Children Should Start School Later At 6 Or 7 Years Old...

[Gromit]

...to allow them to develop through play.

Many countries who out perform us educationally, actually start formal teaching later than we do. A group of educationalists is calling for the age we send our children to school to be raised to the same as the Scandinavian countries, claiming the children will attain better results.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10302249/Start-schooling-later-than-age-five-say-experts.html

Do you agree?

[naomi24]

Yes, I do. Children with birthdays in August start full time school when they are only just 4, and in my opinion, that is far too young.

[VHG]

>>>>...to allow them to develop through play.

BBC4 showed some old "Look at Life" films recently, documentary programs made in the 1960s.

In one of them, about children, it showed children playing in the street, skipping, playing hop scotch, making go-karts, building "dens" in play grounds and much more.

Children hardly do any of these any more, so there is very little "play" opportunities around for young children.

It is too dangerous to play in the street, and many of the activities I saw in that program would be stopped on health and safety grounds nowadays.

We child minded two young children over the weekend (one 12 the other 9). They both brought their iPads, and the older one brought their mobile phone.

When I went in to see if they had woken up they were both playing on their iPads and the girl was also texting on her phone.

The danger is if kids don't start school till 6 or 7 they will spend their time watching TV or playing on computers or games machines.

[naomi24]

What children do with their time is the parents' responsibility, but most little ones attend pre-school for half days. I think at under 5, that's enough.

[Svejk]

Didn't we just play,anyway. As best I can remember we painted pictures(of a sort) modelled with plastecine (my personal favourite)& listened to childish stories.
I can remember a big ABC up on the wall. A is for apple,B is for ball etc & feeling scared? of it.
As you can see, I must have mastered it at some time, just.

[jake-the-peg]

You seem to have a very narrow idea about what constitutes play VHG - drawn I expect entirely from your own experience.

This sort of play is teaching them computer interaction skills at an early age.

Computer based learning is going to continue to grow in importance and frankly those who've spent their first years 'skipping' will be at a distinct disadvantage when they get to the classroom.

[naomi24]

It's the time factor - and the lack of rest - that bothers me. 9 until 3.30 is a long time for a little one to be away from home every day. When children of working parents are in nursery for long days, at least they get an afternoon nap.

[Sqad]

What a good idea......an extra couple of years at home, developing their computer skills, sitting on their fat @rses so that by the time that they present themselves for discipline and education, they are fatter and more slovenly than their counterparts of previous generations.

[Gromit]

Couldn't disagree with you more jtp

Children who play and use their imagination will do very well in the future. Anyone with the ability to produce conent, whether it is fiction, making up games or making pictures will have a bright future. The ones who can just press buttons are the shelf stackers of the future.
(Nothing wrong with shelf stackers, I have done it myself).

[Svejk]

I can remember the excitement when reading suddenly clicked. One minute you may as well have been looking at heiroglyphics or chinese writing & then 'bang' you were away & independent.
Sorry for turning your news thread into an 'all our yesterdays' one.;)

[naomi24]

I will be forever grateful to Enid Blyton. Noddy taught me to read. :o)

[sandyRoe]

It's not so very long ago that they would have been preparing for a life of work at that age. Climbing up chimneys, and doing some of the lighter work in mines and mills. They get things far too easy these days.

[pips1]

I agree with naomi24, having worked in a nursery I felt the children with August birthdays were leaving to go to school far too early at 4 yrs old.

[vulcan42]

I think these experts who are advocating that children start school later have missed an important point. They say the children are missing out on play etc but whereas in the "old days" we did get out and play,these days because of real or perceived dangers, they aren't allowed to and it's only when they go to school they start making friends and actually play with each other.

[weecalf]

Can working patents afford an extra year at child minders crèche at approx. 300 a month ?

[youngmafbog]

The problem is times have changed. Parents, rightly or wrongly, now work.

It will be impossible for the majority of parents to stay at home and stimulate the child, they will just end up in play groups (at considerable expense) and learn far less than being at school.

Personally I would take a little from jtp post and a little from Gromit as to what children will need in the future and as such I do wonder if many parents are best placed to be able to do this (if they had the time). I suspect not.

What we need are state run educational units for children under the age of say 6 or 7 that can give the mental stimulation and play required at a reasonable cost to the parent.

I know many will argue the parent should take the responsibility, and I would agree. But, we have to get a grip on reality and accept times are not going to be as they were, certainly in the near future.

BTW, I dont believe it is more dangerous out on most streets for children, it is more of a perceived danger fueled by Health and Safety nuts and the press.

[ummmm]

I think they will still be starting school at the same age just that formal learning will not start until they are 6/7.

[ummmm]

//BTW, I dont believe it is more dangerous out on most streets for children, it is more of a perceived danger fueled by Health and Safety nuts and the press. //

Cars are the main danger.

[mikey4444]

I was born in 1953 and didn't attend school until I was 5 in 1958. We had all the things that educationalists frown on these days ...Janet and John books, the slipper, etc. But I had a good education, that didn't start a day too soon. I couldn't wait to get to school as I needed the intellectual stimulus that it provided. Of course, they were different times back then...no day time telly, and no computers, just playing with my Meccano !

[Octavius]

My girls spent a year at part time pre school and were more than ready for full time school at 4 and love socialising / creative learning.

[Sqad]

mikey...;-)...good post......made me smile.