Admission out of the normal year group

It is usually in a child’s best interest to be admitted into their normal age group. Teachers understand that children develop at different rates. They understand that some children need more help than others. They are trained to adjust their teaching to meet each child's needs.

Headteachers decide how to educate the children in their school. Sometimes, this may mean moving a child to a different year group, but only when there are strong educational reasons to do so.

If a child is not already attending a school, parents can request that their child be admitted outside of their normal age group. This could be, for example, because their child is gifted and talented or they may have experienced problems such as ill health.

Things to consider before making a request

If your child is admitted out of their normal age group, there are things to be aware of throughout their time in education. 

Make sure you consider the following before making a request:

1. The headteacher can return the child to their normal age group if they conclude there are strong educational reasons to do so.
2. If you want your child to remain out of their normal age group when they transfer to a new school, you will need to submit another request for admission out of normal age group. For example, if you wish to change schools or when they transfer to secondary school. 
3. If you apply to a selective school, you will need to make your request at a different time than the other children of their age. Entry tests happen early in year 6. If your child is being taught a year below their normal year group, you will need to make your request before your child reaches the end of year 4. At this point, other children their age will be in year 5 and registering for the entry test.
4. Your child will take assessments, such as national curriculum tests and GCSEs, at the same time as the children they are being taught with.
5. Children are usually assessed when they reach the appropriate point in their education, not when they reach a particular age. The exception is the phonics screening check, which should be taken in the year your child turns 6, but only if they have completed the year 1 programme of study.
6. Children reach school leaving age on the last Friday of June in the school year they turn 16. If your child is being taught a year below their normal age group, they will reach school leaving age at the end of year 10, rather than year 11. The school will not ask them to leave, but they will no longer be required by law to attend school and the school may not be able to enforce their attendance. This would also mean they could miss taking their GCSEs at the end of year 11.
7. If your child finishes year 11 in the school year that they turn 15, they will still have to attend school until they reach their school leaving age. 
8. Local authorities must arrange free home to school travel for certain children of compulsory school age. If your child is being taught a year below their normal year group and they get free travel, this may stop when they reach the end of year 10.

Transfer to other schools

There is no automatic transfer for your child to be taught out of their normal group. 

Even if it has previously been agreed, or they have previously been taught out of year, you will still need to make the request again if your child needs to transfer to another school.

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

• from an infant to a junior school
• from a primary to secondary school
• from a lower to a middle school
• from a middle to an upper school

You should make this request alongside an application for a school place. 

For phase transfers, the request and the school application must be submitted before the national closing date on the relevant year. For example, if your child reaches the normal year to transfer to secondary school when then are attending year 5, this is when the request and application have to be submitted. They must be submitted by the national closing date for applications to transfer to secondary school.

How to request admission out of the normal age group

The process below applies to Bracknell Forest schools only. 

For schools outside Bracknell Forest, you must contact the admissions authority directly to ask them to consider your request. Should the request be for a year group where you are required to apply for a school place through your home local authority, you will be required to submit proof of agreement alongside your application to Bracknell Forest.

It is important you request admission out of the normal age group from more than one school. This is in case your preferred school does not agree to your request or is unable to offer your child a place. 

You can support your request with information from professionals involved in your child’s care or treatment, such as:

• a speech and language therapist
• an occupational therapist
• a social worker
• a paediatrician
• your child’s nursery or childminder

You are not expected to get evidence you do not already have.

Fill in our online form to make your request.

Request admission out of the normal year group

How your request is processed

We will send your request form and supporting documents to the schools you listed. We will collate the headteachers' views and ask any other relevant admission authority to consider your request. 

Admission authorities must make this decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the child's best interest. 

They will consider:

• the views of the parent
• information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development
• information about the child’s medical history and the views of a medical professional, where relevant
• whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group
• whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely

They will also take into account the views of the headteacher of the school concerned.

Once a response has been received from all relevant parties, you will be contacted with the outcome to your request. 

A request for admission out of the normal age group is separate from an application for a school place. An admission authority needs to make a decision about the age group to which a child should be admitted before it can decide whether a place can be offered in that age group. 

To get a school place, a parent must submit a school application.

If your request is agreed by your preferred schools but none of these schools have available places for your child and your child requires a school place, then your child may be offered a place for their normal year group. 

If your request is refused, and your child requires a school place, they will be offered a place for their normal year group. 

As the requests must be sent to schools, we are unable to process requests over the course of term breaks. You will be need to wait until the school returns for your request to be processed.