Government's admissions policy is flawed, says summer born campaigner

Department for Education (DfE) guidance says admissions chiefs must make decisions on a case-by-case basis by taking into account whether “delayed social, emotional or physical development is adversely affecting children’s readiness for school”.

But Pauline Hull, co-founder of the Summer Born campaign group, which has more than 8,000 members, argues that many authorities and schools are misinterpreting the advice and children are being forced to start school early or miss a whole year of school.

She told The Yorkshire Post: “We continue to see councils and schools refusing entry into reception class at compulsory school age. We don’t think that is acting in the best interests of the children.

“We don’t think the DfE should have given them this ability to say no to these children.

“The DfE has never been able to provide a single circumstance in which it would be in the best interests of a child to miss their reception year, and yet it allows the postcode lottery to continue through its flawed and ambiguous code.

“We have a legal right as parents to wait until compulsory school age before commencing with the education of our children.”

Mrs Hull also quashed concerns that parents might get “two bites of the cherry”, which could see them apply for a place in the reception class at their preferred school when their child is four, then again when their child is five.

She said: “This could be simply avoided by administrative cut-offs. There is no reason for any council to be worried about two bites of the cherry.”

More than 1,000 parents are going through a complaints process with the Local Government Ombudsman over the issue, according to Mrs Hull.

Visit the Summer Born campaign group website here and join the Facebook group here.