Overview

• Southampton City Council denied 13 of 23 requests to delay reception entry for summer-born children in the 2022–23 cycle, one of the highest refusal rates among English local authorities.
• Freedom of Information data show some councils approved every deferred start request over three years while others rejected more than half, exposing an “unfair postcode lottery.”
• The Department for Education’s 2023 guidance states refusals should be rare because delayed entry is “rarely in a child’s best interests,” but it does not impose binding criteria.
• Councillor Amanda Barnes-Andrews said the council follows the DfE’s individual review process, assessing each child’s emotional and physical readiness before deciding on deferral.
• Campaigners and parents, backed by The Summer Born Campaign, are calling for admissions‐code reform to establish a statutory right for summer-born pupils to begin Reception at age five.