Leeds Council to review school starts of August-born children after it 'failed to follow guidance'

Leeds City Council failed to follow guidance on summer-born admissions when deciding when an August-born girl could start school, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
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It follows a complaint made to the ombudsman, as the council made the decision to require the girl to start school in 2020, despite her mother’s pleas to start later, because she felt it was not in her best interests.

Leeds City Council has now been told to review all pending and recent decisions following requests from parents to delay the school start dates of August-born children.

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The council said it was disappointed that it wasn’t able to properly manage the family’s request, but called on the Government for clearer laws on when summer-born children can start school.

The council has agreed to review all pending and recent decisions in the last 12 months covering requests from parents of summer-born children for delayed startsThe council has agreed to review all pending and recent decisions in the last 12 months covering requests from parents of summer-born children for delayed starts
The council has agreed to review all pending and recent decisions in the last 12 months covering requests from parents of summer-born children for delayed starts

According to the ombudsman’s findings, a panel set up by Leeds City Council considered the mother’s application, but applied the wrong test.

It then decided it would not be in the girl’s best interests to start out of her chronological year group, that she should start reception in September 2020 and that if her mother declined she would need to apply for a year one place in 2021.

A statement from the ombudsman said the mother complained to the council and explained why she thought it had not made the right decision, but the council did not properly take into account her concerns.

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Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “The key point in this case is that the parent decides when their child starts school, and the council decides in which year group.

“Government guidance states admission authorities must make decisions based on a child’s individual needs and abilities and consider whether these can best be met by them starting school in reception or year one.

“They should also take account of the potential impact of being admitted into year one without first having completed the reception year. In this case, the council did not do this and so we have found fault with its decision-making process.

“I am pleased the council has accepted my recommendations to improve its decision making for other young children in the city.”

The girl has now been given her place in her chosen school.

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The council has agreed to review all pending and recent decisions in the last 12 months covering requests from parents of summer-born children for delayed entry to reception.

It will consider whether those decisions have been properly made, following the School Admissions Code and Government guidance, and remake any decisions that have not done so.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “This case has highlighted a struggle that parents with summer born children and local authorities face when navigating the current school admissions code.

"Six years ago the Government promised that parents of summer born children would be able to choose when their child starts school. The legislation has not been changed to reflect this, and the rules in the school admissions code still say that each decision must be made in the best interests of the child.

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“This complaint stems from the council making a decision in the best interests of the child, rather than the decision the government guidance calls for. In this case, the parent resubmitted their request the following year which we granted, before the Ombudsman reached their findings.”

“We want Leeds to be the best city for all children to grow up in, and we are very disappointed that we did not manage this family’s request as well as we should have done. We have reflected on our processes and made changes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”