Deferring reception entry in faith schools/academies

[brilliotic]

These are theoretical questions but have long bothered me.

So if we wanted to send our summer born child to a faith school / academy (A) that is its own admissions authority, and wanted to defer reception entry by a year.
I understand we would have to apply in the regular non-deferred admissions round, and would have to get the admission authority - so in this case the faith school itself, head and governing board - to agree to the deferral.

So here is the first question:

• At what point does this agreement need to be sought/given? Before applying? After applying/after 15th Jan, but before offer day? After being offered a place?

Assuming we get permission to defer from our desired school A, and get offered a place at this school too. I understand we would then have to re-apply for a place in the next year's admissions round.

So next questions:

• What happens if we then do not get offered a place at this school A? Instead we are offered a place at another school B, that does not agree to the deferral. Would our child then have to go into Y1 at school B?

• What about waiting lists? Could our child remain on the waiting list for reception at school A, (or potentially another school that does agree with the deferral) whilst starting in Y1 at school B?!

What if we home schooled rather than going into Y1 at school B, and stayed on waiting lists for schools that agreed with the deferral. Would we be on YR waiting lists?

It just seems like a huge risk to take. The child that you thought would be best served by deferring reception entry by a year ends up having to go into Y1 having missed reception entirely.

There is no defined process, authorities differ, but this extract below summarise the Gov guidance as such on the issue. It suggests that you apply at normal time but simultaneously request deferral; that way if it is declined, you have a space in the normal year. It also refers to the fact that if successful you must apply again as normal the next year, as you say risking not getting the place you want - so suggesting requesting deferral at all preference schools.

"We therefore recommend that the process local authorities and admission authorities put in place:
 requires the parent to make an application for their child’s normal age group at the usual time, but enables them to submit a request for admission out of the normal age group at the same time

 ensures that the parent receives the response to their request before primary national offer day.

If their request is agreed, their application for the normal age group may be withdrawn before a place is offered. If their request is refused, the parent must decide whether to accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or to refuse it and make an in year application for admission to year one for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.
Where a parent’s request is agreed, they must make a new application as part of the main admissions round the following year.
One admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority on admission out of the normal age group. Parents, therefore, should consider whether to request admission out of the normal year group at all their preference schools, rather than just their first preference schools."

It all seems a bit mind blowing.

Ok thanks, so you should only really defer if there is at least one 'banker' school, a school you are nearly certain you will get a space at in the deferred admissions round, that has already agreed to the deferral.

Problem is of course that each of these schools might change their oversubscription criteria before the next admissions round happens. Or reduce their PAN. Or become very oversubscribed due to housing developments.

What would happen if a child was deferred, but then does not get a space in any of their e.g. 4 preferences (that have all agreed to deferral) (perhaps they were unrealistic preferences to start with, perhaps they changed admissions criteria, perhaps a new housing development was built next door to the school, ...). LA allocates a different school that has spaces... in Y1? In YR?

Also if the application for deferred entry is made at the same time as non-deferred admissions round application:

I do not know then if any/which of my four preferred schools will agree to the deferral. Perhaps I technically prefer schools ABCD but none of them agree to defer, whereas EFGH would have agreed, which would actually make me choose them over ABCD?

If you don't get any of your preferences after deferring it would be up to the LA what happened next. They can either look for a school with places in Reception that is willing to take your child rather than have an empty space, or they could look for a school with places in Y1. I suspect most would look for a Reception place first as that is what they would be geared up for with Reception applications but ultimately it is up to the LA.

And I'm afraid you are right that you have no idea when you apply which, if any, schools will agree to defer.

As a Governor who has participated in such a request, we went to great lengths (in writing, in parent/HT discussions) to emphasise that we could not bind any other school to our decision and nor could we guarantee a place would be available at our school if the parent applied in the following Yr R admissions round.

What happens next year will be a matter for the parent. I am not sure that a parent coming to Primary school admission for the first time really gets a clear picture of the practical risk of deferring Yr R.