Summer-born children - delayed entry

To delay a child's school entry, you must have a summer born child that is four during the period 1 April to 31 August 2024. It is important that you read the government guidance Summer-born children - advice for parents before applying for a delayed entry. 

The request for delayed entry should be made by the primary school admissions closing date of Monday, 15 January 2024. We are aware that in some circumstances this may not be possible. We ask that you submit your request as soon as possible prior to National Offer day, which is the Tuesday, 16 April 2024.

The DfE guidance and the School Admissions Code allow parents to delay entry of their children into the school system. School admission authorities are required to provide a school for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. However, flexibility exists for children whose parents do not feel they are ready to begin school at this point.

School admissions authorities are responsible for making the decision on which year group a child should be admitted. They are required to make a decision based on circumstances of each case. The local authority will make the decision for all community and voluntary controlled schools on the Isle of Wight.  If you are applying to an Academy, Aided, Foundation or Trust School the request will be forwarded to them, and they will make the decision. Please be aware that if you have not already contacted the school, they may contact you to discuss your request.

There is no statutory barrier to children being admitted outside of their normal year group.

Before applying for delayed entry into primary school, please discuss your request fully with each Headteacher of the preferred school/s you are listing on your Delayed Entry Request Form.  Please be aware that although you will have had discussions with the Headteacher of your preferred school/s and your request to delay entry into reception class confirmed, it cannot be guaranteed that your child will be offered a place at one of your preferred schools in reception for September 2024, as they will still be part of the admissions process for that academic year.

In addition to formally requesting a delayed entry place, it is advisable that you make an application as part of the main admission round for the relevant September intake, until a decision on your request for delayed entry has been approved.

Transferring to secondary school

Ideally, your child will continue to be educated within the year group they have been taught in at primary school. This is not guaranteed and your request for delayed entry will have to be reassessed when the time comes for your child's birth date year group to transfer to secondary school. 

The local authority recommends that when your child's birth date year group are due to transfer to secondary school (September of Year 5) you will need to make contact with the Headteacher(s) of the secondary school/s that you are hoping your child will attend and request delayed entry in writing for your child to continue to be educated in the delayed entry year group. The admission authority of the secondary school will decide whether to educate the child out of their normal age group. For example, they may require your child to transfer in their chronological academic age group, which may mean a transfer at the end of year 5 or they will be able to transfer at the end of year 6 and will have to commence year 8.  It is recommended that you complete an application form for a secondary school place alongside your formal request to be taught in the delayed entry year group, as there is no guarantee that the secondary school will approve your request.

You will need to provide confirmation with the application to transfer to secondary school, that the secondary school/s named on your application have confirmed they will continue to teach your child outside of their normal age group.  If you do not have written confirmation and your child is allocated a place, you may find that the place offered to your child is withdrawn by the secondary school.

See the requirements for the secondary schools as part of the co-ordinated admissions for the phase transfer to secondary school:

Carisbrooke College

Parents may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group. To do so, parents should include a request with their application, specifying why admission outside the normal age group is being requested and which year group they wish their child to be admitted. Decisions will be made based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child.

Christ the King College

Parents/guardians may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group. To do so, parents should include a request with their application, specifying why admission outside the normal age group is being requested and which year group they wish their child to be admitted. Decisions will be made based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child.

Write to:

Admissions Officer

Christ the King College

Wellington Road

Carisbrooke,

Newport,

Isle of Wight

PO30 5QT

Email: admin@christthekingcollege.co.uk

Cowes Enterprise College

Parents may seek a place for their child outside their normal age group. For example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. If parents wish to do this they must contact, in the first instance, the Academy Principal. Contact with the academy must be made at the earliest opportunity to avoid any delays in the application process.

Ideally, your child will continue to be educated within the year group they have been taught in at primary school. This is not guaranteed and your request for delayed entry will have to be reassessed with evidence to substantiate your child being taught outside their normal age group.

The decision whether a child is admitted outside of their normal age group will be made on a case-by-case basis by the academy’s governing body. A panel of at least three governors will consider the admission request based on the student’s:

• Academic Ability.
• Social and emotional development.
• Views of the parents and principal.
• Any additional relevant information available. 

The panel will have to be satisfied that the child would be able to cope with the work of the year applied for and that the student would be able to cope with the personal development whilst being with a year group who are of a different age. To support any application parents will need to submit evidence to demonstrate that the admission into a different year group is in the best interests of the child.

Once the governing body has made a decision the child can then apply to the academy using the process detailed in this policy. Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place however this right does not apply if the child is offered a place at the academy, but it is not in their preferred age group.

Medina College

Parents may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group. To do so, parents should include a request with their application, specifying why admission outside the normal age group is being requested and which year group they wish their child to be admitted. Decisions will be made based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child.

Ryde Academy

Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal (chronological) age group. For example, if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.

Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.

The Academy will admit children outside their normal age group only in exceptional circumstances. If parents wish their child to be admitted outside their normal age group they must still make their application alongside children applying at the normal age and must make their request for admission outside the normal age group clear on their Application Form to the Local Authority for a school place. At the same time, parents should write to the Principal at the address below to request admission out of the normal age group. Parents should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age. This can include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. The decision made by AET will be based on the individual circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. In making the decision, AET will consider the views of the Principal.

Write to:

Principal

Ryde Academy

Pell Lane

Ryde

Isle of Wight PO33 3LN

Tel: 01983 567331

Email: contactus@rydeacademy.org.

The Bay CE School

Parents/guardians are to write to the Headteacher of the school to request that their child continues to be educated outside of their chronological year group stating their reasons for this request.

Write to:

Executive Headteacher

The Bay CE School

The Fairway

Sandown

Isle of Wight

PO36 9JH

Email: office@bayceschool.org.

The Island Free School

Governors as the Admission Authority have agreed that the school will accept an application (out of age cohort) for summer born children where the prospective pupil has been out of year since the start of primary school - Reception onwards.

You will need to provide confirmation with your application to transfer to secondary school.  If contact is not made with the secondary school and your child is allocated a place, you may find that the place offered to your child is withdrawn by the secondary school.

Application process

• Download and complete the Summer Born Children delayed entry form (PDF, 111KB)
• Return completed form to the School Admissions and Transport, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD
• The request for delayed entry should be made by the primary school admissions closing date of Monday, 15 January 2024. We are aware that in some circumstances this may not be possible and ask that you submit your request as soon as possible prior to National Offer day, which is Tuesday, 16 April 2024.