In a letter to Shireen Ritchie, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People’s Board, schools minister Nick Gibb and justice minister Crispin Blunt reveal that the legislation will not take effect until 1 April 2011.

It had been due to take effect from next month.

The reforms, part of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, will shift responsibility for securing education for young people in juvenile custody to local authorities.

Currently, education in juvenile custody is provided through a mix of arrangements in different establishments, some of which is commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council.

The letter states that the government remains committed to the "direction of travel", which will see local authorities take responsibility for custody, and that bringing young people who have offended into the educational mainstream is a critical step in the government’s "vision for more effective rehabilitation".

"It is important we get this right," the letter states. "We have, therefore, taken the decision to delay the commencement of the legislation from September 2010 to 1 April 2011.

"This will also give us further time to look specifically at questions such as contracting responsibilities in the context of recent announcements on the simplification of 16 to 19 funding structures more generally."