“Out of Year” and Vocational School

[Ballerinamama]

Hello, I have been thinking about this and wondered if anyone knew the answer.

Are children who are “out of year” allowed to audition for a place behind their “birth year” peers? 
 

For example, a summer born child who was held back a year before starting school (so out of year), could they apply for an “out of year”

place at a vocational school? So a child who is Year 6 (but should be Year 7), and applying for Year 7 when should be Year 8. Or, is it strictly the year you are born dictates the year you will be. 
 

Have been wondering it for a while and cannot find any information online.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by Ballerinamama

[Pas de Quatre]

Interesting question. This also may be an issue for Scottish pupils applying for English schools as the school year cut off date is not end of August but end of September, or has this changed? 

[Mum to a boy dancer]

We are Scottish and DS had to audition for year 7 while in the equivalent of year 5. It’s worth noting that while he skipped year 6 (primary 7) it hasn’t affected him academically at all x

[Lifeafterballet]

I don’t recall any children being out of their year in lower school apart from international students and Scottish as a previous poster has mentioned. But in US students are offered a year group on their ballet training needs rather than their age. In Ds’s first year of US he and a girl were 17 and another boy was 18. 

[Ruby Foo]

3 hours ago, Mum to a boy dancer said:

We are Scottish and DS had to audition for year 7 while in the equivalent of year 5. It’s worth noting that while he skipped year 6 (primary 7) it hasn’t affected him academically at all x

It was the same for us. Missed a year of her education. There's no allowance  or exceptions from the vocational schools unless they decide themselves that an already existing student should repeat a year.

[BisforBallet]

Same for us. Missed a year of primary school. It didn’t affect us academically either although it was a big adjustment at the beginning. 

[AllAboutTheJourney]

As others have said, in our experience RBS at least will only look at children within the ‘correct’ English school year dates on their website for entry into each year - we had the same issue being Scottish and if had DD got a place she would have had to skip

her last year of primary school as the age bands for y6/p7 don’t match up exactly. 
 

No knowledge of the other vocational schools as DD only applied to RBS. 

[AllAboutTheJourney]

20 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Interesting question. This also may be an issue for Scottish pupils applying for English schools as the school year cut off date is not end of August but end of September, or has this changed? 

In Scotland the school year age band runs from 1 March to 28 February officially so it’s quite out of sync with the English system.

[Pointeshoesarethedream]

DD was offered a place to start in year 7 at Moorlands last year (she’s currently in year 6) we decided not to skip a year so deferred her place until this September. So it can happen at other schools at their discretion. 

[rowan]

I know of someone who was in the “wrong” year. They were put in the year below and they stayed in that “wrong” year all the way through, including upper school (at a different school).

[Peony]

Being able to defer starting reception for a year for summer term children is a fairly recent thing. They may well not have encountered it before, probably best to ask admissions.

[Ballerinamama]

5 hours ago, Peony said:

Being able to defer starting reception for a year for summer term children is a fairly recent thing. They may well not have encountered it before, probably best to ask admissions.

Yes,  interesting to see what happens in the future.

[Ballerinamama]

21 hours ago, SJBallet said:

DD was offered a place to start in year 7 at Moorlands last year (she’s currently in year 6) we decided not to skip a year so deferred her place until this September. So it can happen at other schools at their discretion. 

That's interesting.  So she can continue next year into Year 7? Thank you for your response, I appreciate it!

[Pointeshoesarethedream]

45 minutes ago, Ballerinamama said:

That's interesting.  So she can continue next year into Year 7? Thank you for your response, I appreciate it!

Her offer for this September is year 7 which is what she would be going into for her normal state school. However if we’d accepted the place last year she would have gone into year 7 at that time and therefore would have been in year 8 this September. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by SJBallet
Error

[Ballerinamama]

32 minutes ago, SJBallet said:

Her offer for this September is year 7 which is what she would be going into for her normal state school. However if we’d accepted the place last year she would have gone into year 7 at that time and therefore would have been in year 8 this September. 

Wow, she must be talented to have been given the offer last year.  I think I would have done the same as you though.  Best of luck!

[Pointeshoesarethedream]

1 hour ago, Ballerinamama said:

Wow, she must be talented to have been given the offer last year.  I think I would have done the same as you though.  Best of luck!

Thank you x