Delayed admission to reception for summer-born children

Parents of children who are born in the summer term can request that their admission into the reception or foundation class of a school is delayed from the September after their fourth birthday to the September after their fifth birthday. This is different to deferred admission, which is an option for parents of all children, and is where a child’s admission to the reception or foundation class can be put off until the start of the term following their fifth birthday. This is only possible within the child’s normal admission year – the academic year during which they have their fifth birthday.

Children born between 1 September and 31 March, have a legal right to defer admission to reception to the start of the term after the 5th birthday (that’s January or Easter).

Summer-born children (born from 1 April to 31 August) can defer until January or Easter or to the next September with a fresh application for year 1 or for delayed admission to reception.

We have issued this guidance to parents following an open letter to parents, schools and local authorities from Nick Gibb, Schools’ Minister on 8 September 2015, giving a commitment from the government that the School Admissions Code will be amended:

“to ensure that summer born children can be admitted to the reception class at the age of five if it is in line with their parents’ wishes, and to ensure that those children are able to remain with that cohort as they progress through school, including through to secondary school. We will conduct a full public consultation in due course; and subject to Parliamentary approval will introduce these further changes to ensure that no child is forced to start school before they are ready.”

Admissions authorities were encouraged to agree to requests, ahead of any amendment of the Code.

Devon County Council has determined not to have a blanket policy to agree to all requests until or unless the Code is amended and has advised schools within the area accordingly. This doesn’t mean that individual cases will be refused – each request will be considered on a case by case basis with the admissions authority for the school reaching a decision in the best interests of the child.

Please note that parents of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) should discuss their children’s education provision with the Local Authority’s 0-25 Special Educational Needs Team.

• What is the legal position now?

  All parents can defer admission until the start of term after the fifth birthday. Deferral during the reception year is a parental right, arranged after a place is offered. The place must be held open if you inform the school. Places cannot be held open past Easter. You lose your place and must reapply – in-year for year 1 which may already be full and have no capacity to admit your child.

  If your child is summer-born, you can ask for delayed admission to reception in the next September. The decision rests with the admission authority for the school. There are two stages to delayed admission:

  1. Request approval for delayed admission by writing to Admissions ideally by March, at least before the end of the June before your child could join reception. If you child has an EHCP this will be forwarded to the 0-25 SEN Team.
  2. Formally apply for admission in the next academic year. Agreements and refusals for delayed admission are both lawful responses to parents. Refusals must be reasoned and on individual circumstances.
• What's the position in Devon schools now?

  Devon has decided that all requests for delayed admission to community and voluntary controlled schools will be considered on a case by case basis, mindful of the letter from the Schools’ Minister’s letter in September 2015. We will seek advice from the head teacher of any school you are interested in when we make a decision whether to agree to or refuse your request. If it is agreed you will still need to apply in the next intake to reception – applications will be considered as if your child were of the “correct” age for the next intake. You will be able to nominate schools in the same way as other parents.

  Decisions regarding delayed admission are for each school and are not binding on other schools. We strongly encourage you to discuss your wishes with any schools you are interested in for your child.

  Please note that when a child moves on to another school, for example, at secondary transfer, the head teacher of that new school might not agree to teaching your child out of his or her chronological or ‘normal’ year group.

• Might it change?

  If the government amends the School Admissions Code, Devon will make any necessary changes to policy to ensure that it complies with the law.

• What about other admission authorities (OAA)?

  Academies, foundation, free and voluntary aided schools are their own admissions authority, making their own decisions. Some may decide to have a policy of agreeing to all requests while others will consider them on a case by case basis. No school can have a blanket policy of refusing all requests.

  Decisions regarding delayed admission are for each school and are not binding on other schools. We strongly encourage you to discuss your wishes with any schools you are interested in for your child.

• How do I request delayed admission?

