Children born in the summer should be allowed to start school later in the year if they struggle with lessons , an education minister has admitted . Nick Gibb backed parents who have called for their children to delay entering classroom , telling councils and headteachers to do 'what 's in the best interests of the child ' . It follows warnings from campaigners that some local authorities made it difficult for families who want to put off joining reception classes , raising the prospect of 250,000 children having to start in Year 1 . Education minister Nick Gibb backed parents who have called for their children to delay entering classroom , telling councils and headteachers to do 'what 's in the best interests of the child ' The Department for Education issued guidance to schools and councils in July 2013 and last December making it clear that there is no rule stating that a child has to be in the right school cohort for their age group . Summer-born children can wait until the September after their fifth birthday if their parents feel they need more time to develop . And it suggests delaying the start of school by 12 months should be 'no barrier ' to the child then starting in reception class . The rule 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 . But some councils are still sending youngsters straight into Year 1 if their parents hold them back unless they can prove there were 'exceptional ' circumstances . In one high profile case , mother Rosie Dutton is fighting for her daughter to be allowed into reception class at school a year later after she decided to delay her education because she only turned four a few weeks before school started . Battle : Rosie Dutton , 30 , is demanding her daughter Olivia is allowed into reception class after she chose to exercise her right to hold her back a year because she would have started just after turning four . Department for Education guidance allows parents to delay their child 's schooling until the September after their fifth birthday . This policy , updated last spring , is designed to help children with birthdays between April 1 and August 31 . This is because because experts believe they are more likely to struggle academically if they start school after just turning four . The 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 . 'There are no statutory barriers to admitting a child of five to a reception class ' . 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 . Bracknell Forest Council says : ‘ If you choose for your child not to start until their statutory school age ... starting in a Reception class following a child ’ s fifth birthday is only possible in exceptional circumstances. ’ Reading Borough Council warns : ‘ You will need to apply for a place in Year 1 . ‘ However , the school may then be full because the places have been allocated to children in the previous school year. ’ Olivia Dutton , from Staffordshire , was due to start primary school last September , weeks after her fourth birthday , but her parents decided to exercise their right to delay the start of her school life by 12 months . Mrs Dutton believes her daughter was 'not ready for school ' , and is furious her local council is now considering sending her straight into Year 1 because she was held back . Now she is fighting to allow Olivia to start in the reception class , and will hear if she has been successful in April . Mr Gibb told MPs that there had to be 'flexibility ' from schools and councils when agreeing the start date for children who turn four just weeks before the start of the school year . Giving evidence to the education select committee , he said : 'The key thing is flexibility , and I think that admissions authorities and headteachers do need to do what 's in the best interests of the child . ' He added : 'If a child is very immature for their age and they 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 they should start , I think admissions authorities should be flexible and should do what 's in the best interests of the child . ' He stressed that councils mist include parents in discussions about when their children start school . But Michelle Melson , of the Summer Born Campaign , claimed that problems in arranging different school start times have worsened . She told the committee : 'We do have a compulsory school age in England , so children should be able to start at compulsory school age . ' 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 . 'Parents are being forced to enrol their child in school early , prior to compulsory school age , in order to have a reasonable chance of getting a place in their preferred schools . '
Nick Gibb says schools and councils must do the right thing for children . Official Whitehall guidance insists youngest pupils can start a year later later . Government says : 'No barriers to admitting child of five to reception class ' But councils have tried to say young children should start in Year 1 . 250,000 children may be forced to miss a year later of schooling by rules .