By Melissa Jackson Education reporter, BBC News

Some children with summer birthdays get lower grade GCSEs

But experts claim starting school a term or more later could help rather than hinder their academic achievement.

This is why Schools Secretary Ed Balls wants schools to offer parents more flexibility in the admissions system.

Summer-born children - those with birthdays in June, July and August - are up to a year younger than some of their class colleagues when they start school for the first time in September, aged four.

And if they have not developed the social skills required to settle into the school environment, they can face a double disadvantage.

Both these factors can have lasting consequences which follow them throughout their school years, the government has said.

There's a greater incidence of children in the system with educational needs born in August Kairen Cullen, educational psychologist

They are much younger than their peers when they take national tests and studies show children born in August are less likely to get five good GCSEs than those born in September.

Research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that 55.2% of August-born girls and 44.2% of August-born boys gained five GCSEs grade A* to C.

In contrast, 60.7% of September-born girls and 50.3% of September-born boys did so.

The gap in attainment between pupils born in September and those born in August at the end of Key Stage 2 - the last year of primary school - is 14 percentage points.

The report, published last October, also found evidence that teachers and parents were mistaking poor performance as a result of age for special educational needs.

August-born girls were 72% more likely than September-born girls to be recorded as having special educational needs.

Consultation

Educational psychologist Kairen Cullen says that although reception stage education is play-based, the greater a child's social development, the more they will gain from their new learning environment.

Therefore the youngest children are automatically on the "back foot", she says.

"The youngest children are largely socially disadvantaged.

"There's a greater incidence of children in the system with educational needs born in August."

Ed Balls wants greater flexibility over starting ages for school

Although she admits there are many exceptions to this rule.

Mr Balls recently said he wanted Professor Sir Jim Rose to look at how "to improve outcomes for summer-born children" as part of his review of the primary curriculum.

Ms Cullen thinks it is vital for schools to consult with parents on the issue to decide what is best for the child in question.

Some summer-born children will have the maturity to start school in the September after their fourth birthday - especially those with older siblings who have had an opportunity to develop their social skills.

But other options should be considered for those who are clearly not ready, including a deferred start date.

Ms Cullen said: "It is difficult to measure the gains but I have seen pupils who have been moved down a year and have said 'thank goodness' because they would have felt quite disadvantaged to be the youngest in the year.

"They have seen the rewards and in individual cases I have seen the benefits."

Don't panic

Schools may be afraid that any changes will mean a radical administrative shake-up, which could become unwieldy.

But some areas already operate a flexible admissions policy in consultation with parents.

In the London Borough of Richmond, summer-born children usually start reception class part-time in either the autumn or spring term.

Parents may defer taking up a place at some schools until the term in which their child turns five as long as the place is taken up within the school year.

The London Borough of Barnet has a policy which allows parents flexibility for their children to start school in reception year, reflecting the term in which they were born.

A council spokeswoman said: "It does, however, recognise the importance of children being within the appropriate year group for their age."

Experts say parents should not panic about the prospects for summer-born children, nor should they be bullied into a decision, but instead consider all their options.

They will know their child better than anyone else and this empowers them to make the choice that is right for them.