  If you are considering delaying admission to reception, the government suggests that you should:

  • Apply on time for a reception place in your child’s chronological Year Group anyway (15 November to 15 January).
  • You can request delayed admission after this, up to the October half term after your child’s fourth birthday. After this point and if your child has started in a Reception class, we consider that your child has been admitted to school. We allow for a child to try Reception in this first half term to enable you to take a view on whether he or she is ready for school.
  • Discuss your wishes with any schools you are interested in for your child, and with any relevant education, health or social care professional who knows your child.
  • Put your request in writing, either using the form here or direct to the school if that’s what they advise.
  • Make a request for each school you are interested in.
  • If possible, make the request in good time for the admissions authority to make their decision around the time that you would be receiving a decision to your admissions application ( 16 April) – you may not be thinking about delayed admission at this stage. You can do it later but you should give the school as much time as possible.
  • When you get an offer for admission and a decision in writing to your request for delayed admission (one for each school) you can then confirm what you intend to do. That will be to:
    • Accept the place that is offered in the chronological Year Group
    • Decline the offer and make a fresh application for reception in the next application round (15 November to 15 January).
    • Decline the offer and make a fresh application for Year 1 in your child’s chronological Year Group for the next academic year (from the summer half term of the chronological Year Group’s reception).

  If you decide you want to pursue delayed admission, we would expect that you will want to withdraw your child from Reception and make arrangements for a pre-school setting or to stay at home. By pursuing delayed admission, you will have decided that your child is not ready for Reception, perhaps because of a Special Educational Need or simply because your preference is for your child not to be in a reception class until he or she is aged 5.

• What if delayed admission is agreed?

  You will receive a decision in writing to your request for delayed admission for each school you are interested in. If an admissions authority agrees to delayed admission, it is inviting you to make a fresh application in the next admissions round. You can do that in Devon between 15 November and 15 January. You would be expected to decline any offer you have for admission into reception in your child’s chronological Year Group.

  Your admissions application will be considered alongside all other applications – there is neither additional or lower priority for your child on the grounds that this is a delayed admission application. You will receive an offer in the following April.

• What if delayed admission is refused?

  You will receive a decision in writing to your request for delayed admission for each school you are interested in. If an admissions authority does not agree to delayed admission, it is telling you that it believes your child’s needs can best be met in the chronological Year Group in that school, that your child would be disadvantaged by being delayed.  It is not inviting you to make a fresh application in the next admissions round. You can still do so for that school but you should be aware that the likely outcome is that the admissions authority will not offer a place in your preferred Year Group. It may tell you that a place is available in your child’s chronological Year Group.
  If you are refused admission in the delayed Year Group you have the right of appeal unless you are offered a place in your child’s chronological Year Group at the school. If there is no right of appeal, you would be able to use the school’s own complaints procedure.

• Why might delayed admission not be in your child’s best interests?

  You’ll have your reasons as to why you are thinking about delayed admission. We assume children will be in the year group that is “correct” for their date of birth unless you say otherwise. There are reasons why schools might feel it’s either not necessary or would have negative consequences:

  • children mature at different rates at different times and it can be challenging and upsetting for a child to move back up a year group
  • the curriculum for 4 year olds is the same in nursery as it is in reception
  • schools are very experienced in meeting the needs of younger children
  • children can be upset if they feel they have been held back from moving up with their friends
  • funding arrangements will need to be changed at the end of further education
  • being out of year may mean that a child cannot play in sports teams with their peers where they are age-related
  • children can make their own decisions to leave school at 16 even if they are a year behind and haven’t done year 11.

  We would like your decision on whether to seek delayed admission to be an informed decision. Please talk to the School Admissions Service, to your child’s pre-school, GP if you have any medical concerns and, most importantly, the schools you have an interest in. If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you should discuss education provision with the 0-25 Special Educational Needs Team. Any request would be referred to 0-25 for a child with an EHCP.

  You may feel that your child isn’t ready for school and have no social or medical reasons supported by a relevant professional. You can request delayed admission solely on the grounds of parental preference.

  Other options include deferring for part of the year or taking up a part time place. Children develop at different speeds at different times and some parents have found that delayed admission solves a short-term issue but causes long-term problems.

For further information you can speak to the School Admissions Service or the Early Years and Childcare service on 0345 155 1019 or to your child’s pre-school.

This information is also available to download in PDF format: Guidance to parents: Delayed admission to reception for summer-born children