and international research, it is hoped that the following guidance will support school staff, parents and professionals in developing consistency in practice across the county.

Guidance for schools and parents

What is the legal situation and is there a formal process for making a request?

Whilst the vast majority of children are educated with same age peers, the Department for Further Educations ‘School Admissions Code’ states that if a parent makes a request that their child is educated outside of their chronological year group, this request must be considered. However, parents do not have the right to insist on admission to a particular year group[xxi].

If such request is made in relation to a child who is new to a school, then the decision around placement falls to the admissions authority for the school.

When the request relates to a child already on roll at a school, then it becomes the responsibility of the schools management team. When a child or young person has a Statement or Education, Health and Care Plan, it is anticipated that the 0-25 team will also be involved.

With regards to ‘Children in Care’ the Social Worker and staff in the Virtual School Team must also be notified and involved in any decision making processes.

However, whilst there is no statutory restriction to educating out of year group, as highlighted above, research evidence suggests that:

In the vast majority of cases educating out of year group is not an effective intervention, and may not be in the best interests of children and young people.

Our view is that teachers are skilled at differentiation and it is expected that, even when children have complex needs, with appropriate support and advice from relevant professionals, adaptations should be made to ensure that the child remains with their chronological year group.

We therefore, expect that children and young people will only be educated out of year group in exceptional circumstances when there is agreement from parents, the Head Teacher and other relevant professionals that the practice is in the clear interests of the child or young person, despite the research evidence. It is also expected that children and young people will contribute to decisions about their education.

Within Appendix A of this document there is a flow chart detailing the process which should be followed regarding requests for education out of year group. This is supported by the framework in Appendix B which could act as aid to facilitating discussions around educating out of year group, should a request be made. Through using this flow chart and framework we are hopeful that the following will become consistent within practice across the county:

• Decisions should be made by a group of people working collaboratively and will involve parents/carers, school staff and relevant professionals such as Educational Psychologists.
• Children and young people’s views should always be taken into account within the decision making and review process.
• All decision makers should be aware of the research evidence around educating out of year group.
• Consideration should be given to the possible long term implications of such a decision.
• Alternative options for support within the current year group should be properly explored, implemented and reviewed prior to educating out of year group
• Educating out of year group should only happen in exceptional circumstances with a clear plan developed to review the effectiveness of the decision.

Once such practice becomes consistent across the county, we anticipate that the number of children educated out of year group will be very small. In order to support decision makers further in identifying what may constitute ‘exceptional circumstances’ we have provided a set of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ within Appendix C. These questions could be used alongside the flowchart and framework to help guide the decision making process.

Appendix A: Flow diagram

*This includes children and young people transferring into reception in a primary or infant school, transferring to Year 3 in a junior school, Year 7 in a secondary school, Year 9 or 10 in a studio school or University Technical College or to Year 12 in a sixth form or FE College. Please note that decision with regards to children in care are likely to be more complicated and must involve the Social Worker and staff from the Virtual Schools team.

Appendix B. Framework for facilitating discussions

	Comments/issues raised during the discussion	Next steps/Actions needed	Review
Please list the names of those present at the discussion meeting. For children in care the Social Worker and a member of the Virtual Schools team must be involved in the decision making process.
What are the child or young person’s views about the request for education out of year group?
Are all the decision makers aware that research literature suggests educating out of year group may not be in the best interests of the child/young person?
What are the outcomes that are hoped will be achieved through educating out of year group?
What other provision/adaptations could be made within their current year group?
Has consideration been given to the possible long term implications around transitions and post 16 education?
Is there consensus that this is an exceptional case where educating out of year group may be appropriate?
If after having considered the above questions it is agreed that the child/young person will be educated out of year group, then a plan should be developed to review the decision over time. NB* For children and young people with a Statement/EHCP the review should form part of the ‘annual review process’.
Date of the planned review: Who will notify the admissions team of the decision?:

Appendix C. Frequently asked questions

What about children with Special Educational Needs?

As highlighted above, the research literature does not support educating out of year group as a strategy for addressing learning or emotional needs. Our analysis of statistical data highlights that most schools recognise this and within Devon the vast majority of students with special educational needs, including those with Education, Health and Care Plans and Statements, are not educated out of year group.

Such practice is reflective of an awareness that the need for differentiation and support for children with significant special educational needs is unlikely to cease by using educating out of year group as an intervention.  What will change is there is likely to be a lowering of expectations in relation to areas such as social, physical and emotional skills which may disadvantage children and young people in the longer term. As there is no guarantee that a young person educated out of year group at primary school can remain out of year group upon transition to secondary school,  this could lead to vulnerable children and young people being expected to ‘skip a year’, which could clearly be challenging.

