"Not the norm" to refuse late school start applications says Council
13 cases have been declined in the last three years
Wiltshire Council insists it is "not the norm" for applications for a delayed start to school to be refused.
Figures released this week show 13 of 331 applications made in the last three years by parents asking for their child's entry to school to be delayed, were declined.
Parents of children born between 1st April and 31st August can request for their child's schooling to start a year later.
Cllr Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for Education, says a child's best interests are always the top priority.
"Every now and then, the instinctive decision that a parent might make will vary slightly from the decision that the professional may make, and when one of those rare occasions does occur that it's for the professional to be able to evidence why they think the route that they're advocating is the correct route and to act in the best interests of the child," he said.
Cllr Hubbard added: "Very rarely, those people different opinion and on those occasions, the Council exercises its statutory duty to say no, that child must start education."
The figures show that in 96% of cases, those involved are in agreement and there is no dispute.
Parents may raise concerns about their child’s maturity or readiness for school as a reason to defer, preferring them to be older and more developed before beginning their formal education.
Cllr Hubbard said it's vital to get young children into education when they're ready as humans learn better when younger. He said: "The more we delay that learning, the more potentially that can have an impact. So what we all want to see is every young person, when they are ready to be educated and given that opportunity to develop."
He insisted: "We are talking about such a small number of young people here in exceptional circumstances, it's not the norm that kids have been routinely refused anything that's in their best interests.
"We're always acting in the best interest of the child and that's the only measurement that's taken into account."