Many parents will be preparing to send their kids off to school for the first time this September - but a little-known rule means that your child does not legally have to start full-time education at the usual time.
Most children start school full-time in the September after their fourth birthday, meaning that they will turn five during their first school year. For example, if your child has turned four between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, they will typically start reception in September 2022.
But if parents don’t think that their child is ready to start school at that age, the gov.uk website explains that they can legally start later. Children can start school part-way through the school year, or the following year in the September after they turn five, the Liverpool Echo reports .
