When should a child apply for Reception and start school in England?

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Children in England normally start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. Applications are made earlier, when the child is still three or has recently turned four. A school starting age used in another country does not determine the English admissions round. GOV.UK: school starting age ↗.

Identify the correct intake

Write down your child's date of birth and the September in which they are expected to start. For example, a child turning four in June 2027 would normally enter Reception in September 2027. Check that your council's application form covers that intake and year group.

Primary applications open in September and close on 15 January before the school year begins. Offers normally arrive on 16 April, or the next working day if that is a weekend or bank holiday. Apply through the council where you live, including for schools in another borough. Attending a linked nursery does not replace an application. GOV.UK: how to apply ↗.

Understand compulsory school age

Compulsory school age is reached on the first 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following a child's fifth birthday; a birthday on one of those dates counts that day. Full-time education is required from the following term. Before that point, discuss part-time attendance or a later start within the same school year with the school. GOV.UK: compulsory school age ↗.

Ask how settling-in sessions work, when full-time attendance would begin and how the offered place will be retained. Do not simply miss the start of the year without agreeing arrangements.

Consider the options for summer-born children

Children born from April to August can start in the September after turning five. Starting in Reception then requires the admission authority's separate agreement to admission outside the normal age group. Without that agreement, the normal year group is Year 1. Usually submit both the ordinary application and the age-group request during the normal application round. DfE: summer-born children ↗.

Obtain decisions in writing

Contact the admission authority for every school you are considering. Explain why the proposed arrangement is in your child's interests and include relevant information you already have from nursery or professionals. You are not expected to commission fresh evidence solely for this request. Agreement to the age group does not guarantee a place: a new application will be needed for the following intake. Discuss any EHCP arrangements with the council. DfE: making a request ↗.

Keep application receipts and written decisions. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate admissions systems. Checked on 7 October 2026.