article_snippet: Children born in the summer should be allowed to start school later in the year if Children born in the summer struggle with lessons, an education minister has admitted.
article_snippet: Summer-born children can wait until the September after Summer-born children fifth birthday if Summer-born children parents feel their parents need more time to develop.
article_snippet: no rule stating that a child has to be in the right school cohort for their age group was introduced after research showed they were more likely to struggle at school, do worse in exams and have less chance of getting into university.
article_snippet: But some councils are still sending youngsters straight into Year 1 if some councils parents hold some councils back unless some councils can prove there were 'exceptional' circumstances.
article_snippet: Department for Education guidance allows parents to delay parents child's schooling until the September after parents fifth birthday.
article_snippet: This policy, updated last spring, is designed to help children with birthdays between April 1 and August 31.
article_snippet: This is because because experts believe experts are more likely to struggle academically if experts start school after just turning four.
article_snippet: Department for Education guidance says: ‘An increasing number of cases have come to the attention of the department and ministers in which parents, local authorities and admissions authorities have struggled to agree on the year group in which it is most appropriate for a summer-born child to start school. '
article_snippet: But some campaigners say years of unclear and conflicting government advice on the policy has allowed schools and councils to use a loophole to push these children into Year 1 to ease pressure on places in reception.
article_snippet: ‘You will need to apply for a place in Year 1.
article_snippet: However, the school may then be full because the places have been allocated to children in the previous school year.
article_snippet: her daughter added: 'If a child is very immature for their age and their are born in those summer months, and it's the very strongly held view of the parents that the child should start school in the following September, which is when the law says the parents should start, I think admissions authorities should be flexible and should do what's in the best interests of the childthe child.'
article_snippet: But Michelle Melson, of the Summer Born Campaign, claimed that problems in arranging different school start times have worsened .
article_snippet: She added that summer-born babies who do start school after they are five are starting at compulsory starting age and should not miss out on reception by being placed straight into Year 1. '
article_snippet: Parents are being forced to enrol Parents child in school early, prior to compulsory school age, in order to have a reasonable chance of getting a place in Parents preferred schools.'
highlights_snippet: Official Whitehall guidance insists youngest pupils can start a year later .
  
highlights_snippet: 250,000 children may be forced to miss a year of schooling by rules .