Educated out of cohort for transfer to secondary school

The change in legislation applies to summer-born children who started in reception a year later than usual. Find out more on the Department for Education website.

This means that for a child who has been educated out of their natural year group, you will need to request that your child continues to be educated ‘out of cohort’.

The request should include information detailing why a delayed admission is in your child’s best interests.

Lewisham Council will decide whether or not to agree to your request for delayed admission to Lewisham community schools.  For faith schools, free schools, foundation schools and academies and schools outside the borough, the decision is taken by the governing body for the schools and you must therefore contact them direct.

You must consider the implications of a delayed transfer. Headteachers of secondary schools are not required to continue to keep your child out of year group. This means they may later decide to educate your child in the correct year.

To request continuing to be educated out of cohort please use link below. For many children, it will be right for them to remain with their adopted year group but it is possible that others may be better off joining their normal year group.

Factors that will be taken into account when making a decision

When an out-of-year group request is received, a decision must be made based on the circumstances of the case and what is in the best interests of the child. The decision must also take account of the views of the headteacher of the school concerned. In each case, it is beneficial if the school has already had detailed discussions with the parent and any relevant professionals involved with the child.

Whilst there is no expectation for a parent to obtain professional evidence they do not already have, submitting all available evidence and information will assist the admission authority/headteacher in determining whether it would be in the child’s best interests to be educated out of their chronological year group.

The responsibility for addressing individual needs generally lies with the school through an appropriately differentiated/enriched curriculum. If this is problematic, schools are expected to seek support from the local authority.