Starting school later or part-time

A delayed admission may be available for children born between 1 April and 31 August.

This means they would start school in the September following their fifth birthday, meeting the legal age requirement for starting school.

To do this, you need to make a request alongside an application for a reception school place for your child to start in their actual age group. This gives you the option for your child to start in the September after their fourth birthday if either:

• you change your mind about delayed admission
• your preferred school refuses your request

Making a request

Before you make a request, we encourage you to discuss how your child's needs can be met in reception at age 4 with the headteacher of your preferred school or schools. You should also read the Department for Education advice: GOV.UK - Summer born children: advice for parents

You make a written request for a delayed admission at the same time as applying for a reception school place at the right time for your child's actual age group.

The admission authority for each school makes a decision about your request. They will base this on the circumstances of your case and the best interests of your child.

Your request must set out the reasons why you are making the request and any relevant evidence you want us to consider. This might include:

• your personal views
• information about your child’s recent academic, social and emotional development
• recent medical history and the views of a medical professional
• whether your child has previously been educated out of their normal age group
• stating that your child was born prematurely and may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if they were born on their due date

The views of the headteacher will be an important part of this consideration.

We may also gather information from any professionals involved with your child (for example, nursery education provider, educational psychologists) to consider whether your child either:

• shows significant delay in intellectual development/education skills, across all subject areas, to an extent that curriculum differentiation (with appropriate SEN resources) is not reasonable
• is developmentally different from their peer group because of their physical maturity
• shows an equivalent delay in emotional development and social skills, appropriate for a younger peer group

You can upload supporting documentation during your application if you wish to do so. Look for 'Document type - Out of year group'.

After your application

We will process your application for your child's normal age group in the normal way and you will be offered a school place.

You can withdraw this place if we approve your request for delayed admission.

If we approve your request

A delayed admission is agreed but a school place is not offered. It is not possible to reserve a place for the following year.

You will need to make a new application for the following September.

Your application will be considered along with all the applicants for admission in that year. There is no guarantee of a place being available at the school because this depends on the number of applicants that year.

If we do not approve your request

You need to decide either to:

• accept the offer of a reception place for your child's actual age group
• reject the offer and make an in-year application for your child to start in Year 1 in the September following their fifth birthday

You have a statutory right of appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied. This right does not apply if your child is offered a place at the school but it is not in your preferred age group.