Early or Deferred Entry
Early Admission
Only in very exceptional circumstances will applications for admission to school ahead of the normal age of entry be agreed by the Local Authority.
Parents wishing to apply for their child's early admission to school will need to make an application with supportive evidence as to why an exception should be made in the case of their child. A report may be requested from the Headteacher of the child's present school to ensure that an early transfer would be in the child's best interest. Applications for early transfer to aided schools are dealt with by the school Governors in a similar way.
Where early transfer is requested to a community or voluntary controlled school, the application should be sent to the School Admissions and Transport Service.
Where the school is voluntary aided or foundation in status, the application should be made to the Governing Body through the Headteacher.
Compulsory School Age
Your child can start full-time in a reception class in the September prior to their fifth birthday.
September 2011 - children's dates of birth 01.09.06 - 31.08.07
September 2012 - children's dates of birth 01.09.07 - 31.08.08
September 2013 - children's dates of birth 01.09.08 - 31.08.09
Reception Class forms part of a child's entitlement to the "Early Years Foundation Stage".
Children are not classed as compulsory school age until the term after their fifth birthday and therefore legally do not have to be in receipt of full time education until this time.
Where parents of "summer born babies" do not opt to send their children to school until they reach statutory school age, the children will then join Year 1 (if a space remains available in the year group). Consequently, these children will have missed the completion of their foundation stage education before they begin Key Stage 1.
Deferred Entry
The Local Authority will consider requests from parents to retain a place in the school of preference where the parent wishes to defer their child's entry to reception class until January in the same academic year.
Where it is possible to offer a place, deferral will be supported if the request is made at the normal time of application. Parents are not able to defer entry beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.
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