Uk when do children start school

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Your cookie preferences were saved. Most children start school in the September following their fourth birthday. However, by law a child does not have to start school until the term following their fifth birthday. All reception age children are offered full time places when they start primary or infant school. If parents want their child to attend part time from September or to delay entry until later on in the academic year, they must contact the school directly to arrange this. Applications for admission outside the child's normal age group can be submitted online parents must also complete a delayed entry application form and upload this as part of their application.

Delayed entry request forms can be found in the forms, guides and policy documents section. This website uses cookies We use cookies to collect information about how you use wiltshire. Accept all cookies Change cookie preferences. Legally, children do not have to be in full time education until the term following their fifth birthday.

This is the compulsory school age. Deferral dates are set out as follows:. It is the responsibility of the admission authority of the school to make the decision on the basis of the circumstances of each case. Factors considered by an admission authority when considering admission outside the normal age group include:. Note: The local authority is the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools. The governing body is the admission authority for foundation and voluntary aided schools, and the academy trust is the admission authority for academies and free schools.

This can be done by contacting the Admissions and Transport Team. It is for own admission authority schools to make the final decision, i. In respect of community and controlled schools, the local authority will make a decision in consultation with the head teacher.

You can help them to be independent by dressing themselves and playing with other children. You can tell them stories about what school is like, and get them used to a new morning routine. You can give them emotional support by talking in a positive way about school life, giving them confidence and listening to their worries and concerns. Try not to pass your own worries onto your child.

Ask the school how they manage the first school days and talk through with your child what is likely to happen so that they are prepared. There are many benefits for a child staying with their age group at this time. Not only do they start at the same time when everyone else is also new, but they get to move on with their friends too.

They will also be surrounded by positive role models for communication, social skills, and independence. You may be asked to provide evidence or a statement in support of your application for deferred or delayed entry to school, to demonstrate why it would be in your child's interest. This may be an account of the parent's views; information about the child's academic, social and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely.

The school authority will make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child concerned, taking into account the views of the head teacher and any supporting evidence provided by the parent.

Parents must also indicate which schools they are likely to preference as different types of schools have different admissions policies. Please note, the admission authority for a school may change, for example, when a school becomes an academy. The new admission authority has the legal right to re-consider the request at the time of application.

The Department for Education has issued some non-statutory guidance, " Advice on the Admission of summer born children ". Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied. This right does not apply if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group.

Search Search. My account Accessibility. North Yorkshire County Council Education and learning School admissions Guiding you through the admissions process What age do children start school? Timelines and dates for this year If your child is not yet old enough to start school, there are various other options available to you. What if I think my child is not yet ready to start school?