Hackney Summer Born Children
The primary school application deadline has now passed (January 15th)
Are you and your child ready?
If so, great!
If not, did you know that compulsory school age is the term after a child's 5th birthday?
For summer born children (born between April 1 and August 31 2015), that's September 2020.
This means you can wait until next year if you think an age 4 school start isn't best for your child.
But to make sure your summer born child doesn't miss out on their critical Reception class year, you need to contact your preferred schools and check their admissions procedures. You can still do this after January 15th.
The official government guidance says that parents of summer born children have the right to ask for this later entry to Reception class if they believe it is in the best interests of their child.
That guidance is clear – you do not have to prove a special educational need or show a medical need for your child to enter Reception Class at age 5.
Not everybody knows this, and some schools and councils are better at following the government guidance than others. Hackney Learning Trust's (HLT) guidance misrepresents the national Department for Education's official Advice in several important ways. This is why we’re letting you know how to find out for yourself. .
For more info, visit summerbornchildren.org and request access to the 12,000 strong Summer Born Facebook group.
“I wish I'd known I had the choice of asking that my daughter could start school in Reception a year later”
Sophie from Homerton.
About Me
Welcome to my site. My name is Jules Kirby. I work for an environment charity and I'm the proud father of two summer born girls.
Three years ago, my partner and I were worried that our older daughter would not be ready for school when the usual time came. She had really struggled with nursery. Then we discovered the Summer Born Campaign and learned that we had the right to request later entry to Reception for our child.
Hackney Learning Trust (HLT) agreed and she has thrived as a result.
However, when it came to making the same request for our second child – she’s struggled even more with nursery – our application was turned down, along with those of more than a dozen other parents across the borough.
All the parents rallied together to challenge the decision and we won after HLT conducted an external review.
Our experience and the inspirational Summer Born Campaign persuaded me to continue fighting to ensure parents across Hackney know their rights and don’t have to go through the same battles we did.
Contact Hackney Summer Born Children
