In September 2015, Schools Minister Nick Gibb announced that it was the intention
of the government to give children born in summer the right to start school in
Reception at the age of 5.
Gibb said that the rules around admissions must be changed so that schools are not
allowed to force children born between April 1st and August 31st to start in Year 1 if
they wait till they are 5 to start attending school.
The minister wrote an open letter encouraging schools and Local Authorities - with
immediate action, ahead of the proposed changes - to permit summer-born children to
start in Reception aged 5 if that is the wish of the parents.
The government have stated that parents are in the best position to decide what their
child needs, and summer-born children should be allowed exactly the same
opportunities to excel in their school careers as their peers. If that means starting
Reception a year later, then so be it.
Under the law, a child is not required to attend school until they are five. However,
parents who delay the commencement of their summer-born child's first year have in
the past been told their child will have to skip a year, losing a whole year of education
as they do so. Under the new rules, if they do decide to start school a year later,
children will stay within the same age group as they go forward on into secondary
school.
Schools and Local Authorities often put parents under undue pressure to send
summer-born pupils straight into Year 1, completely missing out on the Reception
year. Parents under pressure may then feel that they have to send their children to
school before they are emotionally ready.
As Nick Gibb stated in September 2015:
'As part of our plan to extend social justice and opportunity, we want all children to
have an equal chance to excel in school regardless of when they are born. We are
going to make changes to admission rules - but we want councils and academies to
take immediate action.'
Furthermore:
'We have decided that it is necessary to amend the school admissions code further to
ensure that summer-born children can be admitted to the Reception class at the age of
5 if it is in line with their parents’ wishes... We will conduct a full public consultation
in due course; and subject to Parliamentary approval will introduce these further
changes to ensure that no child is forced to start school before they are ready.'
If you feel pressured by a school or Local Authority to miss out on your child's
Reception year, give us a call today and we can talk you through your options and
help you decide what to do next.
Match Solicitors
www.matchsolicitors.com
