Compulsory school age
Your child must start full-time education once they reach compulsory school age (gov.uk). This is on 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following their fifth birthday whichever comes first. If your child’s fifth birthday is on one of those dates, then they reach compulsory school age on that date.
School starting age
Most children start reception full-time in the September after their fourth birthday. For example, if your child turns 4 in June, they will usually start school in September that same year.
If you do not think your child is ready to start school in September, they can start later. For example, if your child turns 4 in August, you might decide to wait before sending them to school. But they must be in full-time education by the time they reach 'compulsory school age (gov.uk).'
They can start:
- part-time
- part-way through the year
- full-time when they reach compulsory school age. This may be in the next school year for children who reach compulsory school age between 1 April and 31 August. If your child starts in September after they turn 5, they will begin in year 1.
Your child is eligible to continue taking up Early Years Funding until they start in a reception class or reach compulsory school age (whichever is later). If you choose for your child to start in reception part-time you will not be able to take up an Early Years Funded place in addition to their part-time hours in reception.
In all cases you should first apply for a school place in your child's normal age group within the expected normal admissions round.
For information and help with admissions please visit our Apply for a school place pages.
Summer born children - admission options
Children born from 1 April to 31 August - known as summer born children – do not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday, a year after they could first have started school. This is when summer born children reach compulsory school age (gov.uk)
Summer born children do not reach compulsory school age until the end of the academic year in which they turn five and consequently are eligible for Early Years Funding until they start in a reception class, even if they have delayed or deferred entry for an entire year.
Parents and carers of a summer born child have the following choices and parents need to read as much information and guidance (gov.uk) that they can to make a truly informed decision.
There are 4 options to consider. Please expand the following entries to find out more.
Children with SEND
This guide to reception admissions does not apply to children with education, health, and care (EHC) plans. If your child has an EHC plan or is awaiting a decision and you wish them to start school in reception (not year 1) when they are 5, you should discuss this with your linked SEN caseworker.
Please visit our information on education transitions. A term used to describe any changes for your child with special education needs and disability as they are moving into, within, between and out of educational settings.
Important things to consider
As your child matures, they will become aware that the rest of the class are a different age.
The child may begin puberty at a different time from their classmates.
Other interventions may be more appropriate in the long-term: placement outside of normal year group should at best be seen as a short-term corrective measure and will rarely address long-standing difficulties and could be delaying the deployment of more appropriate provision. For example, assigning more personalised, targeted special needs support.
A local authority is not required to honour a decision made by another local authority on admission out of the normal age group.
If a child is educated outside their normal age group (i.e., is in year 10 when this date is reached), the school (currently) will continue to receive funding for that child, but the child will no longer be of compulsory school age during the school year in which most children take their GCSE examinations and cannot, therefore, be obliged to attend.
If a child is eligible for free home to school transport, they will cease to be eligible for it when they cease being of compulsory school age even if they have not yet finished their GCSEs. Local authorities can choose to continue to provide free transport at this point, but they are under no duty to do so.
Department for Education states that at the secondary transfer, 'Parents will need to apply once again for an outside normal year group place alongside an application for a school place and should do so when their child's 'correct' cohort are making applications for a school place.'
Where a child with an EHCP transfers from mainstream to specialist provision, they may be expected to return to their chronological year group.
It is not appropriate for a delay to be requested for children with SEN needs as a way of providing an extended time for an EHCP to be progressed and this also applies to children with medical needs. Delaying should only be 'exceptional.'
Apply to delay school place
If you would like to apply to delay your child's school place, follow the steps below. Please note you must complete two separate application forms.
Step 1. Apply for a school place.
In all cases you should first apply for a school place in your child's normal age group within the expected normal admissions round.
For information and help with admissions plus access to the online application form please visit our Apply for a school place pages.
The school admissions team manages applications for places in all school year groups, apart from sixth forms and colleges.
Step 2. Apply to delay school place.
Please complete the Summer born request to delay online form available below. This is your request to delay your child's school place. Please accept a school place offered to you during this application process.
On applying to delay and that application being agreed, your current school application will be cancelled, and you will need to make another school application next year.
