Why parents of summer-born children face ‘unfair’ postcode lottery in school admissions
The downside of having summer-born children
- Families seeking to delay their summer-born children's primary school entry face an "unfair postcode lottery" due to inconsistent council decisions across England.
- An analysis of Freedom of Information requests revealed that some councils refuse over half of parents' requests for deferred entry, while others approve all.
- Campaigners and parents are advocating for greater consistency, arguing that the current system causes stress and can disadvantage children not emotionally or physically ready for school.
- The Department for Education's guidance states it should be "rare" for a request to be refused, as it is "rarely in a child’s best interests" to miss a year of education.
- Calls are being made to update the School Admissions Code to grant parents of summer-born children a legal right to enrol their children in Reception at age five, addressing the current inequity.