Summer Born Children

We have been involved for nearly 10 years in assisting parents of summer born children with Compulsory School Age (CSA) when their child turns 5. These parents have chosen to start their children age 5, and then wish for them to start in Reception, not Year 1. 

Legally a child does not need to start school until the term after they turn 5. For summer born children, this is in September following their 5th Birthday. However the expectation in the UK is that summer born children should start school a year earlier when they are only 4. This does NOT need to be the case in England. Scottish parents already have the option of choosing the school year for their summer borns. Welsh parents have some choice but it is not as clear in law. 

The Summer Born Guidance can be found by clicking here.
And Here
And Here!
Plus ensure you read Baroness Barran's statement here.

A parent can request that their child starts school the following year in Reception. The government, Department for Education, Local Government Ombudsman and Official Schools Adjudicator are all supportive of CSA starts in Reception. The request needs to be made to the Admissions Authority which may be the Local Authority or may be to the school or an Academy Trust. This is for an individual to find out for their local schools. Some parents will need to seek an opinion about the year group from the Heads or the Governors of the schools they are interested in. Other LA's give an automatic agreement. So this is very much a personal journey. 

This is where we come in. We can save you the time and help you write your application letters to get agreement for a Reception start for your child once they turn CSA. 

It is very usual for a parent to receive a 'No' response to a CSA start in Reception. Whilst a parent can't appeal against the decision, they can certainly complain, and they really must do so as the success rate is high. We can help you to write these letters of complaint and support you through the process.

We can also assist when the child has been put into the wrong year group on the register, or the school or LA SEND Department are attempting to move the child up a year without good reasons. We have a 100% success rate to date.

Debunking the myths and excuses about summer born CSA starts.

Contact us at our e-mail address below or via our Contact form to find out more about how we can help.