Identical twins could be school year apart

The parents of identical twins born just 45 minutes apart are fighting to keep them in the same school year since they were born on either side of the academic cut-off point. Twin girls Amber and Lexus Conway were born less than an hour apart at the Barratt Maternity Unit at Northampton General Hospital. Their mother, Sarah, delivered Lexus at 11:40pm on August 31st, while baby Amber was born at 12:25am on September 1st.

Because their official birthdays fall either side of the school division for academic years, Lexus will be able to go to school aged four under the current rules, while Amber will have to wait until the following year to follow her slightly older sister into education.

Sarah (37) and her husband Ian say they plan to fight the authorities in order to ensure their baby daughters are not separated.

She said: "Doing everything together is what being a twin is all about. How could I keep one at home and send one to school?

"It's such a shame for the girls, especially as Amber only missed the cut-off point by a matter of minutes. We tried to persuade the registry office to give them both August 31st as their birthdays but they said there was no leeway."