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

Requesting admission into a year group other than the normal point of entry

You will need to ask the admission authority to admit your child out of their normal age group.

This applies if your child is moving, or due to move:

• From a primary to secondary school
• To a new area and is changing schools

In the first instance you will need to contact the head teacher at each school you wish to apply for to discuss your request for your child to be educated out of year.

You should do this before the normal admissions round closes for your child's normal age group. If your child has been educated out of year through primary school this will be on 31 October of the year your child starts year 5, rather than year 6. This is to ensure that
you are informed of the outcome in time to apply for your child's normal age group, should your request be turned down.

In deciding what is best for your child, the head teacher and the school's admissions authority will consider whether or not your child is currently being educated outside of their normal age group. They will also take into consideration:

• Parental views
• A child's educational requirements
• A child's social and emotional development
• A child's medical history, if relevant

And more specifically:

• Whether or not the pupil's development is significantly below the expected level for their age range
• Whether the pupil experienced problems which have resulted in being out of education for a substantial period
• Whether the pupil has previously been educated in a different year group from the standard one for their age up until that point
• Whether the pupil is remarkably gifted and talented
• Whether the pupil was born prematurely and would have been admitted into the year 'below' if delivered on their due date
• Whether the pupil is delayed emotionally and therefore cannot make adequate relationships with their peer group
• Whether the proposed action responds to the educational needs of the pupil based on available evidence
• Whether or not it has been clearly demonstrated that the educational progress which could reasonably be expected of the pupil cannot be achieved by remaining with his or her normal age group?

The Department for Education advise that, if your child has been educated out of year prior to transfer to secondary school, unless there are sound educational reasons to do otherwise, the presumption should be that they will remain outside of their normal year group, as to do otherwise would result in the child missing a year of school. 

If your request to be educated out of year is approved by the headteacher and schools admissions authority you will need to email schooladmissions@herefordshire.gov.uk to request an application.

You will not be able to apply for an 'out of year' place via the online application process.

If the admission authority approves the request to delay transfer, you will be advised to re-apply in the following year and provide a copy of the decision.

However, there can be no guarantee of a place being available at your preference schools. Your application will not receive priority over or above any other applicant for this year group and your application will be considered in line with the published admission criteria for each school along with all other applicants for each school for the year group for which you are applying.

If the admissions authority approves early transfer, then the application will be considered in line with the published admissions criteria for each school along with all other applicants for each school for the year group for which you are applying.

Parents possess a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied. However, this right does not extend to cases where a place at the school has been offered, but not within the parent's preferred age group.