Summer born children – starting school

If your child is born between 1 April and 31 August they're classed as a "summer born" child.

Children usually start Reception class in the September after their 4th birthday.

However, if your child is summer born, you might feel they're not ready to start school.

Applying for a Reception place

If your child’s date of birth is between 1 April and 31 August 2022

You can apply for a place to start as usual in September 2026, after their 4th birthday.

Or you may decide to delay your application and apply next year, to start in September 2027, after your child’s 5th birthday.

Discuss this decision with your child’s current nursery or early years provider.

If your child’s date of birth is between 1 April and 31 August 2021

Your child will usually have started Reception in September 2025, after their 4th birthday.

However, if you decided to delay your application, make an application from November 2025 for a place to start in September 2026, after your child’s 5th birthday.

We won't accept applications from families who have already accepted a Reception place to start in the 2025-26 academic year.

All Hertfordshire community and voluntary controlled schools will accept delayed Reception applications for summer born children.

 

Schools outside Hertfordshire

If you're interested in applying for a place at a school outside of Hertfordshire, you must contact the relevant admission authority (school or council) to discuss whether your summer born application will be accepted.

 

Schools responsible for their own admissions

Many schools and academies are responsible for their own school admissions and this is their decision.

You'll need to contact the following Hertfordshire schools about whether they'll accept an application for your summer born child:

Schools responsible for their own admissions:

