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1503747

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to issue renewed guidance in relation to summer-born children; and if he will take steps to allow parents a greater degree of choice in deciding in what year a child should begin school.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Kim Leadbeater
uin	45409
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department continues to support the right of parents to decide whether to send their children, including summer-born children, to school before they reach compulsory school age.</p><p>The Department has taken several steps to improve the arrangements for parents of summer-born children requesting a delayed start in reception class. The guidance for admission authorities and advice for parents, published in September 2020, is helping to ensure that there is a shared understanding of the duties imposed by the School Admissions Code when responding to requests. The data reflects an improvement in practice, with almost 9 in 10 requests for delayed entry to reception now approved. Guidance can be accessed here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921255/Guidance_for_parents_September_2020.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921255/Guidance_for_parents_September_2020.pdf</a>.</p><p>My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School and College System, issued a statement for all admission authorities in July 2022 which made clear that it can seldom be in a child’s best interests to miss the essential early numeracy and literacy that takes place in the reception year. The statement can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission/statement-for-local-authorities-schools-and-admission-authorities-on-the-admission-of-summer-born-children-to-school-from-baroness-barran-parliamen" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission/statement-for-local-authorities-schools-and-admission-authorities-on-the-admission-of-summer-born-children-to-school-from-baroness-barran-parliamen</a>.</p><p>This statement, together with the published guidance for admission authorities and advice for parents, helps ensure both admission authorities and parents are clear on the options available and have the same expectations.</p><p>The Department will continue to communicate with admission authorities through guidance and messaging to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the child.</p> answering member constituency Stoke-on-Trent North answering member printed Jonathan Gullis question first answered 27/09/2022 15:41:52 answering member 4814 label Biography information for Jonathan Gullis
tabling member	4923 label Biography information for Kim Leadbeater

1454861

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of deferring school entry on children who were born in August.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	148176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>Most children start school in the September following their 4<sup>th</sup> birthday. The department has not made an assessment of the effect of deferring school entry on children who were born in August.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020 the department published guidance for local authorities and advice for parents on delaying entry to school for summer born children. This includes guidance on transition to secondary school for children who delayed their start at school. The guidance helps admission authorities to understand the framework within which they must operate when responding to parental requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. Survey data shows that almost 9 in 10 requests were approved in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Any change allowing the parents of summer born children the automatic right to delay their child’s entry to reception, and for the child to remain with that cohort throughout their education, would require primary legislation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 148177 148178 148179 148180 question first answered 31/03/2022 14:26:31 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1455045

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to introduce legislative proposals to clarify the guidance to local authorities on when parents apply to defer their child’s entry to school.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	148178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>Most children start school in the September following their 4<sup>th</sup> birthday. The department has not made an assessment of the effect of deferring school entry on children who were born in August.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020 the department published guidance for local authorities and advice for parents on delaying entry to school for summer born children. This includes guidance on transition to secondary school for children who delayed their start at school. The guidance helps admission authorities to understand the framework within which they must operate when responding to parental requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. Survey data shows that almost 9 in 10 requests were approved in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Any change allowing the parents of summer born children the automatic right to delay their child’s entry to reception, and for the child to remain with that cohort throughout their education, would require primary legislation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 148176 148177 148179 148180 question first answered 31/03/2022 14:26:31 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1455046

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department takes to ensure that local authorities have a consistent and common approach to dealing with applications from parents to defer their child’s entry to school.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	148179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>Most children start school in the September following their 4<sup>th</sup> birthday. The department has not made an assessment of the effect of deferring school entry on children who were born in August.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020 the department published guidance for local authorities and advice for parents on delaying entry to school for summer born children. This includes guidance on transition to secondary school for children who delayed their start at school. The guidance helps admission authorities to understand the framework within which they must operate when responding to parental requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. Survey data shows that almost 9 in 10 requests were approved in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Any change allowing the parents of summer born children the automatic right to delay their child’s entry to reception, and for the child to remain with that cohort throughout their education, would require primary legislation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 148176 148177 148178 148180 question first answered 31/03/2022 14:26:32 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1455047

