Which UK Year Group? Children Moving From Abroad, 2027 Entry

England fixes a child’s normal year group by date of birth, not by the grade completed overseas. The Department for Education uses “normal age group” to mean “the year group a child would have been in had they entered school in the September following their fourth birthday”, so Year 7 entry in September 2027 is for children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016.

Leading Tuition’s expert 11+ tutors prepare children for grammar and independent school entry, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. This page covers the year-group step; the rules by area are on the 11+ for families abroad hub.

Which birth dates are Year 6 in 2026-27 and Year 7 in September 2027?

Barnet Council’s School year groups table, read on 3 October 2026, puts children born 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016 in Year 6 for 2026-27 and in “Year 7 (from September 2027)”. The Reception entry rule is Admissions Code paragraph 2.17, under the heading “Admission of children below compulsory school age and deferred entry to school”: “Admission authorities must provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday.” For the Year 5 to Year 8 rows, the rule is DfE’s “normal age group”, quoted above.

The last column is the September in which each window starts Year 7: Barnet states it for 2027; the other rows are our arithmetic.

DfE’s guidance on applications from abroad says: “While the same immigration policy applies across all nations within the UK, each country has its own education system, guidance and laws.” This page covers England.

Where do classes in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa fall?

Singapore and South Africa publish a January start for 2027 (South Africa’s gazetted calendar lists Term 1 as “(11)13 January – 19 March”), New Zealand’s Term 1 “Starts between Thursday 28 January and Wednesday 3 February”, and Australia’s starting ages are measured “as at January of the year of commencement” (ACARA). Singapore, Australia and South Africa set entry by a date in the calendar, whereas England cuts at 1 September, so one class abroad can hold children from two English year groups. The table works out which, for the 2027 entry cohort.

It is our mapping, not a published equivalence. Each window is computed from the dates in the quoted rule, a month is one of the cohort’s twelve calendar months, and a row that moves a rule to an earlier intake says “projected”.

What the projections assume. Singapore’s Ministry of Education publishes its window for the 2026 exercise only, so Primary 5 and Primary 4 in 2026 are projected from it to the 2022 and 2023 intakes. ACARA’s Table 2.1 is the 2024 edition, so each cut-off is applied to the 2021 and 2022 Foundation starts. The arithmetic: a child who must be 5 by a cut-off in the start year was born no later than that date five years earlier and no earlier than the day after it six years earlier; for New South Wales, “turning 5 by 31 July” in 2021 gives births from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016.

What each body says about starting age. MOE says: “Primary school education is compulsory for all SCs. If your child has been medically assessed to be not ready or unsuitable for P1, you may apply for a deferment.” ACARA says: “In practice, most children start the Foundation year of primary school at between the ages of 4 and a half and 5 and a half.” The table assumes a child started at the youngest age the quoted rule permits; a later start sits in a lower class.

New Zealand. The Ministry of Education also says: “But some schools have a policy of starting children at school together as a group at the start of each term (cohort entry).” We derive no class window from these sentences; for a New Zealand child the English year is read from the date of birth.

South Africa. The Department of Basic Education says “all children between the ages of 7 and 15 are compelled to attend school”. The admission-age sentence is quoted in the table; we derive no class window from it.

Three children born inside England’s 2027 entry cohort all sit in Year 6; the class abroad depends on the system and the birth month.

A Primary 4 or Year 4 pupil can therefore be in England’s Year 6 in 2026-27, which is the 2027 Year 7 entry cohort: the labels differ by two.

How do US grades and the UAE’s new cut-off line up with Year 6?

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) table State K-3 Policies 2026, dated September 2026, compiles US kindergarten cut-offs from state statutes and says “some states leave age cutoffs to the discretion of the local school district”.

Our count of the table’s 51 entries (50 states and DC): 22 name September 1, 19 as “Age 5 on or prior to September 1.” and 3 as “Age 5 prior to September 1.” Apart from Vermont, whose entry reads “Age 5 before January 1.”, the dated cut-offs run from July 31 (Hawaii and Nebraska) to October 15 (Maine), and 5 entries give no fixed date, among them New York (“Age set by the school district.”). Applying each dated entry (all but Vermont) to kindergarten starts in autumn 2021, 45 of the 51 entries put at least 10.5 of the 12 months of the 2027 cohort in Grade 5. The working is at the end of this section.

