P-05-832 To Amend the School Admissions Code Relating to Summer-Born Children, Correspondence –Wrexham Council to Chair, 21.12.18

In reference to your recent request for information I can confirm that Wrexham is fully compliant with the Admissions Code 2013

Extract from Admissions Code

Deferred entry to primary schools

2.61 The law does not require a child to start school until the start of the term following the child’s fifth birthday. Where the admission authority for a primary school offers places in reception classes to parents before their children are of compulsory school age, they must allow parents the option of deferring their child’s entry until later in the same school year. The effect is that the place is held for that child and is not available to be offered to another child. The parent would not however be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the school year for which the original application was accepted. This must be made clear in the admission arrangements for the school.

With reference to a parents right to defer entry we publish this information each year within our Parents Guide.

https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/assets/pdfs/education/admissions/parents_guide.pdf

Extract below:

Maintained Primary School Admission – Admission to Reception

Admissions to reception classesare the responsibility of the relevant admissionauthority. The ‘admission authority’, is in this instancethe local authority in the case of communityschools and the governing body in voluntary or aided schools.The admission authoritywill admit a child to a primary school in the September following their 4th birthday.

Once a reception place has been offered and accepted, some parents may wish to defer their child’s entry until the start of the termfollowing the child’sfifth birthday. Parents would not however be able to defer entry beyond this point, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. It should also be noted that the statutory Foundation Phase ‘Framework for Children’s Learningfor 3 to 7 yearolds in Wales’ is a continuous teaching and learningframework which commences the term following a child’s third birthday. Deferment would lead to a gap in this provision causing a lack of continuity in a child’searly education.

We have not received any formal requests to defer entry in the last three years.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

Kind regards

Paula

Paula Parry

Access and School Places Manager