Starting school is a big step for you and your child. Many children are ready and excited to start school. Some parents may feel their child needs more time. You may be worried that your child is not ready yet. If so, you may be thinking about whether they can start school later.

As children move through school, some may not make the progress expected. Parents may then wonder whether repeating a year would help their child catch up. A school may also suggest an informal arrangement, such as your child spending some time learning with younger children or using work from a younger year group.

You may be worried about your child starting school if they have a summer birthday. You might feel they are younger than many children in their year group and may find school harder. These worries can feel bigger if your child is developing more slowly, or if you think they may have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). School or nursery staff may suggest that your child is not ready to start school, or that they may need to be in a different year group. This can feel confusing as a parent. You may feel unsure about what is best for your child.

About this guidance

This guidance has been co-produced with Herefordshire Council's Educational Psychology team and Early Years Inclusion team, Parent Carer Voice Herefordshire and SENDIASS. It is intended to help you to think about what is best for your child, both now and in the future, if you are thinking about delaying or deferring their school start, or considering offsetting their move up to the next year group. In this guidance, when we refer to parents and carers, we mean anyone who has parental responsibility for a child.

Understanding school entry options

Almost all children start school in the September after their fourth birthday.

• Delayed entry is when a child starts school a whole academic year later
• Deferred entry is when a child starts later in their normal school year
• Offset entry is when a child is placed in a year group below their normal school year. This is sometimes referred to as being ‘held back’
• Accelerated entry is when a child starts a whole academic year early

Parents should be aware that Herefordshire schools are advised, as a general rule, that children should be educated with their chronological year group, and to educate them out of year group may be harmful to their well-being and educational success. Schools can change how they teach so that work is at the right level for each child. This can usually happen in the child's usual year group. Schools also receive funding to help support children with special educational needs.

Support for children with SEND

The Department for Education (DfE) states 'having special educational needs and disabilities does not necessarily mean a child should delay starting school. It may be better for them to start school before compulsory school age so they can access the support available there.' [1]

Schools, colleges, nurseries and playgroups can support most children and young people with the things they find difficult. Each setting should explain the support they offer for children with special educational needs on their website. In Herefordshire, there are also professional teams who can support children in the early years and as they move through school. This helps make sure your child gets the right support in their nursery, school or college.

What research says about children being in a different year group

Research has looked at how delaying, deferring or offsetting a child’s school start, or their move to the next year group, may affect them over time.

Education Endowment Fund (EEF) Research

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has reviewed research about children being educated outside their usual age group. This includes children repeating a year or moving up a year. The research is not only about delayed school starts, but some of the findings may still be important for parents thinking about this option.

The EEF research suggests that:

• Repeating a year may have a more negative effect for children who are young for their year group, including summer-born children.
• Children who repeat a year are unlikely to fully catch up with children working at a similar level, even with an extra year in school.
• Children educated outside their usual year group may be able to leave education before finishing their GCSEs. Children can leave school at the end of the school year when they turn 16. For most children this is Year 11, but for a child who started school late or is in a younger year group, this could happen before they have completed their GCSE courses.
• The research also suggests that some children who start a year late continue to have the same difficulties. Some children may feel anxious, confused or unhappy about being in a different year group. Over time, some children educated in a younger class may have poorer emotional wellbeing or experience bullying.

Department for Education (DfE) research

The Department for Education (DfE) has looked at how local authorities manage requests to delay school starts for summer-born children. The latest research from 2025 shows that decisions are not automatic. Most local authorities look at each request individually.

• 61% of local authorities do not automatically agree to requests to delay admission for summer-born children.
• In 2025, most requests were agreed by local authorities, with 95% approved.
• 32% of parents making these requests said their child had identified or suspected SEND.
• The research also found that white pupils and children from higher-income households were more likely to have delayed entry. This means delayed school starts may have an unintended link with wider inequality.

Important things to think about

Before deciding to delay your child's start to school, it is important to think about some of the possible difficulties this could cause later on:

• As your child gets older, they may notice they are a different age from other children in their class. This could be upsetting for them, for example if they are turning 10 while most classmates are still 8 or 9.
• Your child may feel, or others may think, that they are doing well because they are older than their classmates, rather than because of their own ability, effort or progress.
• Your child may start puberty at a different time from other children in their class. This could feel confusing or uncomfortable for them.
• As they grow up, your child may reach some age-related milestones before their classmates. This could bring unwanted attention or peer pressure, especially for children who are more vulnerable. Examples include learning to drive or being old enough to buy age-restricted products.
• Even if your child starts primary school later, secondary schools can refuse a place outside the normal age group.[2] If this happens, you may need to choose between two options:
• Accepting a Year 7 place in the September after your child turns 11. This would mean your child moving from Year 5 to Year 7.
• Refusing that offer and making an in-year application for your child to start Year 8 in the September after they turn 12. This would mean your child moving from Year 6 to Year 8. Secondary schools in Herefordshire do regularly use this right.
• A place in a different year group may also affect school places for other children or young people.

Key messages for parents and carers

• The decision to delay, defer or offset your child’s school place should be made by parents and carers, with advice and information from the school, setting and other professionals where needed.
• Starting school later may give your child more time to develop before they start school, but it does not give them an extra year of education.
• The difference between younger and older children in the same year group often becomes smaller over time.[3]
• Being in a different year group from children of the same age can lead to social and emotional difficulties later on, such as teasing, differences during adolescence, or challenges when moving between schools.
• Starting school later can bring educational risks. For example, some children may reach school leaving age before they have finished their qualifications.
• Any decision must follow school admissions law.

If you decide you would like to delay or defer your child’s start to school or want to find out more about the next steps, please visit the Apply to delay, defer or accelerate entry to primary school page.

Other sources of support and advice

PCV Herefordshire

Parent Carer Voice Herefordshire (PCVH) is the local parent carer forum which promotes the participation of parent carers in the planning and delivery of services for children and young people (0-25 years) with SEND in Herefordshire.

PCVH offers an opportunity for families of children and young people with SEND to come together, to share information and to provide support to each other, while helping to create services that meet the needs of their families.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire SENDIASS

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) provides impartial information, advice and support on all matters relating to children and young people with SEND.

This service is free, accessible and confidential and provided at 'arm's length' from Herefordshire Council.

SENDIASS aims to represent the views of parents, carers, children and young people to feedback to the council to help shape local policy and practice.

---

References

[1] See Children with SEND section, DfE publication: Summer-born children starting school: advice for parents - GOV.UK

[2] Department for Education (2024): Guidance on handling admission requests for summer-born children - GOV.UK

[3] Jaekel, J., Strauss, V. Y., Johnson, S., Gilmore, C., and Wolke, D. (2015). Delayed school entry and academic performance: a natural experiment.