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All children to start school at age four in primary reforms
Tim Ross30 Apr 2009
All children will be expected to start primary school at the age of four under reforms announced today.
The Government promised funding for full-time places in England from 2011. It marks a significant shift in policy and a move towards lowering the already early starting age for formal education.
Currently children have to start education in the term after they turn five, although many start earlier.
Many who are “young for their year” are kept at home until they are thought to be ready for full-time schooling.
But a government review said parents should not wait until January or the following academic year before enrolling their children and must be told about the “benefits” of starting primary education aged four.
Ministers stopped short of changing the law to force all pupils to start school a year earlier. However, parents warned that the “cruel” reforms would shorten childhood and lead to a generation of institutionalised children.
Margaret Morrissey, from campaign group Parents Outloud, said many children would not be ready for school by the age of four.
“It is going to put tremendous strain on very young children who haven't reached that stage of development,” she said. “We are left with about three years of being able to call our children our own. After that, the Government will dictate what you are allowed to do with your child — when you can go on your holidays, when you can't, what you have to do for homework.
“That will go on for the rest of their childhood from four years onwards. It is an extremely sad day.”
Ofsted's former director of inspection Sir Jim Rose, who conducted the Government's primary review, admitted that “opinion was divided” about whether children should start reception classes in the September immediately after their fourth birthday. But he said that for children born in the July or August, holding them back can damage their education.
Research has found that pupils who are young for their year can be regarded as “immature” when they reach school and score significantly lower test and exam results than pupils born at the beginning of the academic year in September.
The disadvantage can last throughout pupils' academic careers and leave summer-born children less likely to go on to university. The review said: “Parents concerned, for whatever reason, about how well their child will thrive in a school environment will need clear guidance on the optimum conditions and the benefits to children of entering a reception class in September immediately after their fourth birthday.”
Under the reforms, four year olds will be allowed to begin primary school part-time. Ministers promised to allow parents the option of leaving their children in full-time nursery education for 25 hours per week.
Teachers will be given more training in how to make early primary schooling less formal with more activities based on play under the plan. The number of compulsory subjects will be dramatically reduced with six broad “areas of learning” to allow teachers more flexibility.
But all nurseries and primary schools will still have to teach the “nappy curriculum” for under-fives, including literacy targets.
The nursery curriculum, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage, expects children to be able to write labels and captions and begin to form “simple sentences” by the age of five. But only 28 per cent of pupils currently reach this level.
Reader views (11)
I do not see any reason why a child cannot start school at the age of four, as long as they are ready to do so. There are some children that starts play-groups or private Nursery before they are a year. Therefore, loves going to school and are use to the school settings, which can make them ready to start primary school at four years old. However, if a child is not ready to start primary school at that age, they should have a choice. After all, it all depends on the individual child. Some five year olds are not ready to start Primary school, but they have to start anyway. So, why can't children that are four years and ready to start primary school take the opprtunity the government is offering.
- Toyin, Toyin. Herts, UK, 16/01/2010 10:50
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As a mother of children who have been in full time nursery since they were 4 months (save the lectures!!), I am happy with this proposal. But then my children are sociable, used to the hours, and more than ready for the move. They are both born between Sep-Dec and if anything suffered by having to wait for the following September. This is a great move to allow a choice! I agree if children are immature/young for their age then they need help - however don't penalise those that are ready for the jump.
As for why the change now - thought the country was skint - this is probably exactly why the change! It's a lot cheaper to have kids in school than it is to pay tax credits/childcare vouchers etc..!!
... and it'll help working parents relieve themselves of childcare fees and therefore give us more money in our pockets ... oh so then we'll spend more.
My guess anyway!
- Amanda Bakewell, Cambridgeshire, 16/01/2010 09:50
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Actually reading these reforms there is no difference as I see it other than the way it's been worded!
It used to be that children could start school in the school year that they turned 5, now they're saying that they can start school in the September after their 4th birthday (ie the school year when they would turn 5!).
