TWINS born in the summer can start school one year later than they usually would, after a parents lengthy battle with the council’s admissions team. 

A mother asked Wokingham Borough Council if her twins could start school in reception at age five, rather than age four, when she applied for their places in January 2019. 

At first, the council refused. But after the mother complained to the local government ombudsman, the schools admissions team reversed their decision and apologised to her.

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The ombudsman recently published the details of what happened, calling the mother Mrs X. 

The ombudsman said: “The [admissions team] did not consider whether it would be in the children’s best interests to start school in reception or Year 1 in 2020.”

Instead, the council looked at whether the twins should start school in reception in 2019 or 2020. But this is the wrong test, according to the ombudsman. The admissions team also didn’t consider how starting school in Year 1 could impact the children.

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The mother received an apology from the council and £100 for her trouble. 

Councillor UllaKarin Clark, lead for children’s services, said: “As a result of similar outcomes previously reported, Wokingham Borough Council has been working with the ombudsman to improve our processes in line with their guidance, prior to any new School Admissions Code legislation, which will support out-of-academic year requests for summer born children.

“We can confirm that all the requests for this academic year have been revisited, with decisions overturned where appropriate. 

“A full apology has been sent to those families who experienced any uncertainty relating to the initial decision, but as far as the local authority is concerned all ongoing complaints through the ombudsman have now been settled. 

“While we cannot guarantee the outcome of the allocation for those applicants who submit an ‘out-of-year request’, we wish to reassure families of Wokingham Borough Council’s continued commitment to support the education of their children.”