Summer born children placed out of cohort in primary school

If you wish your child to remain outside of their age group when they transfer to secondary school, you will need to apply once again for an outside normal year group place. It is possible that a new admissions authority will decide that it is in your child’s best interests to return to their normal year group and so your child would miss a school year.

Admission authorities must consider these requests in the same way as the original request but must also take into account the fact the child has been educated in a different year group up until this point.

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. All decisions should be made taking the circumstances of the case into account and considering all of the child’s needs, including their social and emotional needs.

You should make this request alongside an application for a school place and should do so when your child’s normal year group are making applications for a school place.

This means that a summer born child that started in reception a year later than is usual, would apply for a secondary school place and for an out of year group place when they are in Year 5 rather than Year 6.

You should complete both:

• an online application for a place in Year 7; and
• the form Application for a Lancashire secondary school place for children placed out of cohort in primary school (DOCX 138KB)

Home to school transport

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide free home to school transport to eligible children.

To be eligible, a child must be of compulsory school age. If your child is eligible for free home to school transport, they will cease to be eligible for it when they cease being of compulsory school age even if they have not yet finished their GCSEs.