Stefan Richter
stefan@muchosmedia.com

First of all I have set up Google Group so we can all stay in touch. Maybe this website (parents out loud) would be interested in promoting it?
You can sign up to the mailing list at
and once subscribed send your messages to
mailto:schoolstart@googlegroups.com schoolstart@googlegroups.com

We have the head teacher on our side in regards to our daughter (born August 2009) and our plans to send her a year ‘later’ as they call it, but we want her to start in reception.

However the Local Authority has now started to push back a bit. The usual scare tactics. We’re not having it and will take it all the way if need be. I’ll be setting up a meeting in around September with the admissions folks and will attend with the headmaster who is supportive of our position.

Again let me make this clear: you are perfectly within your right to send your child not a single day before he or she is of compulsory school age. That is the start of the term *after* the child turns 5. For summer born children this happens to be the start of the *next* school year, in September.

Now, why to Local Authorities believe they can or need to admit such a child (if that’s when you send him) into year 1? I do not know and it makes no sense. But not only that, I’m not even sure if it is legal. I’ve found no provision in law for this, nor has anyone provided me with one and I have asked in a lot of place. If need be I will spend some money on legal advice.
My feeling: the LA will back down before we can take this further as a legal call on this could open the floodgates for all the concerned parents here… Surely common sense can not be allowed to prevail, right?

You can also email me at stefan.richter@gmail.com mailto:stefan.richter@gmail.com

Let’s make some noise!