Deferred and delayed entry into reception
Deferred entry into reception
Parents are entitled to a full time school place in the September following their child ’ s fourth birthday , however parents do not have to ensure their child receives full time education until the start of the term following their fifth birthday .
Parents can defer the date their child is admitted to the school until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age ( the term after the child turns five ) and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year .
Where the parents wish , children may attend part-time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age .
Parents wishing to defer entry need to apply by the closing date and when an offer is made inform the school that they want to defer entry or only attend part-time .
Delayed entry into reception
Parents of a summer born child ( born between 1 April and 31 August ) may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group to reception rather than year 1 .
Before deciding to make a request for delayed entry , we would recommend that parents visit the schools they are thinking of applying for . The teachers 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 .
If you wish to make a request for delayed entry into reception you must make this request in writing to the admission authority of the school concerned . This should be made by the closing date of 15 January .
If you are applying to schools in other boroughs please contact the relevant local authority for information on how to make a request for delayed entry into reception in their borough . The telephone numbers of neighboring authorities can be found on page 62 .
You will need to provide all of the reasons why you feel it is in your child ’ s best interests to be placed outside of their normal age group . You should also provide any supporting evidence with your request i . e . school reports , medical reports , professional recommendations that you wish to be taken into consideration .
Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned . This will include taking 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 . They must also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school concerned .
When informing a parent of the decision the admission authority must set out clearly the reasons for their decision .
Where an admission authority agrees to a parent ’ s request for delayed entry into reception the application for the normal age group will be withdrawn and parents must make a new application as part of the main admissions round the following year .
Offers are made on the basis of the schools determined admission arrangements only , using the oversubscription criteria . The application will not be given lower or higher priority on the basis that the child is being admitted out of their normal age group .
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 .
For the community primary schools in Ealing you should address your request to ‘ The Head of Admissions ’ and send this with your supporting documents to Primary School Admissions , Ealing Council , Perceval House , 14-16 Uxbridge Road , W5 2HL .
For all other Ealing primary schools you should address your request to ‘ The Chair of the Governing Body ’ and send this with your supporting documents directly to the school ( s ) you have applied for . You will need to send your request to each school on your application form .
8 Starting Primary School 2022