Deferrals or education requests outside of year group

If your child is due to start in reception and was born between 1 September and 31 March:

• places may be deferred until the start of term in January or April. You can start no later than the term following the child's fifth birthday. The school place will be held for your child and will not be offered to another child.

If your child is due to start in reception and was born between 1 April and 31 August:

• places may be deferred until the start of term in January or April, or the next September for a place in Year 1. 

Attending part-time

You can also request that your child takes up their place on a part-time basis until they reach compulsory school age. 

To do this, please contact the school headteacher to discuss. This is a decision for the school to make. The council is not able to override it. 

You can request that your child is educated outside of their normal year group if you believe this to be in their best interests.

Decisions will be made on an individual basis, taking into account the following:

• the views of the parent
• the social, emotional, and academic development of the child (supported by education and other professionals)
• the views of the Headteacher and governing body, if appropriate
• the child’s medical history and the views of a medical professional, if relevant
• whether the child has been previously educated outside their normal age group
• if they were not born early, consideration to whether the child would have naturally fallen into a lower age group 

How to submit your request

If you would like to make a request to be educated outside of the chronological year group you will need to put your request in writing, or email.

Please include:

• the reasons why you feel it would be in your child’s best interests
• copies of any relevant reports or evidence which support your request - although you are not expected to commission a report solely for this purpose.

What happens next

Once you have compiled your request, you will need to send this to the Headteacher of your preference school(s). 

All mainstream schools in North Somerset are academies, making it the responsibility of the school to make the decision. We are not able to override it. 

The Headteacher should respond to you in writing or email, stating whether or not they and the Governing Body agree to your request. 

If your request is approved or denied

If your request is not agreed, there are no rights of appeal against the decision. However, you can make a complaint to the school.

If your request is agreed, you will need to:

• withdraw your current application, if you have one
• either (whichever is relevant)
  • apply again the following year for the new cohort using the bulk application process - please use the paper application form

or

• apply using the changing schools during the school year process
  • include with your application the written agreement for your out of year group request received from your preferred school(s).

Out of year group applications can only be made for schools where you have received written agreement.