registered interest
date	28/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the guidance to local authorities on how to process applications from parents to defer their child’s entry to school.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	148180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>Most children start school in the September following their 4<sup>th</sup> birthday. The department has not made an assessment of the effect of deferring school entry on children who were born in August.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020 the department published guidance for local authorities and advice for parents on delaying entry to school for summer born children. This includes guidance on transition to secondary school for children who delayed their start at school. The guidance helps admission authorities to understand the framework within which they must operate when responding to parental requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group. Admission authorities must make decisions based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. Survey data shows that almost 9 in 10 requests were approved in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Any change allowing the parents of summer born children the automatic right to delay their child’s entry to reception, and for the child to remain with that cohort throughout their education, would require primary legislation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 148176 148177 148178 148179 question first answered 31/03/2022 14:26:32 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1337253

registered interest
date	16/06/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the impact on children of different local authority policies on school age start dates; and what he plans he has to amend the school admissions code to enable summer-born children to start reception at age five where that is what their parents want.
tabling member constituency	North East Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Richard Fuller
uin	16825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2021 answer text <p>Local authorities do not set policies on school age start dates. Compulsory school age is the start of the term following a child’s fifth birthday. Admission authorities must provide for the admission of children in the September following their fourth birthday, but it is for parents to decide whether to send their child to school before compulsory school age.</p><p>For summer born children this means that they do not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday. It is then the decision of the admission authority whether to admit the child to Year 1 or, at the parents' request, to Reception.</p><p>In May, the Department published the results of our latest research surveys of local authorities and parents into the delayed admission of summer born children to school.</p><p>It remains our intention to legislate, when an opportunity becomes available, so that summer born children can automatically be admitted to a Reception class, where that is what their parents want, and remain with that cohort throughout their education.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 24/06/2021 16:43:47 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller

1310629

registered interest
date	20/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on amending the school admissions code to enable summer-born children to start reception at five years old.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool North and Cleveleys
tabling member printed	Paul Maynard
uin	184411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/04/2021 12:15:50 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard

1310807

registered interest
date	20/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and (2) the COVID-19 pandemic, on demand for primary school places.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL15123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>Between 2010 and 2020, the primary school population grew 17%. The latest national pupil projections show the primary population being projected to decrease steadily throughout the next period.</p><p>It is too early to know what impact the COVID-19 outbreak or the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) may have on demand for primary school places. National offer day for primary school entry in September 2021 was on 16 April 2021 and application preference data is currently being collected from schools and local authorities for publication in June 2021. This will be the first application data collected following the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>The School Capacity Survey 2021 will take place later in the year. This will ask local authorities for pupil forecasts for the next five years. This year, additional guidance has been provided to help local authorities take account of EU Exit and COVID-19 effects, such as migration. Our advisors work closely with local authorities using this data to address capacity shortfalls and surpluses in schools.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 28/04/2021 11:25:43 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1273988

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will extend the 15 January 2021 deadline for primary school place applications in response to the disruption resulting from the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	134183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>We have no plans to extend the deadline of 15 January for primary school applications.</p><p>Applications for school places are made online or by post. The restrictions on attendance at schools do not prevent parents from submitting applications for school places.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 11/01/2021 17:51:39 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1251432

registered interest
date	12/11/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to support primary schools in enabling the parents of prospective students to attend open days before the primary school admissions deadline in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Bexleyheath and Crayford
tabling member printed	Sir David Evennett
uin	114783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities are required, through the School Admissions Code and the School Information (England) Regulations 2008, to provide parents with information about all schools in their area ahead of application deadlines, through publishing a composite prospectus.</p><p>Traditionally, schools have also held open events and arranged visits for prospective parents in the autumn term. This year, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, schools have also had to consider how to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus.</p><p>On 2 July 2020, the Department published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. This guidance can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>.</p><p>This sets out a framework for school leaders to put in place a range of proportionate protective measures for children, staff and visitors. In addition, under the current national restrictions only certain kinds of gatherings are allowed, including gatherings that are reasonably necessary for the purposes of education or training. As a result, face to face open events and visits are unlikely to be possible and schools are considering alternatives. The national restrictions guidance can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november</a>.</p><p>The provision of information to parents remains an important part of enabling them to make an informed choice about the schools they wish their children to attend. The Department recognises that many schools have worked creatively to do this, for example, by making videos or holding virtual events. If a school does decide to hold a face to face event, it is essential that a risk assessment is carried out and appropriate control measures are put in place, in line with the guidance and the law.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/11/2020 15:31:49 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1198 label Biography information for Sir David Evennett