Guide to starting school or moving up to junior school

All children can start school full-time in the September following their fourth birthday.

You can use our age checker to find out when your child can start school.

If you do not feel your child is ready to start school full-time, you can request that they start part-time or you can start them later in the school year. This is called ‘deferring’ your child’s school start.

You should let the school and us know as soon as possible if this is what you want to do. The school has to keep the place for your child and cannot offer that place to another child.

Your child does however have to start school full-time the term following their fifth birthday. This is called 'statutory' or 'compulsory' school age, and they must then go to school full time.

You can ask for your child's place to be deferred until the beginning of the Spring Term (January 2026). This place must be kept for your child once you have let the school know that this is what you want.

You can ask for your child’s place to be deferred until the beginning of the Spring Term (January 2026) or the beginning of the Summer Term (April 2026).

This place must be kept for your child once you have let the school know that this is what you want.

You can ask for your child's place to be deferred until the beginning of the Spring Term (January 2026) or the beginning of the Summer Term (April 2026). This place must be kept for your child once you have let the school know that this is what you want.

You can also legally defer the school place until September 2026 but the offer of a school place in Reception will be withdrawn and you'll have to re-apply for a place in Year 1.

This will be treated as a new application and there is no guarantee that a place will be available at your preferred school.