Typical!
Should've known better than to hope for any positive change!
- Amanda Bakewell, Cambs, 16/01/2010 09:50
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Couldn'y agree more, Neil. Apart from your comments, what I would like to know is when are our kids, or in my case grandkids going to be able to learn things like compassion, humour, and other things that can't/will not be taught in school by the current PC brigade. At age four they are too young to be put into that useless system called education, where the top echelons are not interested in those old fashioned ideas like discipline, but just in preserving their high paid jobs. Not unlike the current batch of ministers. no experience of life, just grand ideas for the masses to be caned with.
- Alan, carlisle uk, 16/01/2010 09:50
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The best educated kids are the Finnish, who start school at seven. Compulsory collective "education" is a form of child abuse - the state assuming parental control - and is extremely bad for children. The state has no business raising kids.
- Neil, London, London UK, 16/01/2010 09:50
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Why is this such a priority now?
I thought the country was skint?
- Ian Gilbertson, Newcastle, 16/01/2010 09:50
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As a mother of a son who was forced to start school at 4 years and 3 weeks old. I am disgusted and shocked by this reform. My son was not ready for school at 4 and therefore struggled during his first year. As a result we employed a tutor for him , in order for him to catch up with older class mates. Parents know there children and should without exception be given the option to let them start school at 5. In my opinion, Scotland have the correct system. The cut of date is end of Feb , so the youngest a child could be is 41/2 years and parents have the choice to start them at as late as 5 1/2 depending on there birthday. It still breaks my heart knowing that l have put my son at a disadvantage in education from the start and l am appalled that parents in the future will be forced to sent there child to school too early. Did they actually speak to parents of summer children?
- Jane, Fareham, 16/01/2010 09:50
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How long until the State wants to take the child from you at birth and raise it the correct way? Wasn't this way of thinking discredited by the Soviet Union's collapse? The fanily is more important than the State and we all need reminding of that.
- Mark, London, 16/01/2010 09:50
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Our daughter will be four at the end of August and will start school a couple weeks later. She has been in 20-80% of full time nusery school - at an excellent nursery - for over a year. We have a long journey to our chosen school (with small classes) because we do not believe over 20 young people can be adequately attended to let alone taught anything in one group. However, whilst we are willing to give our chosen school a go, we are currently reviewing leaving the country to obtain an education for her which we feel she deserves. Having been dragged across the floor by one arm by the deputy headmistress when I was 7, and reprimanded for refusing to copy off the blackboard that 'I have ten fingers and two thumbs', I'm not backing British education as a winner. I recently read that Prof Joan Freeman, who's work I admire, is a Govt Advisor. It does not appear to me that much advice has been taken. Is this all a move to get Mothers back in to the workforce a year earlier? (Yes, both I and my Husband work; it should be a choice.) If our education system is so good to merit an extra year, then surely the people who decided this could release to us public masses the details of their research - I am sure after all these years of education we can understand it! For now, we carry out our own assessments of our daughter's knowledge and levels of confidence and comfortableness; not for SATs of course, but to make sure that this educational experience does not diminish her in any way.
- Marie, Devon, 16/01/2010 09:50
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The only parents that feel 'forced' are those that feel they have to work! You legally don't have to start your child until they are 5. Parents have to stick there ground after all its your child! Look at the Danish system and the Steiner schools who start when they are 7. This government just wants us to hand over our children too young and get mums into work. Its about time us mums stood up to it together. Careers are not more important then children!! What is worth more sacrifice???
- Debra James, suffolk, 16/01/2010 09:50
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Nursery schools afe fine for 4 year olds but state infant schools do not have the resources and crowd too many in a classroom lacking the visual stimulation that you find in a normal nursery. Dare I say it I know of one Finnish child, as that country has been mentioned, who was here for just one year and walked into Tiffin school without any extra tuition. The moral is, keep them out of school.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England, 16/01/2010 09:50
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