The arithmetic is the one above: a Grade 5 pupil in 2026-27 began kindergarten in autumn 2021, and a cut-off of “Age 5 on or prior to September 1.” (ECS) applied in 2021 gives births from 2 September 2015 to 1 September 2016. In a September 1 state the 2027 entry cohort is therefore Grade 5 in 2026-27, and Grade 6 follows in September 2027. Two independent schools state the step in their own tables: Downe House lists the row “11-12 Lower School Remove (R) Year 7 Grade 6”, and Cranleigh School lists “Grade 7 (US System) USA Year 8 (age 12-13)”. Cranleigh adds a caution: “School systems vary around the world, so a pupil's age and current grade do not always align directly with a UK year group.” For a New York class, ask the district for its cut-off before using the table.

The UAE. The Ministry of Education’s news item, titled “UAE announces updated age cut-off date for KG, Grade 1 admissions starting AY 2026-2027”, says: “Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, the official age cut-off will shift to 31st December of the admission year for all schools and kindergartens whose academic calendars begin in August or September. Previously, the cut-off date was 31st August.” Its conditions, in the Ministry’s words:

• Scope: the news item says “The decision will apply to new student admissions for the 2026–2027 academic year only”, and its guide “Admission Age Guide for KG and Grade 1 Students”, dated December 2025, says “This change applies to Kindergarten and Grade 1 starting from the 2026-2027 academic year”, to nurseries and early childhood centres, private schools and public schools.
• Who: the guide says the cut-off “will apply to students who are not enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year”, and “students currently enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year will continue in their existing grade without any change.”
• Calendar, in the news item: “Schools that begin their academic year in April will continue to apply the 31st March cut-off date under their existing system, with no change.”
• Transfers, in the news item: “Placement for students transferring between schools, curricula (e.g., British, American, or other international systems), or those arriving from outside the UAE, will be based on the last successfully completed grade and academic progression, in line with approved grade equivalency procedures.”

At Grade 1 the news item states: “At the Grade 1 level, children must be six years old by 31 December of the admission year. This equates to Year 2 in the British curriculum, Cours Préparatoire (CP) in the French curriculum, and Grade 1 in other international curricula.” Six years old by 31 December 2026 means born on or before 31 December 2020, so a new admission born from 1 September to 31 December 2020 is eligible for Grade 1, which the Ministry equates to British Year 2, whereas Barnet’s table puts 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 births in Year 1. The change concerns new Kindergarten and Grade 1 admissions, so it affects younger children rather than the 2027 cohort. The rules for Gulf and Hong Kong families by area are on the UAE, Gulf and Hong Kong pages.

Working for the ECS counts. Entries reading “Age 5 on or prior to September 1.”: Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin. Entries reading “Age 5 prior to September 1.”: Arizona, New Mexico, West Virginia. The Grade 5 count covers the 45 dated entries other than Vermont; the lowest is Maine at 10.5 months. Both counts were recomputed from the saved copy of the ECS page when this page was built.

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Does the 11+ follow the school year abroad or the birth date?

Kent states the cohort for 2027 entry as birth dates, Redbridge gives the same window without a calendar year, and Buckinghamshire says in its own words what happens to a child whose schooling ran a year behind. Each is quoted below; the rules by area are not repeated here.

Kent. The Kent Test registration page says “Registration for the Kent Test closed on 1 July 2026.” and gives the registration dates as Monday 1 June to Wednesday 1 July 2026. It adds: “Children currently in Year 5 who were born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 can take the Kent Test in 2026.” Children born in that window were in Year 5 during the registration months (our arithmetic, one year earlier than Barnet’s 2026-27 table), and are Year 6 from September 2026. For a child outside the range Kent says: “If your child is outside the age range but is expected to transfer to secondary school in September 2027, email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk”.

Redbridge. The council’s page on applying to start secondary school gives the same window without a calendar year: “Use this application process if you live in Redbridge and your child was born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016.”

