If you live in England or Wales and your child is due to start primary school in the autumn term of 2024, you will need to apply for a school place before 15th January 2024. 

If you are in Northern Ireland or Scotland, different rules apply. You can find the application process on their websites:

Northern Ireland: Applying for a Primary 1 Place | Education Authority Northern Ireland (eani.org.uk)

Scotland: Choosing a school for your child – mygov.scot

In the UK, most children start primary school when they are 4 years old. They start in Reception, the year before Year 1 of primary school, similar to K3 in Hong Kong. To apply for a primary school place, parents must apply a year before they are due to start (when they are 3 or 4). However, school isn’t compulsory until they reach compulsory school age. This is the 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following their fifth birthday. When they reach compulsory school age, they must start school full-time the following term and they will be in Year 1.

For example, if your child’s birthday is 1st April 2019, they do not have to start school until Year 1 in September 2024.

If your child’s birthday is on 20th March 2019, they do not have to start Reception until the summer term of 2024.

Many parents choose for their child to start school in Reception before they turn 5.

How do I apply?

You must apply through your local council. You can complete an application form or apply online by visiting your local council’s website. You can find their website by typing your post code here: Apply for a primary school place – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You can choose whether your child starts part time, part way through the academic year or at the start of the next school year in September after they turn 5 (known as deferred entry).

Delaying your child’s school start date until they turn 5 (compulsory school age) may be beneficial if your child is struggling with English or is not mature enough to start school. If you choose to do this, you must still apply following the process above.

It is important to apply before the application deadline on 15th January or your application will not be considered until offers have been made. The council will send out offers for a primary school place on 16th April (or the next working day). The letter will state the deadline for you to accept the offer. You should remember to accept the offer as the school place may be given to someone else. 

To find out more about schools in the UK, and what they are like, view our Welcome Pack which gives you all the information you need to know. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss arranging English classes to prep your child for primary school, get in touch. We have experience teaching Hong Kong kindergarten students online and can find a bilingual tutor that can put your child at ease.

申請小學入學名額

如果你居住在英格蘭或威爾士，而你的孩子將於 2024 年秋季學期開始上小學，那麼你需要在 2024 年 1 月 15 日之前申請入學名額。

如果你居住在北愛爾蘭或蘇格蘭，則適用不同的規則。你可以在他們的網站上找到申請流程：

北愛爾蘭: Applying for a Primary 1 Place | Education Authority Northern Ireland (eani.org.uk)

蘇格蘭: Choosing a school for your child – mygov.scot

在英國，大多數孩子會在 4 歲時開始上小學。他們從reception（小學一年級的前一年）開始，類似香港的 K3。要申請小學入學名額，家長必須在孩子開學前一年（3 歲或 4 歲時）提出申請。然而，在小孩達到義務教育年齡之前，他們不需要強制上學。 直至他們五歲生日後的 12 月 31 日、3 月 31 日或 8 月 31 日（先到者為準）。 當他們達到義務教育年齡時，他們必須在下學期開始就讀全日制學校，並準備進入一年級。

舉例：如果你孩子的出生日期是 2019 年 4 月 1 日，他們將於 2024 年 8 月/9 月開始一年級。

如果你孩子的出生日期是 2019 年 3 月 20 日，他們將在 2024 年夏季學期開始一年級。

如何申請？

你必須經由當地政府申請。你可以填寫申請表格或於當地政府網站提交線上申請。你可以通過輸入郵遞區號，找到他們的網站：申請小學入學名額 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

你可以選擇你的孩子是否開始非全日制學習、學年中途入學或在 5 歲後的下一學年（9月）時開始學習（即延遲入學）。

如果你的孩子在英語方面有困難或還未夠成熟，暫時無法應付上學，那麼將你孩子的入學日期推遲到 5 歲（義務教育年齡）可能會有所幫助。但即使你選擇這樣做，你仍然必須按照上述流程進行申請。

請務必在 1 月 15 日申請截止日期之前提出申請，否則在收到錄取通知之前，你的申請將不會被考慮。地方政府將於 4 月 16 日（或下一個工作日）發出小學入學通知書。該信函上將寫明你接受錄取通知的截止日期。你應該提醒自己需在截止日期前接受該錄取通知書，否則該學校名額可能會轉給其他人。

要了解更多有關英國學校及其概況的資訊，請查看我們的迎新禮包 [連結]，其中包含你需要了解的所有資訊。如果你想安排英語課程，為你孩子上小學做準備，請與我們聯繫。我們擁有線上教學香港幼兒園學生的豐富經驗，可以為你孩子安排讓他安心學習的雙語導師。