Petition · past parliament
Increase school starting age by 1 year to bridge the gap created by COVID19
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Increase school start age by 1 year which will:
Enable ALL children currently missing out a full year extra to ensure they get the experiences they should have and need.
Ensure proper transitions which are fundamental under usual circumstances but particularly following a situation like COVID-19
Enable ALL children currently missing out a full year extra to ensure they get the experiences they should have and need.
Ensure proper transitions which are fundamental under usual circumstances but particularly following a situation like COVID-19
This is an opportunity to come in line with other countries where children start school much later.
I propose this as a permanent change as well as a solution to the current situation.
Doing this would enable all children currently missing school an extra year to ensure they get the experiences they are currently missing out on including SATS and GCSE’s.
It will also ensure proper transitions. Particularly to Reception, Y1 and Y7 which are fundamental for good school experiences going forward.
I propose this as a permanent change as well as a solution to the current situation.
Doing this would enable all children currently missing school an extra year to ensure they get the experiences they are currently missing out on including SATS and GCSE’s.
It will also ensure proper transitions. Particularly to Reception, Y1 and Y7 which are fundamental for good school experiences going forward.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
It's not clear if you just want the school starting age to be increased by one year, or if you also want the current academic year to be repeated.
We have published the following petition, which you might like to sign:
Repeat the current school year from Sept 2020: Repeat the current school year from Sept 2020
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
We have published the following petition, which you might like to sign:
Repeat the current school year from Sept 2020: Repeat the current school year from Sept 2020
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 6 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 8 Jun 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
8 Jun 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.