Buckinghamshire. Its guide to testing outside the normal year group addresses a child whose schooling ran behind the English year: “If your child’s education was delayed (for example if they started school a year late because they were summer-born, or if you lived abroad), normally they will sit the test at the same time as their classmates, and they will progress to secondary school with the same cohort. Refer to the admissions policy for your preferred school(s) for further information.” For a child ahead of the English year: “Sometimes we agree that a child can take the Secondary Transfer Test before the school year in which they are 11. This only happens if your child is of outstanding academic ability.” followed by “Your child will also need to: be very mature have been working well with other pupils in the year group above them for several years”. For a family living elsewhere it adds: “If you and your child live outside Buckinghamshire, even if we agree your child can sit the Secondary Transfer Test as an under-age or over-age candidate, you must also contact your home Local Authority to check that they will accept a secondary school application for your child.” Its registration page says “If your child currently lives abroad, we will not be able to test them until they return to the UK. You should then contact us.”

Kent and Redbridge therefore give the standard cohort as birth dates, and Buckinghamshire says that for a delayed child the test “normally” follows the classmates. Which applies to your child is for the council or school to confirm in writing. The area guides cover the dates and registration rules: Kent, Buckinghamshire, Redbridge, Sutton and Barnet. For a child who joins after the main round, see our guide to joining a grammar school after Year 7. To work out which cohort a child belongs to with an expert 11+ tutor, book a free consultation.

What can a family ask for when the birth-date year is the wrong fit?

Two documents speak to this. The Admissions Code binds the school types GOV.UK lists for it, and GOV.UK’s guidance on making a request describes the process. Their scopes differ, so each is quoted with its own. GOV.UK lists the Code as applying to “local-authority-maintained schools” and “academies and free schools”. The Code is the 2021 edition, the one GOV.UK lists as current when read on 3 October 2026.

Paragraph 2.18 names Reception and Year 1 in its second sentence; paragraphs 2.19 and 2.20 refer to “the child concerned” and to “a relevant age group”. We read them no further than that for a move at Year 7. For the process, GOV.UK’s guidance on making a request is written for summer-born children and has a section headed “Transfer to other schools”. It says: “You should make your request in writing.” and “It is important you request admission out of the normal age group at all the schools you plan to apply for, in case your preferred school is unable to offer your child a place.”

On a change of school, the guidance says: “You will need to ask an admission authority to admit your child out of their normal age group again if your child needs to transfer to another school. This applies if your child is moving, or going to move: from an infant to a junior school from a primary to secondary school to a new area and is changing schools”. For secondary school: “If applying to secondary school, you will need to ask the admission authority of your preferred schools to agree for your child to continue being educated outside of their normal age group. You should do this before the normal admissions round closes for your child’s normal age group. This will be on 31 October of the year your child starts year 5, rather than year 6.” That sentence names Year 5 and Year 6, so it is written for a child educated a year behind their normal age group. A family whose child’s class abroad is a year ahead of the English year, or any other pattern, should ask the admission authority in writing which round and date apply.

A council speaking to families from abroad. Sutton Council’s page for families moving from outside England says: “If you think your child might find it difficult to learn in the year group they’re meant to be in, you can apply for them to be in a different year group. The school will have to consider and agree to your request. Schools prefer to educate a child in the correct year group as much as possible.” and “Any time you change schools, you will need to request that the new school accepts your child out of the year group they are meant to be in.”

Dates for September 2027. The Code gives the national secondary deadline and offer day: “The deadlines for submitting applications to be allocated on National Offer Day are 31 October for secondary school and 15 January for primary school.” and “The offer is made on National Offer Day – this is 1 March for secondary schools”. For Year 7 entry in September 2027 that makes the closing date 31 October 2026 and National Offer Day 1 March 2027 (our arithmetic from the Code’s dates).

Independent schools. For an independent school, ask the school itself. Cranleigh School’s international page says: “The Admissions team will help determine the most appropriate year group and guide families through the application process.” Our guides to returning to a UK grammar school, relocating mid-cycle and the forces and Crown-servant route cover the application side.

Frequently asked questions

Sources read on 3 October 2026: each quotation was checked against the text at the address linked with it.