USUAL START
The September after 4
Most children start reception full-time in September after their fourth birthday. A child who turns 4 in June usually starts that same September.
Check a birth monthIn England, a birthday decides the school year.
Children born between 1 September and 31 August are taught in one year group, so an August birthday can mean starting reception almost a year younger than classmates. Summer-born families have a choice to make.
- Starts in September
- Choice for summer-born
- Ask early
- Know the dates before you apply
THE SHORT ANSWER
Usually at 4,
legally by 5.
Most children start reception in the September after they turn 4.
Full-time education is only compulsory from the term after they turn 5.
SUMMER-BORN
Born April to August
Children born 1 April to 31 August do not need to start until the September after they turn 5. Parents decide whether they start at 4.
How to ask
RECEPTION
Don't skip reception by accident
Start at 5 without a request and a child goes straight into year 1. Ask for reception when you apply if that is what you want.
See the numbers
FOUR STEPS FOR SUMMER-BORN FAMILIES
Decide early,
apply on time.
The timings below come from DfE advice for parents. Most of the deciding happens the autumn after a child turns 3.
Talk to the people who know your child
Nursery staff, the reception teacher and any specialists can help you judge readiness.
Apply on time anyway
Apply for a place as normal: applications open in September and close on 15 January.
Ask for reception at the same time
Send a request for admission out of the normal age group to the school's admission authority with your application.
Or start part time
If your child starts at 4, you can agree part-time attendance or a deferred start until no later than the summer term.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Few delay,
most are agreed.
From the Department for Education's 2025 survey
of local authorities and parents.
95%
Parents' delay requests agreed by councils
Local authorities agreed the vast majority of requests to delay a summer-born child's admission in 2025. 31% now have a policy of agreeing to all such requests, up from 9% in 2018.
REQUESTS AGREED · DFE 2025
1.6%
Share of the summer-born intake admitted a year later
School census data for 2024/25 shows pupils admitted out of their year group remain a very small share of summer-born children. Just over half of delay requests (52%) were for August-born children.
OUT OF YEAR GROUP · DFE 2025
In the same survey, 47% of parents gave 'my child is not ready' as the main reason for asking, and 26% gave a medical condition or developmental delay.
A QUICK BIRTH-MONTH CHECK
When could
they start?
Pick a birth month to see roughly how old a child is at the usual September start, and when full-time education becomes compulsory. The bar shows how young they are compared with the rest of the year group.
Worked from GOV.UK rules for England. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules. General information, not legal or admissions advice.
BORN EARLY
When a due date
fell in another year.
A child born before 37 weeks may land in a different school year from the one their due date suggested. DfE advice says admission authorities should take account of the year the child would have been in if born at full term.
Funded childcare continues until a child starts school or reaches compulsory school age, even if their admission is delayed by a year. Children with an EHC plan follow a separate route through the local authority.
In conversation
Questions people ask
When does my child have to start school in England?
Full-time education is compulsory from compulsory school age: 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following the fifth birthday, whichever comes first. Most children start reception earlier, in the September after they turn 4.
What counts as summer-born?
Children born from 1 April to 31 August. They do not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday.
If we wait a year, will my child miss reception?
They will go into year 1 unless you ask the admission authority for admission out of the normal age group. Make that request at the same time as your normal application.
Will the council agree to a delayed start?
The admission authority decides in the child's best interests. In the DfE's 2025 survey, local authorities agreed 95% of parents' requests to delay a summer-born child's admission.
Can my child start school part time?
Yes. If a summer-born child starts at 4, you can agree with the school a pattern of part-time attendance or a deferred start, but not later than the beginning of the summer term.
Sources
Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.