Admission of children outside their normal age group and summer born children

Summer born children 

The Department for Education agrees that, in general, children should be educated in their normal age group, with the curriculum differentiated as appropriate, and that they should only be educated out of their normal age group in very limited circumstances.

However, parents of children born in the summer term, 1 April 2021 to 31 August 2021 may request that they are admitted outside of their normal age group and start reception class a full year after they could have first started school (that is, in September 2025).

While most parents are happy for their child to start school in the September following their fourth birthday, some parents will have concerns about whether their child will be ready for school at this point.

Before deciding to delay a child's entry to school, the local authority recommends that parents visit their preferred schools and talk to the staff about their starting school arrangements.  Seek advice from the head teacher and from any other professionals involved in the care of the child so that you can make an informed decision.

The school will be able to explain the provision on offer to children in the reception class, how it is tailored to meet the needs of the youngest pupils and how the needs of these pupils will continue to be met as they move up through the school. They may also be able to allay any concerns parents may have about their child's readiness for school.

How to request deferred entry for a summer born child

Parents wishing to request deferred entry must apply using the application form for the child's normal year of entry, which is available online from 9 September 2024.  Once parents have submitted their application, they must also complete and return the deferred entry to reception class application form (PDF, 157 KB). This will help the local authority make a decision about which year group the child should be educated. Parent's should also provide evidence to support their request. Once this form has been completed and returned, the Local Authority will then consider the request.

All requests for admission of children outside their normal age group must be discussed with the LA and relevant school head teacher prior to the application being made. Parents will be notified of the outcome of their request before 16 April 2025.

In reaching a decision, the local authority will consider the parents views, information about the child's academic, social and emotional development, where relevant medical history and views of medical professionals and they will also consider whether the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if they were not born prematurely. They will also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school for which the request is being made and the views of staff from the child's current education setting.

If the request is agreed, the application for the current admissions round will be withdrawn.  Parents must reapply for admission to reception class in September 2026 and their child's application will be considered against the relevant school's admission policy along with all other applications received on time for this year group, with no guarantee that a place will be offered at one their chosen schools.

If the request is refused, parents can still delay their child's school start until they reach compulsory school age and make an in-year application for them to start in year 1. However, we cannot guarantee that there will be a place at the chosen school as the year 1 class may be full.

Alternatively, if they do not wish for their child to miss the reception year, they can accept the school place offered by the local authority and either take up a full time place from September 2025 or talk to the school about part time attendance or a delayed start date until later in the school year, but not later than the beginning of the summer term (i.e. April 2026).

Any parent that is refused a place has the right of appeal, however the right of appeal does not apply if a place at the school is offered but it is not the preferred age group.

The Governing Bodies of Voluntary Aided schools consider requests for deferred entry to their school. Please refer to the relevant school admissions policy for further information.

Parents must request deferred entry by the application closing date of 15 January 2025. Requests, received after this date will still be considered by the local authority if they are received before 16 April 2025. Any request received on or after 16 April 2025, (once a child has already been allocated a school place) will not be considered and parents will be unable to defer their child's entry to reception class by a full school year, after this date, unless they can provide us with satisfactory supporting evidence from a professional working with the child, for example educational psychologist, or early years special educational needs teacher.  

If the request is agreed, when the time comes to reapply, if there's a change any of the schools you originally requested, the relevant admission authority for those schools will need to make a decision on which year group the child should be admitted to in September 2026 i.e. reception or year one, as one admission authority cannot be required to honour the decision made by another.

If a request for a summer born child is agreed, they will still be eligible for government-funded childcare until they start school.

Moving from Primary to Secondary School

Agreed deferment to reception does not guarantee admission outside of the normal age group when the child transfers to secondary school.

Parents will also need to ask that their child continues to be admitted outside of their normal year of entry when they move from primary to secondary school. They should do this before the normal admissions round closes for the child's normal age group. This will be by 31 October of the year the child starts year 5, rather than year 6. This is so they know the outcome of the decision in time to apply for their child's normal age group, should the request be refused.

If the request for admission out of the normal age group at a secondary school is refused, they will have to decide between 2 options:

• accept the offer of a place in year 7 in the school year following the child's 11th birthday (meaning they would progress from year 5 to year 7)
• refuse that offer and make an in-year application for the child to be admitted to year 8 in the September following their 12th birthday (meaning they will progress from year 6 to year 8)

This means the child will have no option but to miss either year 6 or year 7.  However, in deciding what is best for the child, the admission authority will consider that the child is currently being educated outside of their normal age group.

Children already on roll at a Gateshead School or moving between Gateshead Schools

If a child has already been admitted to a Gateshead school and a parent wishes to request a change of year group, they must initially raise this request directly with the head teacher.  The head teacher will advise the parent of the correct procedure to follow, in line with Gateshead Council's protocol on the placement of children outside of the normal group.

Children moving into Gateshead authority

A parent moving into Gateshead authority who wishes to request a change of year group must contact Gateshead School Admissions Team on 0191 433 2109, 433 2756, 433 3909, 433 8591 or 433 8589 for further advice.