Information for Parents/Carers

Find out more about part-time and full-time education for your child in the Reception Year 2025/2026

As your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021, or your request for a delayed admission has been agreed, they have been offered a full-time school place to start from the first day of the autumn term in September 2025 in the Reception Year class.

If your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 and you do not wish to take up a full-time school place in September 2025 you have some alternative choices. The school your child has been offered a place at will send you a form to complete to indicate your decision.

The choices are:

  • Decide which term you would like your child to start full-time or part-time in the Reception Year class at school.
  • The part-time option is only available until your child reaches Compulsory School Age (CSA), which is the beginning of the term after your child’s fifth birthday. At this stage your child must take up a full-time school place.
  • Once your child has started to attend a Reception Year class at a state school, funded early education is no longer available in the private, voluntary, and/or independent sector. They can access either full or part-time education in the school they are attending but would not be funded to continue to attend early years’ provision on a part-time basis.

Your child’s date of birth is
between … 

 Autumn Term, starting September Spring Term, starting January  Summer Term, starting April
1 April 2020 – 31 August 2020 and your request for a delayed admission has been agreed Your child will be of compulsory school age and must start full-time    
1 September 2020 –
31 December 2020		 Your child can start full-time or part-time* Your child will be of compulsory school age and must start full-time  
1 January 2021 –
31 March 2021		 Your child can start full-time or part-time* Your child can start full-time or part-time*  Your child will be of compulsory school age and must start full-time
1 April 2021 –
31 August 2021		  Your child can start full-time or part-time* Your child can start full-time or part-time* Your child can start full-time or part-time*

*Please note that if you decide to take up a school place part-time any entitlement to school travel will change and you may be responsible for travel costs and arrangements to and from the school. For more information regarding this please contact the Passenger Transport Team on 0345 606 6173.

  • You can take up, or continue to access, a place in the private, voluntary, and/or independent sector and can arrange this by talking to your chosen provider of funded early education or to the Families Information Service (FIS) who will help you find local provision to suit your needs. The FIS can be contacted on 0345 60 800 33 or by emailing them at suffolkfis@suffolk.gov.uk.

Summer born children

For a child born between 1 April 2021 and 31 August 2021 (a summer born child) you could delay entry into school until September 2026. If this is your choice, it is important to understand that:

  • Your child would begin school in Year 1 in September 2026 rather than joining the Reception Year class.
  • Your initial offer of a Reception Year place at the school will be withdrawn and you must apply for a Year 1 place using the relevant application form (CAF2 or ADM1). For further information on which form to complete please visit the school places page.
  • There is no guarantee that a place in Year 1 will be offered to your child in your preferred school. When you apply for a place in Year 1 the year group might already be full, meaning that your application for a place is unsuccessful.

For more information regarding the options for summer born children including how to request a delayed admission to the Reception Year to start in September 2026, please contact the Admissions Team on 0345 600 0981.