How is my child's age group decided?

Question

Accepted Answer

Under UKA Rule TR3 S1, in England (and Wales) the age group for athletes under 18 is set by their age on 31 August at the end of the competition year, for track and field, race walking, road running and cross country.

The competition year runs from 1 October to 30 September, so athletes move up an age group on 1 October and stay in it for cross country, road and track alike.
This lines up with the school year in England:

Age group	Age on 31 August	School years
Under 12	10 or 11	Years 5 and 6
Under 14	12 or 13	Years 7 and 8
Under 16	14 or 15	Years 9 and 10
Under 18	16 or 17	Years 11 and 12

For the 2026/27 competition year (1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027), the date is 31 August 2027. Hill and trail running use age on 31 December instead, and Scotland and Northern Ireland use 31 December for all disciplines.