Starting school a year late: the rules on summer-born deferred entry in Kent
If your child was born between 1 April and 31 August, you have genuine choices about when they start school, choices that a lot of parents simply don't know exist. This guide explains the two different rights you actually have, how they differ, and how to make a request in Kent.
11 min read · Last checked August 2026
Quick answer
- "Summer-born" means born between 1 April and 31 August.
- Every child, not just summer-born ones, can delay starting reception until later in the same school year, as long as they start by the beginning of the summer term at the latest.
- Summer-born children specifically can also ask to delay by a whole year, so they'd start reception the September after their fifth birthday rather than their fourth, joining what would otherwise be the year group below.
- This full-year delay is not automatic. Admission authorities must consider each request individually and can refuse it.
- If a delayed entry request is refused, there's no separate right of appeal against that specific decision, though your normal right to appeal a school place refusal is unaffected.
- Apply for a reception place at the usual time regardless, and raise your deferral or delay request alongside that application.
What "summer-born" actually means
A child reaches compulsory school age at the start of the term following their fifth birthday. Because the school year runs from September, that creates a genuine difference in age between the oldest and youngest children in the same class, sometimes almost a full year. Children born between 1 April and 31 August are the youngest in their year group under the normal system, and this is what "summer-born" refers to. It's this age gap, and the school-readiness questions it can raise, that the rules below are designed to give parents some flexibility around.
The right every child has: deferring within the same school year
This one isn't limited to summer-born children, though it's most often used by their parents. Every child can start reception later than September, within the same school year, if their parents feel they're not quite ready. How late you can leave it depends on when their fifth birthday falls:
- Birthday between 1 September and 31 December: you can defer until the spring term.
- Birthday between 1 January and 31 March: you can defer until the summer term.
- Birthday between 1 April and 31 August: you can defer until the start of the summer term.
The general rule is that you cannot defer entry beyond the point your child reaches compulsory school age, and not beyond the start of the final term of that school year. You can also ask the school about a part-time attendance pattern in the meantime, rather than full days from the very start. Both of these options should be discussed and arranged directly with the school your child has been offered a place at.
The bigger option: delaying by a whole year
This is the one that's specific to summer-born children, and it's a different and much bigger step. Rather than just starting a term or two later in the same school year, you can ask for your child to be admitted a whole year later, so they'd start reception in the September following their fifth birthday, at the point their peers are starting Year 1 instead. This is sometimes called requesting admission "outside the normal age group."
This is genuinely discretionary. The admission authority, whether that's Kent County Council or the school's own governing body or trust, must consider every request individually, based on the specific circumstances and what's in your child's best interests. They're not allowed to have a blanket policy of automatically saying yes or automatically saying no. Factors that are typically taken into account include your views as parents, your child's academic, social and emotional development, any relevant medical evidence, and whether they've previously been educated outside their normal age group.
How to actually request it in Kent
Apply for a reception place at the normal time and through the normal process, even if your ultimate aim is a delayed start, since this keeps your options open and ensures your request is properly considered. Alongside that application, you'll need to raise your request for delayed entry directly, both with Kent County Council's admissions team and with the specific school or schools you're applying to, since each admission authority makes its own decision. Do this as early as you reasonably can rather than close to the application deadline, since it gives everyone involved more time to consider your circumstances properly. It's worth putting your reasoning in writing, and including any supporting evidence you have, such as views from a health visitor, nursery keyworker or GP if your child's development is part of your reasoning.
What happens if the request is refused
If your request for a full year's delay is turned down, there is no separate statutory right to appeal that specific decision. The law simply doesn't extend the normal admissions appeal process to cover this particular type of refusal. At that point, you have two realistic options:
- Accept the offer of a reception place in your child's normal age group. You can still use the within-year deferral described above, starting later in that same school year, and can discuss part-time attendance with the school in the meantime.
- Decline the reception offer and instead wait to make an in-year application for a Year 1 place, for September the following year, once your child has reached compulsory school age. This route carries real risk. Year 1 classes are often already full from children who started in reception the year before, so there's no guarantee a place will be available at your preferred school, or possibly at any nearby school, and your child would miss the entire reception year, including its specific curriculum and settling-in period.
Because option two carries that risk, most families who are refused a delayed entry request choose the first option and lean on the within-year deferral and part-time attendance instead. It's a genuinely difficult decision, and there's no single right answer for every family.
Questions parents ask
Is delayed entry only available to summer-born children?
The full year delay, starting reception the September after your child's fifth birthday rather than fourth, is specifically for summer-born children (born 1 April to 31 August). However, a shorter deferral, starting reception a term or two later within the same school year, is available to any child, not just summer-born ones, if their parents feel they need it.
Will my request to delay by a year definitely be granted?
No, it isn't automatic. The admission authority has to consider each request on its own circumstances and in the best interests of the child, but they're allowed to say no. It's most likely to be looked at favourably where there's a clear reason, such as a child's development or medical background, rather than a general preference alone.
Can I appeal if my delayed entry request is refused?
Not that specific decision. There's no statutory right of appeal against a refusal to delay entry outside the normal age group. Your ordinary right to appeal against being refused a school place altogether still applies as normal, but a decision that offers you a place, just not in the year group you wanted, isn't something you can appeal in the same way.
What happens if I decline the Reception place to wait for a Year 1 place instead?
You'd need to make an in-year application for a Year 1 place the following September, once your child reaches compulsory school age. This is genuinely risky, since Year 1 places at popular schools are often already taken by children who started in reception the previous year, and there's no guarantee of a place at your preferred school, or nearby, when you apply. Your child would also miss the whole of reception, including its curriculum and the settling-in period it's designed to provide.
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