Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether every four-year-old in England is entitled to full-time education.

The procedures for admission to education of children below compulsory school age are described in the School Admissions Code. The code states that admission authorities must provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday.

However, parents can request that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the academic year or until the term in which the child reaches compulsory school age. Parents can also request that their child takes up the place part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

The Department for Education has recently consulted on changes to the School Admissions Code, including making it more explicit that children are entitled to a full time place in the September following their fourth birthday. We plan to publish a revised code in December 2014.