Our Position on Year Group Retention: What Parents Need to Know
As your Local Authority, we understand that every child’s educational journey is unique. When a child is facing challenges, it’s natural to want to give them more time to grow and catch up. One option that’s sometimes considered is keeping a child back a year—also known as year group retention.
However, we do not support this approach as a general practice. While it may seem helpful in the short term, research shows that repeating a year can have negative long-term effects on a child’s learning, confidence, and future opportunities.
For children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, their needs are already supported through tailored goals and interventions. These are designed to help them succeed within their current year group, in line with the inclusive education principles set out in the SEND Code of Practice (2015), Section 6.44.
Why We Advise Against Year Group Retention
Holding a child back a year can lead to several challenges, including:
- School transitions: When moving from primary to secondary school, the new school may not agree to keep your child in a lower year group. This could result in your child missing a year of education.
- Post-16 education: Some colleges and training providers have age limits. A young person who has repeated a year might be considered too old for certain courses, even with an EHC plan.
- Social and emotional impact: Being out of sync with peers can affect a child’s confidence, friendships, and motivation to stay in education.
Academic progress: According to the Education Endowment Foundation, children who repeat a year tend to make less academic progress than those who receive targeted support while staying with their peers.
