quick grammar school question

[dingit]

My niece who currently is at private school was held back a year ( for reasons I won't go into), so she's in year 10 but should be in year 11.
She's a clever girl and will be looking at grammars. Will it be a problem that she will be a year older than the year 12 intake should be?

I would imagine it will be very difficult to gain admission to a grammar school 1 year down. Many grammar schools quote in their sixth form admission codes student must be under 17 on the 1st of August to be admitted regardless of academic achievement.

I have known of a student being in year 14 at grammar school a few years ago this was down to having a statement of needs, so they were allowed 3 years for sixth form. Sadly I think the changed funding of sixth form education makes even this unlikely now. I therefore think admission from another school to sixth form grammar school one year later unlikely !.

Having had a quick look, I don't think my two local grammars say anything about age in their 6th form admissions guidelines. All you can do is find out about the schools her parents would be looking at.

My sons grammar school does have a couple of pupils that I am aware of (in the wrong year) but these both started in the correct year group and repeated a year for serious health reasons. It will depend on the individual school, what her reasons are for being in the year below and how much the school wants her!

Without giving too much away, they had a major change of family circumstance, moved away, and the private school they chose only had a space in the year below, and as she is a summer baby, it made sense.
I assume a college would accept her.

There were 2 people who joined ds's year 12 who had had a year doing something else (performing arts college) after (very good) GCSEs at another school. One is Oxbridge. Plenty repeating year 12 as well so I don't see that age could be an issue.