Policy for Children Placed Out Of Chronological Year Group (Delay or Advancement)

Schools are expected to provide arrangements for a wide range of pupils, including programmes of study outside the Key Stage for the year group. I.E. both scaffolded and enrichment activities. The States of Jersey Education Department expects that in all but exceptional cases, pupils will be both on roll and educated within their chronological year group. The key participants in any consideration of a placement out of a pupil’s chronological age group are:- the Parents, the Headteacher and the Educational Psychology Service. A register of pupils educated out of chronological age group will be held by the Education Department.

Year Delay
Consideration for educating a pupil in a year group below that of their chronological age group must always be undertaken as early as possible i.e. pre-school/early Key Stage 1. The only exceptions to this will normally be due to the development of special educational needs as a result of trauma or when a pupil is new to education in Jersey. There will not be any consideration given to a placement in a class more than one year below a pupil’s chronological age group. A pupil who is year delayed is unlikely to ever ‘catch up’, and would be entitled to leave school at their 16^th birthday which would fall in Year 10. It is therefore essential that the implications – educational, social and emotional, must be given full consideration and understood by all parties before any decision is reached. Where the school’s educational psychologist agrees that there are sound educational reasons indicating that consideration should be given to educating a pupil below chronological age group a review should be held to consider:-

1. any medical condition/evidence why the child might not be able to access their chronological curriculum.
2. extreme prematurity of child at birth, resulting in their actual birth date falling into a different chronological year group from that than they would have had if born at full term. (Prematurity of less than six weeks would not normally be sufficient reason for year delaying a pupil).
3. any identified special educational needs which indicate that a year delay would be in the child’s best interest. It is expected that in the case of a pre-school child, as a minimum, the child would have a Record of Need.
4. any social/emotional immaturity/difficulty linked with 1 2 or 3 above.
5. a pupil’s arrival from another country and either new to schooling or previous lack of educational experience at age appropriate level.
6. appropriate deployment of the schools’ curriculum access and SEN processes (year delay should not be used as a short term response to a child’s special educational needs).
7. an agreed programme of support to be put in place and regularly reviewed.

If, at the review, all parties agree that the appropriate action is to recommend that the Education Department allow the pupil to be educated in a class below that of their chronological age group, then the educational psychologist should provide a report to the Education Support Team Panel, detailing the recommendation of the key group (parents, Headteacher and educational psychologist) and the background to the recommendation (I.E. points 1 to 7 above).

Year Advancement
Consideration for educating a pupil in a year group above that of their chronological year group will only be undertaken for children who have attained statutory school age, and not normally be undertaken before the end of Key Stage 1. There will not normally be any consideration given to a placement in a class more than one year in advance of a pupil’s chronological age group. A pupil who is year advanced is likely to remain so throughout their educational life. It is therefore essential that the implications – educational, social and emotional must be given full consideration and understood by all parties before any decision is reached. Where the educational psychologist agrees that there are sound educational reasons indicating that consideration should be given to educating a pupil above chronological age group, a review should be held to consider:-

1. evidence of cognitive functioning above the high average range.
2. evidence of curriculum achievement markedly above the range schools are expected to provide for the chronological year group.
3. any evidence of previous year advancement in another school, or other country.
4. appropriate deployment of the school’s curriculum enrichment arrangements (year advancement should not be used as a short term solution to a pupil’s social, emotional and/or intellectual needs).
5. the social/emotional implications of year advancement
6. an agreed programme for review of provision.

If, at the review, all parties agree that the appropriate action is to recommend that the Education Department allow the pupil to be educated in a class above that of their chronological age group, then the educational psychologist should provide a report to the Education Support Team Panel, detailing the recommendation of the key group (parents, Headteacher and educational psychologist) and the background to the recommendation (I.E. points 1 to 6 above).