By the Babbez team · UK Guide (England) · gov.uk rules checked October 2026
In England, the school starting age is 4: gov.uk says most children start reception full-time in September after their fourth birthday. By our arithmetic, a child born from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 usually starts in September 2027.
Key takeaways
- Compulsory school age: gov.uk says: “Your child must start full-time education once they reach compulsory school age. This is on 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following their fifth birthday - whichever comes first. If your child’s fifth birthday is on one of those dates then they reach compulsory school age on that date.”
- Applying: gov.uk says applications open in September each year and close on 15 January; applications open on different days in each local council area.
- Summer-born: children born from 1 April to 31 August do not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday, the Department for Education’s advice says; the advice does not apply to children with education, health and care (EHC) plans; if your child has one, ask your local council.
- Printable: our 2-page reception timeline (PDF).
Which September will my child start reception?
Find your child’s date of birth in the Start-Year Check: gov.uk says children born from 1 September in one year to 31 August the following year are normally educated together in one year group.
| Date of birth | Applications | Primary offers | Reception start | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022 | Open in September 2025 (day set by your council), close 15 January 2026 | 16 April 2026 (a Thursday) | Usually September 2026 | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 | Open in September 2026 (day set by your council), close 15 January 2027 | 16 April 2027 (a Friday) | Usually September 2027 | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024 | Open in September 2027 (day set by your council), close 15 January 2028 | 16 April 2028 (a Sunday, so the next working day applies) | Usually September 2028 | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 | Open in September 2028 (day set by your council), close 15 January 2029 | 16 April 2029 (a Monday) | Usually September 2029 | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
Councils send primary school offers on 16 April; if the date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, offers are sent the next working day, gov.uk says. Future rows assume the rules stay as gov.uk states them in October 2026.
What age is reception in England?
According to gov.uk’s How to apply page, “The school starting age is 4.” Its school starting age page says “Most children start reception full-time in September after their fourth birthday.” “For example, if your child turns 4 in June, they’ll usually start school in September that same year.”
England only: gov.uk says there are different rules if you live in Scotland or in Northern Ireland. Still in the toddler years? See what age is a toddler.
When must my child be in full-time education?
gov.uk actually gives a separate rule for compulsory school age: “Your child must start full-time education once they reach compulsory school age. This is on 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following their fifth birthday - whichever comes first. If your child’s fifth birthday is on one of those dates then they reach compulsory school age on that date.”
Below, the Birth-Month Map applies that rule, and the usual September start, to our year group of children born from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023, whose applications close on 15 January 2027.
| Born in | Fourth birthday | Reception start | Compulsory school age | Summer-born? | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2022 | September 2026 | Usually September 2027 | 31 December 2027 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| October 2022 | October 2026 | Usually September 2027 | 31 December 2027 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| November 2022 | November 2026 | Usually September 2027 | 31 December 2027 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| December 2022 | December 2026 | Usually September 2027 | 31 December 2027 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| January 2023 | January 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 March 2028 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| February 2023 | February 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 March 2028 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| Born in | Fourth birthday | Reception start | Compulsory school age | Summer-born? | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | March 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 March 2028 | No | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| April 2023 | April 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 August 2028 | Yes | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| May 2023 | May 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 August 2028 | Yes | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| June 2023 | June 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 August 2028 | Yes | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| July 2023 | July 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 August 2028 | Yes | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
| August 2023 | August 2027 | Usually September 2027 | 31 August 2028 | Yes | what gov.uk says + our arithmetic; check with your council |
“For example, if your child reaches compulsory school age on 31 March, they must start full-time education at the beginning of the next term (summer term that year).” gov.uk gives this example for that one date only.
We checked our tables in code for every birth date from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2025: the rows follow gov.uk’s year-group rule (born 1 September to 31 August), so a child born on 1 September is in the same row as the rest of September, and we compared each row with the September-after-the-fourth-birthday rule, read as the September after the birthday month.
When do I apply for a reception place?
