- *There is no guarantee that your request to delay will be agreed
- You must still apply for a school place within your child's birth year group (to avoid missing out on a potential school place).
- If your request to delay gets approved, you will then need to re-apply during the next first time admissions application period.
- There is no guarantee that you will get a place in a particular school in the following academic year.
Delay or defer a school place
Defer a school place | Delay a school place
Defer your child's school place
This is where you've already secured a primary school place for your child in September, but you want to hold off from them starting school until the following term (including for part-time attendance).
This is:
- for first time admissions only
- not beyond the start of the summer term (April) or
- not beyond the term after your child’s 5th birthday.
Parents must speak to the school that they have been allocated to arrange for agreement of a deferred start. If the place is not taken up a parent must then reapply for a school for the following academic year.
Gifted and talented children
If your child is classed as gifted and talented, you can apply for approval for your child to be taught outside their normal age group. There is no guarantee that your request will be approved, and we will make a decision on a case by case basis.
The procedure is the same as outlined under What you need to do, below.
Apply for approval to delay your child's school place
This is when the admitting authority agrees to your request to delay your child’s start by a whole year.
Delaying a primary school place
This is when the admitting authority agrees to your request to delay your child’s start by a whole year at reception (primary school).
Most children start school in the September after their 4th birthday, but some children will benefit from a delayed school start, especially if their school readiness has been delayed by a medical condition or developmental reasons (the date range below may not apply to your child in such circumstances).
You can apply for approval to keep your child from starting primary school, if your child is young for their school year group. Take a look at the table below to see if they qualify*
| Child's date of birth is from: | Eligible to apply for approval to join school the following year |
|---|---|
| 1 April and 31 August | Yes |
Delaying a secondary school place
This is when the admitting authority agrees to your request to delay your child’s start by a whole year in year 7 (secondary school).
You can apply for approval for your child to remain in a younger age group when transferring to secondary school.
The decision to keep the child in a younger age group must be made again by the admission authority of the schools being applied for.
The new admissions authority may decide that it’s in the child’s best interests to return to their normal year group. At secondary transfer the secondary receiving school has the power to refuse a place into Year 7 and may only offer you a place in Year 8.
What you need to do
Contact your local authority or use our contact form advising us that you want your child to be taught in a different year group to their normal age group, stating the reason. This could be:
- your child’s primary school age (see Delaying a primary school place)
- medical reasons
- you have a gifted or talented child that is moving school
- your child arriving in the UK after the school year has already started
What happens next
A special panel will be held to discuss your request to delay, this will take place either by:
- Leicestershire County Council on behalf of schools maintained by the local authority.
- the school itself, if they are their own admission authority (eg. academies and voluntary aided)
Panels usually take place sometime after the application closing date:
- after 15 January for primary schools and after 31 October for secondary schools
It is important parents understand that if the request is agreed, it does not guarantee a place a year later, it only means that parents will be allowed to apply a year later for a place.
If unsuccessful, parents’ statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school does not apply, if they are offered a place at the school, but it is not their preferred age group.
Re-apply for the next academic year
If your request to delay gets approved, you will need to re-apply during the next first time admissions application period:
- 1 September - 15 January for primary schools
- 1 September - 31 October for secondary schools
What to consider and future consequences
Things to consider before making a request to delay a school place
- Children that have particular needs risk having access to support delayed for another year, in some circumstances this may have huge detrimental effects on behaviours or development issues that then become entrenched
- The psychological impact to your child being taught below their chronological age group, as they grow and realise they are being taught a year behind
- Once your child reaches Year 6, they may be excluded from entering sporting and other competitions that are age restricted
- At secondary transfer the secondary receiving school has the power to refuse a place into Year 7 and may only offer you a place in Year 8
Future consequences
- If your child has to move schools – the decision to keep your child in a younger age group has to be made again by the admission authority of the schools being applied for. The new admissions authority may decide that it’s in the child’s best interests to return to their normal year group.
- Free transport – If your child is eligible for free home to school transport, this will stop when they reach statutory school leaving age, even if they are still completing GCSE’s.
- Post 16 entitlement – Where a young person is educated in a younger year group they may find their Post 16 entitlement is reduced from 3 to 2 years.
Note: Where another admitting authority agreed to your request to delay or defer for primary school start/changing school during term time, the new school is not duty bound to honour this (simply because the previous school did).