Starting infant/primary school (Year R)

The offer made to parents for reception class on the initial offer date is of a full time place from the start of term in September. Schools normally stagger entry into school from that date and arrange for some initial part-time attendance to ensure a smooth transition from pre-school or home into school. Flexibilities exist for those parents who do not feel that their child is ready to start school in the September following their fourth birthday. It is possible for them to:

• Request part-time admission to the allocated school from the September following their child’s fourth birthday. This should be negotiated with the headteacher of the school.
• Request to defer their child’s entry until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach Compulsory school age, and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year.
  
  

Parents of summer-born children, that is children born between 1st April and 31st August, may, in addition, choose to send their child to school in the September following their 5th birthday and may request that their child is admitted out of their normal age group to reception year rather than Year 1. Any parent wishing to apply for their summer-born child to start school outside their normal age group should read the ‘Guidance on the education of children outside normal age group’ Booklet, available on the Southampton City Council website, which explains the procedures that need to be followed.

For all requests it is vital to understand that at each transition (starting reception, moving from infant to junior, primary to secondary, secondary to college) the decision whether to maintain the placement in a younger or older year group must be made by the admission authority for the school. As such, there is no guarantee that it will continue throughout the child’s education and a new parental request must be made before each transition. As a general rule, requests should only be made once per phase transfer, unless there has been a significant change in circumstances.