School Name School Town DfE Number
Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery Watford 9193981
All Saints C E (VA) Primary (Datchworth) Datchworth 9193329
All Saints C of E Primary and Nursery (Bishop's Stortford) Bishop's Stortford 9193393
Avanti Brook Primary School Bishop's Stortford 9192119
Avanti Meadows Primary School Bishop's Stortford 9192097
Bedmond Academy Abbots Langley 9192071
Bovingdon Primary Academy Bovingdon 9192003
Broadfield Academy Hemel Hempstead 9193991
Broxbourne CE Primary Broxbourne 9193344
Camps Hill Primary School Stevenage 9192235
Chambersbury Primary School Hemel Hempstead 9192210
Chipperfield St Paul's VA C of E Primary School Kings Langley 9193349
Christ Church (C of E) VA Primary & Nursery (Ware) Ware 9193394
Churchfield C of E Academy Cheshunt 9192063
Cockernhoe Endowed C of E Primary School Cockernhoe 9193358
Countess Anne School - A Church of England Academy Hatfield 9193406
Crabtree Junior School Harpenden 9192344
Cuffley School Cuffley 9195205
Flamstead End School (Cheshunt) Cheshunt 9192001
Garden City Academy Letchworth 9192029
Grove Road Primary School Tring 9192436
Hammond Academy Hemel Hempstead 9192337
Hertingfordbury Cowper C of E VA Primary School Hertingfordbury 9195203
Hertsmere Jewish Primary School Radlett 9192092
Holy Family RC Primary School Welwyn Garden City 9193404
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Waltham Cross 9193326
Hormead Church of England (VA) First & Nursery School  Buntingford 9193347
Jupiter Primary School Hemel Hempstead 9192042
King James Academy, Royston Royston 9194140
Knutsford Primary Academy Watford 9192130
Little Gaddesden C of E VA Primary School The Gaddesdens 9193352
Martins Wood Primary School Stevenage 9192113
Meryfield Primary School Borehamwood 9192156
Nash Mills C of E Primary School Hemel Hempstead 9193302
Northaw C of E Primary School Northaw 9195209
Northgate Primary School Bishop's Stortford 9192009
Norton St Nicholas C of E (VA) Primary School Letchworth 9193350
Oakleaf Primary School Hemel Hempstead 9192152
Oakview Primary School (Cheshunt) Cheshunt 9192138
Offley Endowed Primary School and Nursery Offley 9193357
Our Lady Catholic Primary (Hitchin) Hitchin 9193399
Our Lady Catholic Primary (Welwyn Garden City) Welwyn Garden City 9193382
Oxhey Wood Primary School South Oxhey 9192137
Parkside Community Primary School Borehamwood 9195202
Park Street Church of England Primary School and Nursery Park Street 9193364
Peartree Spring Primary School (Stevenage) Stevenage 9192198
Pope Paul Catholic Primary School Potters Bar 9193975
Roebuck Primary School and Nursery Stevenage 9192024
Roman Way Academy Royston 9192089
Round Diamond Primary School Stevenage 9192365
Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans 9194003
St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & Nursery St Albans 9193421
St Albert the Great Catholic Primary School Hemel Hempstead 9193391
St Andrew's C of E Primary and Nursery (Much Hadham) Much Hadham 9193353
St Andrew's C of E VA Primary School & Nursery (Hitchin) Hitchin 9193385
St Anthony's Catholic Primary School Watford 9193428
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Hoddesdon 9193345
St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School Watford 9195211
St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School Hemel Hempstead 9193386
St Dominic Catholic Primary School Harpenden 9193401
St Giles' C of E Primary School South Mymms 9195204
St Ippolyts C of E (Aided) Primary School St Ippolyts 9193348
St John The Baptist VA C of E Primary School Great Amwell 9193334
St John's Catholic Primary (Mill End) Rickmansworth 9193398
St John's CE VA Primary (Digswell) Welwyn 9193376
St John's Church of England Primary School (Watford) Watford 9192051
St Joseph's Catholic Primary (Bishop's Stortford) Bishop's Stortford 9193318
St Joseph's Catholic Primary (Waltham Cross) Waltham Cross 9193327
St Mary's Catholic Primary (Royston) Royston 9195200
St Mary's VA C of E Primary School (Northchurch) Berkhamsted 9193315
St Mary's Church of England VA Primary (North Mymms) North Mymms 9193976
St Mary's Church of England (VA) Primary School (Rickmansworth) Rickmansworth 9193359
St Michael's C of E VA Primary (Bishop's Stortford) Bishop's Stortford 9193319
St Michael's C of E VA Primary (St Albans) St Albans 9193363
St Michael's Woolmer Green VA C of E Primary School Woolmer Green 9193378
St Nicholas C of E VA Primary (Harpenden) Harpenden 9193336
St Nicholas C of E Primary School & Nursery (Stevenage) Stevenage 9193369
St Paul's C of E VA Primary & Nursery School (Hunton Bridge) Langleybury 9193301
St Paul's Catholic Primary School Cheshunt 9193423
St Peter's C of E VA Primary School Rickmansworth 9193360
St Rose's Catholic Infants' School and Nursery Hemel Hempstead 9193409
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Borehamwood 9193384
St Thomas More Catholic Primary (Letchworth) Letchworth 9193400
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School Puckeridge 9193367
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School Stevenage 9193977
Summercroft Primary School Bishop's Stortford 9193986
Tewin Cowper C of E VA Primary School Tewin 9193370
The Abbey C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School St Albans 9193361
The Grange Academy (Letchworth) Letchworth 9192068
The Grove Academy Watford 9192035
The Orchard Primary School Watford 9192115
Warren Dell Primary School South Oxhey 9192135
Watchlytes School Welwyn Garden City 9192118
Waterside Academy Welwyn Garden City 9192296
Wilbury Junior School Letchworth 9192067
Woodside Primary School Goffs Oak 9192401

 

If you delay applying for Reception...

  • Your summer born child will be allocated a place to start in Reception after their 5th birthday, as long as you apply during the normal Reception application round.
  • You won't get a reminder in the post to apply.
  • We'll treat your delayed application in exactly the same way as an application for a child who would normally start Reception in that year.
  • Your child is likely to remain in that year group and move through the school with those children in their class. However, future decisions about year group placement are a matter for the school.

Important information to consider - Transition to secondary school

If you are thinking about delaying your application and applying the following year instead for the Reception year group, please be aware that:

  • Not all secondary schools automatically accept applications for children who have been taught outside their chronological year group.
  • This may affect when your child’s secondary transfer application can be processed, depending on the schools you are likely to consider in the future.
  • Even if your child is in Year 5, you should apply for secondary school at the time they would normally be in Year 6, based on their date of birth.

If you have any questions or would like further advice, please contact: transfer.admissions@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Staying at nursery another year

If your summer born child is in nursery and you want to keep the place another year rather than moving onto a Reception class, you must let your nursery know before the end of spring term. That's before the Easter break.

If you don't let the nursery know, they may offer the place to another child.

Free early education

You can get 15 hours free early education for 38 weeks a year from when your child is 3 up until the compulsory school age of 5.

If you decide to delay your child starting school, they will still get these hours until the age of 5.