FOI Request - Deferred Entry to P1

Request 101003340911

I am keen to understand the impact changes to rules on funding for children who defer entry to primary school have had on the number of children starting school later.

As of this August parents are entitled to an additional year of funded early learning and childcare if their child is four when they are due to start school – previously this funding would only have been guaranteed for children due to turn five in the January or February after starting school.

Could you, therefore, please tell me:

1. How many children in your authority have opted to defer entry to P1 for school year beginning August 2023
2. What proportion of children due to enter P1 in August 2023 deferred entry to P1
3. I’m also interested to know how this compares to previous years so could you please provide the same figures for children due to start P1 in August 2022; August 2021; August 2020 and August 2019 – so how many children in your authority opted to defer entry to P1 for each of these school years and what proportion of the total P1 cohort that year was this?

Response 05-07-2023

1.  Information currently held on system is 37

2.  4.77%

3.  August 2022 - fully online system with 42 deferred entries - 4.76%

     August 2021 - fully online system with 46 deferred entries - 4.95%

     August 2020 - figures held may not be as accurate as 2021 and 2022, 15 deferred entries - 1.54%

     August 2019 - figures held may not be as accurate as 2021 and 2022. 16 deferred entries - 1.72%