When the possibility of educating out of year group is raised, focus therefore needs to be placed on identifying the specific outcomes which it is hoped would be addressed through such a practice. In the vast majority of cases, steps should be taken to identify appropriate provision in order to achieve these outcomes within the child’s chronological year group. Progress should then be documented through multi-professional review meetings.

With regards to children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or Statement, the same applies. In the minority of cases where a decision is made to educate outside of their chronological year group, this decision should have been made with the agreement of all relevant professionals and the family also taking into account the child’s views. Such a decision should be formally recorded and reviewed as part of the annual review process.

What about ‘gifted and talented’ children?

It is our belief that many of the same arguments relating to ‘retention’ are relevant to the practice of ‘acceleration’. Of particular consideration are the possible social challenges a child or young person may face should they be accelerated. Whilst their academic skills may be ‘advanced’ there is unlikely to be uniformity in relation to their skills in all areas which could present challenges in terms of their relationships with their classmates.

Therefore our view is that children and young people should remain with their age related classmates with work being differentiated to provide an appropriate level of challenge drawing upon the skills of the school staff and, if necessary, seeking advice from other professionals.

What about children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller families?

High levels of mobility are not a justifiable reason for educating out of year group. Children from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities should usually be educated alongside their age related peers except in very exceptional circumstances with advice sought from the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team and other relevant professionals as appropriate.

What about children learning English as an additional language?

Educating out of year group is not recommended for children/young people learning English as a foreign language and has been found to impact negatively on self-esteem[xxii]  Such learners should usually be supported to access appropriately differentiated work with their same age peers, with support and advice from relevant professionals sought and progress reviewed regularly.

What about children who are refugees or asylum seekers?

Children who are Refugees and Asylum seekers may face a number of challenges which will impact on their education. For instance, they may have faced trauma, may be learning a new language, and may have significant gaps in their education due to the challenges faced in their home country. With regards to such children, a multi-disciplinary team should be involved in ensuring relevant support is in place and any questions regarding the appropriateness of their year of education should be considered within this forum. At all times, focus should be placed on attempting to identify what will be in the best interests of the child, taking care to ensure that their voice plays a central role in any decision making processes. This is likely to require specialist support from professionals such as those within the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team, the Educational Psychology Service and possibly Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

What about children who have been born prematurely on or before 31st August who’s expected date of delivery was after the 31st August?

The number of children to whom such circumstances will apply is likely to be very small. With regards to such situations, we would suggest that a multi-agency meeting should be called to gather views from the family, school staff, and relevant professionals. Focus should be placed on clearly identifying the child or young person’s needs and developing clarity around the hoped from outcomes of educating out of year group. The decision should be made based on what the group perceive to be in the best interests of the child, also taking into account the views of the child or young person.

Please note that if the request relates to a child due to start school for the first time, then the separate guidance on the admissions of summer born children will also be relevant in the decision making.

What about moving to secondary school or college?

Children who are educated out of year group do not have a right to remain within that year group when transferring to another school. Each request would be considered on a case by case basis by the admissions authority for the school. Parents therefore need to be prepared for the possibility that the child or young person educated out of year group could be expected to ‘skip a year’ at a transition point.

With regards to Further Education, whilst children and young people are now required to remain in education or training until the age of 18, there has been no change to the statutory school age. This means that children and young people who have been educated out of year group could remove themselves from an educational course, prior to completion and the opportunity to achieve accreditation. It should also be noted that there is a risk that there may be a lack of suitable, specialist ‘further education’ provision for older learners who have been educated out of year group.

What about summer born children?

There is existing guidance relating to the delayed and deferred entry of summer born children[i] . This states that for admissions in 2016/17 and 2017/18 Devon County Council are due to agree parental requests for delayed entry for summer born children. This could mean that there will be significant number of children starting school a year later than planned.

Our understanding is that these children are likely to progress through the school a year later than expected, attending for the same total number of years as would have been the case had they not delayed entry.

Whilst Devon County Council are currently agreeing such requests, they have highlighted reasons to parents why such a decision may not be in the best interests of the child. The situation is also due to be reviewed for admissions in 2018/19 in light of anticipated updates to the Schools Admissions code.

For school staff and professionals involved in discussions about such delayed entry, we feel it will be helpful to also consider the following:

• What is the reason for parents requesting a delayed/deferred entry? Is it related to concerns about availability of support? The child’s ability to access opportunities? If so consideration should be given to whether it is possible to address these concerns within the child’s chronological year group e.g. through intervention, adaptations, seeking support and advice from relevant professionals such as the schools Educational Psychologist and Advisory Teachers.