Apply through your local council’s application process. gov.uk says: “You must apply for a primary school place a year before your child can start school.” So “Your child will be 3 or have just turned 4 when you apply.” gov.uk’s steps:
- You’ll be asked to list the schools you’re applying for in order of preference. “Listing only one school will not increase your chances of getting a place there.”
- “You must still apply for a place, even if the school is linked to your child’s current nursery, infant or primary school.”
- Apply before the deadline: gov.uk says primary applications “close on 15 January”.
- “You must accept the offer by the deadline given in the offer letter. Otherwise it may be withdrawn and the place given to someone else.”
Can my child start reception later or part time?
Under the heading “If you want your child to start later”, gov.uk says children “can start later”, but “they must be in full-time education by the time they reach ‘compulsory school age’”. They can start part time, part-way through the year, or “in the next school year, in the September after they turn 5”.
“You’ll still need to apply for a school place at the same time as everyone else. You can ask for a later start when you apply.”
If your child starts in the September after they turn 5, gov.uk says they will go into year 1: “Contact the local council or school if you want your child to start in reception instead. They do not have to agree.” This page doesn’t advise either way; ask your local council and the school.
What does gov.uk say about summer-born children?
The Department for Education’s advice for parents says: “Children born from 1 April to 31 August – known as summer-born children – do not need to start school until the September after their fifth birthday, a year after they could first have started school.”
The advice “does not apply to children with education, health and care (EHC) plans”: if that is your child, ask your local council.
The honest answer to “can we wait?” is in gov.uk’s own words, option by option (Department for Education advice, updated 27 April 2023). We don’t advise on whether to wait.
- Start at 4: “Most children start school in the September after they turn 4.” Ask: Your local council (the application).
- Start at 4, part time or later that school year: “If your summer-born child does start school aged 4 you can, if you wish, agree with the school a pattern of part time attendance or a deferred start until later in that school year (but not later than the beginning of the summer term) for your child.” Ask: The school.
- Start at 5, in year 1: “If you do not make a request for admission out of the normal age group your child will start school in year 1. You should consider the potential impact of missing the reception year.” It adds: “Some schools are likely to be full at this point and unable to offer you a place. Schools are unable to hold a place for your child from the previous year.” Ask: Your local council’s school admissions team (in-year application).
- Start at 5, in reception: “...you need to make a request to the school’s admission authority.” “The admission authority decides whether children who start school at compulsory school age should be admitted to reception or year 1. They must make this decision in the child’s best interests.” Ask: The school’s admission authority; ask your local council.
The advice states the government’s view: “The government believes it is usually not in a child’s best interests to miss the teaching that takes place during the reception year, and that it should be rare for a child to start school in year 1.”
It also says: “You decide whether your child will start school before compulsory school age - the admission authority cannot decide your child should start school aged 4.”
On timing, it says: “You should apply to your local authority for a school place as normal – as if your child were going to start school at age 4 – even if you think you want to delay their start until age 5. If you do not want your child to miss their reception year, you should submit a request for admission out of the normal age group to the school’s admission authority at the same time.”
That means deciding whether or not to request admission out of the normal age group “in the autumn following your child’s third birthday”.
Download the reception timeline (PDF)
Download our reception timeline (PDF)
Our printable has 2 A4 pages, one for children born 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 and one for children born 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024.
Each line is what gov.uk says, with our arithmetic for the dates, plus lines to fill in. Our printable fits A4 and US Letter printed at actual size; we checked the margins in code.
Starting nursery or preschool first? See how to make the first days easier and our preschooler guide.
Reception age: common questions
What age is reception class?
The school starting age is 4, gov.uk says, and most children start reception full-time in September after their fourth birthday.
When is the deadline for reception applications?
gov.uk says applications open in September each year and close on 15 January; applications open on different days in each local council area.
Can a summer-born child start reception at age five?
gov.uk says you need to make a request to the school’s admission authority, and the admission authority decides between reception and year 1, in the child’s best interests. Ask your local council.
Sources: gov.uk School admissions: School starting age; How to apply. Department for Education: Summer-born children starting school: advice for parents. All read October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Editorial standards. General information, not legal advice; for admissions, check with your local council. See our content disclaimer and medical disclaimer.