Placing pupils in older or younger year groups

Know what you need to consider when deciding whether to place pupils ahead or behind their year group ('front yearing' or 'back yearing').

Last reviewed on 7 July 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 2095
Contents
  1. How to deal with requests to enrol a child into an older or younger year
  2. Pupils with SEN 
  3. How to move enrolled pupils from one year group to another
  4. How to move pupils to a school with a different age range 
  5. Be aware of the effects 

How to deal with requests to enrol a child into an older or younger year

Parents have a right to request to place their child into a different year, both before enrolment or after. They may want to do this if their child:

  • Is gifted and talented 
  • Has missed school due to illness 
  • Has special educational needs (SEN) (see below) 
  • Was born in the summer, either:
    • Prematurely (with a September due date) 
    • Close enough to September that their parent(s) would rather they start school after their fifth birthday

Know the role and responsibilities of your admission authority  

Officially, it's your admission authority that makes these decisions, but in reality the final decision will often rest with the headteacher. Be clear on who your admission authority is (see page 6 of the admissions code), and what its policies and procedures are.

Make the process clear in their admission arrangements   Make decisions