The ombudsman heard the girl’s mother had applied to postpone her daughter’s school start last year, because she felt it was not in her best interests.
A panel set up by Leeds City Council considered the mother’s application, but applied the wrong test. Instead of deciding whether the girl should join reception or year 1 in 2021, it looked at whether she should start reception in 2020 or 2021.
The council decided the girl’s needs could be fully met in her chronological year group and said the girl should start reception in September 2020 and if her mother declined she would need to apply for a year 1 place in 2021.
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