Starting school might feel like a fixed milestone but there is some flexibility and here we aim to help families to understand the facts.

  • Your child is entitled to a full-time place in school in the September following their 4th birthday.

  • But, it only becomes statutory to attend full-time education in the term following their 5th birthday. This is known as Compulsory School Age.

Compulsory School Age

Children are not obliged to be in education until they are of Compulsory School Age, this is a set point in the year following their fifth birthday:

  • Children who turn five between 1 September and 31 December reach Compulsory School Age on 31 December.

  • Children who turn five between 1 January and 31 March reach Compulsory School Age on 31 March.

  • Children who turn five between 1 April and 31 August reach Compulsory School Age on 31 August.

This means that summer born children – those born between 1 April and 31 August – don’t have to start school until a full year after they could have been admitted.

Staying at Little Grubs Kindergarten

Children may be able to stay at Little Grubs Kindergarten for some or all of their Reception year, if they have attended Little Grubs previously.

Little Grubs Kindergarten is led and managed by 2 qualified Primary School teachers and our learning programme incorporates all stages of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum.

How to delay your child’s school entry

If you want to delay your child's starting date, you'll need to apply for a school place for them to start at the normal time (i.e. the September after their fourth birthday). Once you have been allocated a place at the school, you must inform the headteacher that you wish to delay your child’s starting date. Similarly, if you wish for your child to attend part-time, you must discuss this with the headteacher as soon as a place has been allocated.

Closing dates for primary/infant school applications are 15th January. Applications are made online to the Local Authority in which the school is situated.

Summer Born Children

Summer born children can defer starting school until the following autumn term. For more information on this process, please speak to us as we will be happy to talk through the options and support your application.