Do parents have a right to appeal?

Parents do not have a right to appeal if they have been offered a place and it is not in their preferred year group. However if a parent is unhappy about the decision which is made, they can make a complaint in one of the following ways:

If the request relates to a place at a new school and it is an Academy, a Free school, a Foundation Trust or a Voluntary Aided School, then the parents would need to follow the school’s complaints procedure. If the request related to a ‘Maintained school’ parents would need to make a complaint using the Local Authority (LA) complaint’s procedure.

If a request relates to a child already on roll at the school and the school is a maintained school, parents would need to make a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman. In the case of academies or free schools, they would need to make a complaint to the Education Funding Agency.

Questions or queries

Please address any queries to: Dr Natasha Ellis (Educational Psychologist) natasha.ellis@devon.gov.uk

References

[i] Devon Schools Admissions Service (2015). Guidance to parents: Delayed admissions to reception for summer born children. Devon County Council.

[ii] Education Endowment Foundation. (2018). Repeating a year | Toolkit Strand. Retrieved 22 September 2020, from https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/repeating-a-year/.

[iii] Hong and Raudenbush, S.W. (2005) Effects of kindergarten retention policy on children’s cognitive growth in reading and mathematics. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 27, 3, 205-224

[iv] Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning. London:Routledge.

[v] Hughes, J. N., West, S. G., Kim, H., & Bauer, S. S. (2018). Effect of early grade retention on school completion: A prospective study. Journal of educational psychology, 110(7), 974.

[vi] Hwang, S. H., & Cappella, E. (2018). Rethinking early elementary grade retention: Examining long-term academic and psychosocial outcomes. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 11(4), 559-587

[vii] Jimerson, S., Carlson, E., Rotert, M., Egeland, B. & Sroufe, L.A. (1997). A prospective longitudinal study of the correlates and consequences of early grade retention. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 1, 3-25.

[vii] Klapproth, F., Schaltz, P., Brunner, M., Keller, U., Fischbach, A., Ugen, S., & Martin, R. (2016). Short-term and medium-term effects of grade retention in secondary school on academic achievement and psychosocial outcome variables. Learning and Individual Differences, 50, 182-194.

[ix] Martin, A.J. (2009). Age appropriateness and motivation, engagement and performance in high-school: Effects of grade retention, and delayed school entry. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101 (1), 101-114.

[x] Mathys, C., Véronneau, M. H., & Lecocq, A. (2019). Grade retention at the transition to secondary school: Using propensity score matching to identify consequences on psychosocial adjustment. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(1), 97-133

[xi] Ferguson, P. C. (1991) Longitudinal outcome differences among promoted and transitional at risk kindergarten students. Psychology in the Schools, 28, 2, 139-146.

[xii] Jimerson,S.R. (2001). Meta-analysis of grade retention research: Implications for practice in the 21^st century. School Psychology Review, 30 (3), 420-437.

[xiii] Jacob, B.A., &  Lefgren, L. (2009). The effect of grade retention on high school completion. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1 (3), 33-58

[xiv]Jimerson, S.R. (2002). Winning the battle and losing the war: Examining the relation between grade retention and dropping out of high school. Psychology in the schools, 39 (4), 441-457.

[xv] Jimerson, S.R. (1999). On the failure of failure: Examining the association between early grade retention and education and employment outcomes during late adolescence. Journal of School Psychology, 37, 243-272.

[xvi] Clatworthy, V. (2005) The perceptions of parents, pupils and teachers on grade retention. MSc Dissertation (unpublished), University of Bristol.

[xvii] Jimerson, S.R., Ferguson, P. (2007). A longitudinal study of grade retention: Academic and behavioural outcomes of retained students through adolescence. School Psychology Quarterly, 22 (3), 314-339.

[xviii] Martin, A.J. (2011). Holding back and holding behind:grade retention and students non-academic and academic outcomes. British Educational Research Journal, 37 (5). 739-763.

[xix] Wu, W., West, S.G., & Hughes, J.N. (2001). Effect of grade retention in first grade on psychosocial outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102 (1), 135-152.

[xx] Ellis, N., Shield, W. (2012). Educating Children Out of Year. Devon County Council.

[xxi] DfE. (2014). – Schools admission code. London:DfE.

[xxii] Hampshire Services (2015). The placement of children outside their chronological year group. Hampshire County Council.