 When your children are between the ages of 5-16, they have the right to a place in school. You have the right to say which school you would like your child to attend, regardless of the school’s location. Nevertheless, your right to express a preference does not guarantee you a place at the school if it is oversubscribed. By law, your local education authority (LEA) must propose your child a school place. But you have the right to appeal to an independent panel if your child is not provided with a place at your preferred school.
Keep in mind that you must first apply to a school. Even if your child is at a nursery linked to an infant school, or an infant school linked to a junior school, you will still need to apply to move them on to the next stage. You must not suppose your child will automatically get a place at a particular school.
Primary education includes infants from 4 - 7 years, juniors from 7 – 11 years and primary which is both i.e. 4 to 11 years. You may find that your local school is any of these. Your child reaches the compulsory school age at the beginning of term after their 5th birthday. Parents have also the right to educate their child at home. Home schooling is a long established legal right, currently experienced by around 90,000 (1.0%). Some areas have Middle Schools, which offer schooling for children aged 9-13.
The school makes the decision when 4 year olds will be admitted and reviews it annually. You will need to contact the Head teacher to get to know when exactly your child can be admitted. Legally you can keep your child out of school until the term after they are 5, so you are therefore not obliged to accept the offer of early entry. Nevertheless, the place may be proposed to another child. Some schools operate September only entry so you will need to check this as well.
Sessions in reception classes of schools count towards Early Years Grant, so if your child attends preschool in the morning and reception classes at school in the afternoon - you will have to pay for the preschool sessions, as the reception class is considered your free early years education.
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