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Determined Admission Arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Primary Schools for 2025/26

4. Early, deferred or delayed admission

a. Early admission

In order for any child to be considered for early entry, this would need to be fully supported by the preferred schools. In addition to this there must be clear evidence from the child's current pre-school or nursery confirming that the child is exceeding age related expectations and that it would be detrimental for the child to remain in the current setting until they reach statutory school age. Such cases are only agreed in exceptional circumstances. It would also be the case that the Local Authority's professional adviser would be involved with any decision-making. Clear evidence must confirm that this is the child's best interest.

b. Deferred admission until later in the academic year

Parents do not have to ensure their child receives full time education until the start of the term following their fifth birthday. However, parents have the right to start their child in school in the September of the academic year following their fourth birthday. In such circumstances, parents also have the option to start their child on a part-time basis or defer their child's entry until later in that academic year.

If a parent decides to defer their child's entry to the school that they have been offered until later in the academic year, that place will be held for the child and will not be offered to another child. However, please note that entry cannot be deferred beyond the point at which their child reaches compulsory school age (for the avoidance of doubt the law states that a child reaches compulsory school age on the prescribed day following his or her fifth birthday[or on his or her fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day]. The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August). For children born between 1 April and 31 August, parents cannot defer entry beyond the beginning of the April term of the school year for which the offer was made.

Children who attend part-time until later in the school year cannot do so beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.

If the parent decides that they no longer wish to take up their child's place, they should inform the school and the Local Authority that the place is no longer required. The offer of a place will then be withdrawn and reallocated to the child who is top of the waiting list at that time. The parent must then submit a fresh application for a place in year one for the following academic year.

Any request to defer or attend part-time should be made to the school as soon as an offer is received.

c. Delayed admission

All applications will be dealt with in accordance with the School Admissions Code 2.17, 2.17a, 2.17b, which came into force on 1 September 2021:

Parents may seek a place for their child outside their normal age group, for example, if a child has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of a summer born child (born from 1 April to 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.

Requests should be made from the September following the child's third birthday, in order to give sufficient time for the case to be considered by the admissions authority prior to the deadline for applications of 15 January.

Parents of a summer born child may choose not to send their child to a school until the September following their fifth birthday and they may request that they are admitted outside their normal age group - to reception rather than year 1. All admission authorities are required to make clear in their admission arrangements the process for requesting admission outside the normal age group.

The decisions on requests for applications outside the child's normal age group are made by the admission authority for each particular school, which in the case of voluntary controlled and community schools is the LA. For voluntary aided, foundation schools or academies the admissions authority is the governing body of the school concerned. The decision to admit outside their normal age group is made on the basis of the circumstances of each case. All parents who wish to apply for delayed entry into reception year for any Wiltshire school, must first submit a formal application to the LA.

If parents are applying for a voluntary controlled or community school, they will also need to make a written request at the time of application to the local authority's admissions co-ordinator, providing reasons for the request along with any supporting documentation they wish to include.

If parents are applying for a delayed entry at a voluntary aided, foundation school or an academy, as well as submitting a formal application to the local authority they should also contact their preferred school directly to discuss the request.

In the case of voluntary controlled and community schools, the Local Authority will look at the following factors when an application for admission outside the normal ages group:

  • 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
  • whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely
  • the views of the head teacher of the school

The Local Authority will make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned.

If the parental request for delayed admission into reception is agreed, a separate application for a place in the next cohort would have to be made in the following September. This application would be considered along with all the other applicants for admission in that year at the preferred school. There would be no guarantee that a place would be able to be offered in the preferred school. If the preferred school is over-subscribed and a place is not offered, the local authority will make an alternative offer. However, delayed admission into reception year in the alternative school may not be possible.

If the parental request for delayed admission into reception year is refused, the formal application which has already been submitted will be processed, unless the Local Authority receives a request from the parent to withdraw the application. If no request to withdraw the application is received, after the offer of a school place had been made, the parent can then inform the Local Authority and the school that they want to defer entry until later in the academic year as outlined above.

When informing a parent of their decision on the year group the child should be admitted to, the admission authority must set out clearly the reasons for their decision.

Applications for delayed entry to out of county schools

Parents who wish to apply for a main round delayed entry to an out of county school should submit the request to Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council will pass this on to the other Local Authority for consideration. Wiltshire Council will then inform the parent of the decision of the request.

Parents who wish to apply for a delayed entry as an in-year transfer should contact the Local Authority where the preferred school is situated for details of how to apply.

Right of appeal for admission of children outside their normal age group

Parents who are refused a place at a school for which they have applied have the statutory right of appeal to an independent Admission Appeal panel. They do not have a right of appeal if they have been offered a place and it is not in the year group they would like. However, if parents are dissatisfied with the outcome of the request for delayed entry into reception year, they have the right to complain against the decision through the Council's complaints procedure for decisions made by council officers or under the school's complaints procedure where the school is the admissions authority.

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